Tag Archives: author tips

Author of the Month

Author of the Month: Bonnie Randall – Unmasking Halloween chills in her new book, ‘The Shadow Collector’

Oct 16,2023 / By / No Comment

Discover her advice for writing memorable and haunting stories this spooky season.

The plot of The Shadow Collector held my interest from the first page to the last. I was left in suspense after reading each page.

– The Avid Reader

Welcome to a must-read interview with Tellwell author Bonnie Randall, a contemporary writer with a unique perspective that traverses both the traditional and self-publishing realms. Known for crafting mysterious and eerie tales, Bonnie Randall has left a trail of suspense with her books, Divinity & the Python, Within the Shadow’s Summit, No Vacancy, and her latest offering, The Shadow Collector.

The Shadow Collector has reached remarkable heights, achieving the coveted #1 spot on Amazon.com’s Ghost Romance chart. It has also peaked at #2 in Canada and reached an impressive #19 in Paranormal Suspense on Amazon.uk.

Today, Bonnie Randall generously shares her insights into the art of writing gripping stories and making the most of self-publishing.

Click here to find out more about this chilling mystery.

Q: What inspired you to delve into the supernatural thriller genre, and how do you keep it fresh and exciting for your readers? 

Hey, I’m a Scorpio! I was born into the supernatural thriller genre! 

As for keeping a story in this category fresh and exciting, it can be a tall challenge! A lot of what we define as “paranormal” spins out of legends and folklore that are so old—the roots of those tales stretch right back into ancient tomes like the Torah and Bible. As such, there are fields of tropes and clichés you need to either embrace or avoid when creating your own story, because you definitely don’t want your reader to feel like they’ve already seen this book a million times. But you also want to deliver the thrill they’re expecting and hoping for. So how do you turn the key in such a way that it unlocks something unexpected? Well, how about a graveyard that’s haunted not by ghosts, but by tangible memories only your heroine can see? Or what about little phantasm children who, instead of innocent victims, are perhaps wiser (and certainly wilier) than the adults? 

Oh, and how about a haunted house that is the safest place your protagonist has ever known, a place her heart longs to be? That’s The Shadow Collector in three pithy lines, but beyond that, what keeps this story exciting are characters who are deeply human, who take you to their emotional place and make you care about them, root for them.

Q: You’ve created a captivating series of supernatural thrillers. Can you tell us what it takes to plan and execute a series like yours, and you go about it? 

Wine. A lot of wine. Or maybe it’s “whine.” 

Just kidding. The Shadow Collector is the first in what will be a four-book series whose overarching question, “Where did all the children go?” is currently answered via a blizzard of Post-it notes that serve as a storyboard in my writing room. And, just like any individual title, it is divided into Acts I, II, and III, so too is an entire series—except on a far more protracted scale. As such, Book II and Book III ostensibly serve as Act II of the entire series, and right now I am writing them simultaneously due to the amount of cross-pollination of clues and secrets revealed within each of these stories. 

Beyond plotting and process, though, another important element in a series’ execution involves staying true to the voice of each character. This series has a big cast, and each book will feature a different leading man and lady whose points of view will propel the narrative drive. To that end, one of my many jobs in crafting these novels will be to respect each character’s individual personality, their back-story, and their unique voice, which my readers have now come to know and recognize from Book I, The Shadow Collector.  

Q: Your books often mix romance, mystery, and danger. What advice can you offer to writers looking to incorporate both elements and maintain an effective balance?

First and foremost, always—and I mean always!—stay true to reactions and emotions that are consistent with whatever your protagonist is facing in each individual scene. For example: if your character is facing off with the phantom in the graveyard, she will not be thinking about how sexy the hero is (even if he is). Conversely, if your hero is flashing his adorable dimples at her while she is trying to be serious—dang! She’s gonna notice those damn dimples, and become aware of a whole clutch of other, even naughtier thoughts that will upend her too. 

In short, a romantic thriller is, essentially, two stories about the same people happening simultaneously: it’s a love story and a mystery. So to keep those pages turning, use the romance to create barriers that keep your protag from solving the mystery, and use the mystery to create barriers that keep your protag from connecting with their love interest. 

Q: Can you tell us about your experience working with Tellwell, and how self-publishing compares to traditional publishing?

I have had a variety of publication experiences! First, I had a project traditionally picked up by small press Panverse in California (Divinity & The Python, 2013); next, I self-published with no assistance (Within The Summit’s Shadow, 2019); and now I’ve chosen the assisted-publishing route with Tellwell’s contribution to The Shadow Collector. 

Each experience has benefits and challenges: going the traditional route can result in a publisher taking on the “heavy lifting” of cost, distribution, and some marketing, but trad publishing also involves querying and uncertainty. Will an agent or editor even be interested in my project? Or will they take a pass? 

Self-publishing comes with the benefit of getting your project into the hands of readers, but indie authors still (sadly) face a lot of stigma: some readers (and other writers) assume your work is substandard, amateur, or even “illegitimate.” With that reality in mind, I strongly recommend that any author going the self-published route does it well: make the investment and use assisted publishing to help craft the best-looking product you can produce, because like it or not, we do judge a book by its cover, so yours needs to shine! Don’t believe me? I’d be only too happy to share the dramatic difference in sales between my unassisted self-published novel Within the Summit’s Shadow and The Shadow Collector, which I created with Tellwell. 

Next: use an editor. No, seriously, use an editor! If you have a professional editor, great. If you don’t, and the assisted-publishing company you’ve employed offers editing as part of their service, purchase it!

Yikes! That turned into a bit of a lecture, didn’t it? Let me sum up with this: my Shadow Collector journey with Tellwell has been top shelf; the formatting, the cover art design, and (perhaps especially) the marketing coaching has, without a doubt, been a massive part of what has propelled The Shadow Collector into the top 50 in its Amazon categories eight separate times since its release in May. I am so thrilled and grateful to be working with such a great partner! 

Q: Could you share some of the books and authors who have inspired your writing journey? 

I read so much and from such a wide variety of genres, anyone who looks at my Goodreads list probably thinks it’s been compiled by a dozen different people! But certain authors inspire me more than others: Lucy Foley and Shari Lapena are pacing and plot twist queens! For the creepy factor, though, I adore Jennifer MacMahon, but I (obviously) love me some sweet magic too, so for that I pick up everything by Sarah Addison Allen and Heather Webber. When I want my prose to lean a little more into the poetic and imagery-rich side of life, Ann Marie Eleazer’s poetry gets me there, but if I really want my paranormal possibilities to crackle and creep you out good and proper, I dive into the blacker-than-midnight rabbit holes of the late indie journalist David McGowan!  

Q: What’s your favourite way to celebrate Halloween? 

I’m glad you asked, but you might not be! Aside from giving out stellar loot bags (no candy corn or witch’s kisses from this house, baby! Here it’s chips & chocolate all the way!) I, unlike The Shadow Collector’s Natalya, actually enjoy a stroll through the cemetery—especially on Halloween. In fact, an abandoned graveyard where I used to live had headstones that would appear then disappear depending on who was looking at them, and what angle they were looking from. And yeah, I write fiction, but I am not making that up.

Pick up one of Bonnie’s books this Halloween. Just click the image below.

Get the book on Amazon!
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Meet the Team

Tellwell editor Kim Martins shares tips for transforming your manuscript

Mar 23,2023 / By / No Comment

Get pro tips from a Tellwell book editor on perfecting your manuscript & improving your writing.

Everyone should read, read, and then read more. It exercises the brain and improves mental health, but it is also great fun to lose yourself in another world for a few hours.

Kim Martins – Editor

If you’re an aspiring author, you know how crucial it is to have your manuscript polished to perfection before submitting it to publishers. That’s where manuscript editor Kim Martins comes in. With years of experience under her belt, Kim has edited a wide range of genres and helped numerous authors refine their writing. In this exclusive interview, Kim, an Australian editor based in New Zealand, opens up about her inspiration for becoming an editor and her all-time favourite books, and shares valuable tips and advice on how authors can improve their writing and increase their chances of success.

Can you tell us about your role as a book editor at the publishing company? What are your responsibilities, and what does your typical workday look like?

I edit everything from poetry collections to memoirs and novels in most genres, and it is a joy to work with authors. My typical workday begins around 8.00 a.m., and it might include a manuscript evaluation, paying close attention to story structure and character arc. Or it might be a substantive edit of a novel, which means I look at the manuscript broadly and help the author with things like pacing, clarifying plot points or possibly ambiguous sentences, whether the narrative is being lost due to unnecessary inclusion of too much information, and so on. 

Because the editing process is thorough, I might also work on manuscripts that have been through a substantive editing round and have now moved to the copy and line edit. With copy editing, grammar, spelling and punctuation are looked at as well as fact-checking, while line editing involves tightening up sentence structure so the language is sharp.

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Tips & Tricks

Should you consider joining a writer’s organization?

Mar 2,2023 / By / No Comment

Much like running, writing has a tendency to be a lengthy independent exercise. The road can often get lonely and desolate, and it can certainly be reassuring to see some fellow runners, or in this case writers, alongside. Regardless of which publishing route you choose – traditional or self-published, there’s still a long journey of self-promotion that lies ahead.

As a self-published author, you’re essentially taking on a new profession, and if this is your first book, there can be a steep learning curve ahead. But, having an outlet to gain advice and support from other writers can help drive momentum and establish a solid foundation as a writer.

Many authors look to a writer’s organization as an opportunity to turn an independent effort into a team sport. Whether it be a national organization with smaller regional branches, a provincial organization, or a niche specific group, you may want to consider joining one as part of your marketing and promotion strategy.

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Here are some of the advantages of becoming a member of a writer’s organization:

  • Support from a community of writers – In any given writer’s group, you’re guaranteed to have the opportunity to connect and interact with other authors, many of whom will have unique insights to bring to the discussion based on their own publishing experiences. In essence, they’re a great forum to gain feedback from fellow members of your craft.
  • Networking opportunities – Most writer’s organizations arrange events and other interactive opportunities for you to meet with professionals in the publishing industry. Whether they be editors, reviewers, booksellers or other high-profile authors, writer’s organizations offer good settings to increase your author network.
  • “How-To” guides and instructional information – One of the greatest advantages of writer’s groups (particularly at a national level,) is the knowledge base they can provide, especially to newcomers. From contracts and legalities to marketing and promotion, writer’s organizations are a great preliminary source for best practices in publishing.
  • Access to readings programs – Some writer’s organizations provide their members with the opportunities to participate in pre-established events and speaking engagements. These can include subsidies to invite writers to perform at a school or public reading, which can act as a great gateway to showcase your book to appropriate markets.
  • Access to apply for awards – Many writer’s organizations offer awards to recognize contributions to the literary industry, but the committee’s considerations are often limited to members only. By joining one of these organizations, you’ll have the opportunity to submit your work for award consideration.
  • Writer’s Coalition Benefits – Many writer’s organizations include eligibility to participate in the group health and dental benefits plan through the Writer’s Coalition. If your principal profession is writing, it may be worth your while to have access to benefits, which aren’t usually available at a group rate in this trade.
  • Credibility – In the publishing realm, having a membership to a writer’s organization can enhance your status and clout as an author. As a self-published author in particular, this can be an extremely valuable confidence boost when you’re first starting out.
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Author of the Month

“Vindictive” author Ryan Lawrence shares his advice to authors considering self-publishing

Jun 15,2022 / By / No Comment

As an English major, writing has always been a part of Ryan Lawrence’s life. It was only after leaving his long-time profession that he took his education and a passion for writing and began his author journey.

Ryan currently lives in London, Ontario, with his husband Todd, their cat Dora, and a massive comic book collection that once fell on Todd (Ryan assures us that he’s okay).

We’re thrilled to welcome Ryan as our author of the month for June. Read on to learn his advice for authors when self-publishing and marketing their work . . .

Toot your own horn! Be proud of what you have created, and never feel embarrassed to promote yourself. Excitement is contagious!

– Ryan Lawrence, author of Vindictive
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Author of the Month Author Success - In the media, awards, reviews Book Marketing

Award-winning author Vali Benson on how she generated buzz, reviews, and awards!

Dec 16,2021 / By / No Comment

Our December Author of the Month, Vali Benson, has been sweeping up the book awards this season. Her young-adult fiction book, Blood and Silver, won a gold medal in two categories at the San Francisco Book Festival, took first place at the New York Book Festival in the young adult category, and won the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards for best first chapter book! She has generated over 100 reader reviews, and offers up her book-promotion insights to authors on how to generate buzz for your book, reviews and awards.

Published in 2020, Vali Benson was faced with marketing her book during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving online, she began the process of gaining visibility for her book by submitting for book reviews. What came next can be accredited to Vali’s hard work, consistency, and dedication to making Blood and Silver a book on every family’s bookshelf.

Read on to hear about her award and review success, plus her advice for new authors!

Tell us a bit about yourself & your book.

I have been a writer all my life. I can also now call myself a published author. It still seems like a dream, but it’s true. However, it would take some time to develop. My parents never encouraged my creative interests, so I studied retail in college. After I graduated from the University of Illinois, my husband and I moved west. We started and operated a couple of successful businesses. When we sold them, I decided to retire early to pursue my dream of writing. I currently live in Tucson, Arizona, with my husband, two sons, and grandchildren.    

Ever since I can remember, I have had a book in my hand. As a lifelong reader, I often thought, “I could do better than that.” So, I decided to finally do something about it. Blood and Silver is my first book. It is a young-adult historical fiction novel about a twelve-year-old girl in 1880’s Tombstone, AZ, who runs into all kinds of trouble trying to save her mother’s life. I like to think it has an entertaining combination of history and heart. The inspiration for Blood and Silver was formed from family outings. When our boys were little, we used to take them to Tombstone for the Wild West show. I was amazed when I learned that this little town of just over thirteen hundred residents had once been a boomtown of fifteen thousand. I couldn’t imagine it, but I knew there had to be a great story there.    

What were some of the more significant lessons you learned writing and publishing a book? This could be about the process itself, or about you.

The process of publishing a book is extremely personal and I’m sure it is different for everybody. For me, I was not quite prepared to hear other people’s reactions to my work, either positive or critical. Blood and Silver had only been a story in my head. When other people had access to my words and ideas, I felt that they were no longer mine. Those feelings gradually dissipate with each positive review received or award won.    

What have you been doing to market and promote your book?

Honestly, I don’t do anything earth-shattering. From day one, my project managers and consultants at Tellwell have guided me in the right direction and I have tried to follow their suggestions as close as possible. A major marketing strategy that was stressed to me was to establish a digital footprint. Simple steps include creating author profiles on selected social media platforms such as Facebook and Goodreads. An author website is not a necessity, but I would strongly recommend it. I try to regularly update my success on these forums thus consistently cultivating fresh interest for my book. The key is to generate constant buzz.     

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Tips & Tricks Uncategorized

How to track your success on social media

Sep 17,2021 / By / No Comment

It’s hard to know if you’re “doing” social media right. I mean, yes, you post unique content, you respond to comments, and you regularly engage with other accounts in your niche by liking their posts or leaving comments in relevant threads. But is it working?? By working, we’re referring to people liking your posts, following your page, clicking your links and/or visiting your website.

To know if you really are using social media to benefit your brand as an author, you can track your success using your social media insights. That is, if you’ve signed up for a professional profile like the Facebook Business Page or Instagram Creator Account, which offer you tons of added benefits for building your brand. Once you’ve created your Facebook Page or Instagram Creator Account, experiment with posting for a couple weeks and then venture into the world of your social media insights.

Find your Insights on Facebook:

And on Instagram:

Alright, now take a look at three key ways to measure your success on social media using your social media insights!

Follower Count

Having a high follower count makes a good first impression, but if it isn’t growing week-over-week you need to change up your strategy. A steady increase in followers means your account is reaching more people organically as well as getting new people’s attention.

If your follower growth rate is only increasing by 1% a month, re-evaluate your content strategy.

Content Interactions

Tracking your content interactions, i.e. how many likes, comments or saves your post and stories get is important. It lets you monitor just how interested your audience is in the content you are creating.

Your social media analytics will show your overall interactions as well as the interactions for each post.

Here’s what industry standards tell us:

  • Less than 1% = low engagement rate
  • Between 1% and 3.5% = average/good engagement rate
  • Between 3.5% and 6% = high engagement rate
  • Above 6% = very high engagement rate

How can you get from 1% to 3.5% or higher? We share a few tips for updating your social media content strategy below.

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Book Marketing Tips & Tricks

How to utilize your author website!

Sep 16,2021 / By / No Comment

So you made the decision to create an author website – FANTASTIC! A website functions as a modern online business card, and not having one can impact credibility. You will use your website to share information and news about your book, let people know where they can buy it, and offer other ways of connecting with you by including your social media links. Ultimately, your website is the foundational building blocks of your brand! But, what should you be doing with it and how can you help get traffic (views) to the site?

Unless you are creating regular content in the form of a blog, uploading new resources, or doing something unique on your site, it can be hard to drive people to visit your author website frequently or at all. So what should you be doing?

Here are 4 key elements to follow to get the most out of your author website:

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Author of the Month Book Marketing Tellwell Books

How a cheeky, real-life pelican inspired a book about cleaning up our oceans – Tellwell’s July author of the month Renee James

Jul 15,2021 / By / No Comment

Renée James is the talented Australian children’s author of Patroosh, the Cheeky Pelican. Her book was featured as one of the best-reviewed books by IndieReader in May, she has been reviewed on a number of book blogs, and has been featured on the Clarence Valley Independent!

Patroosh, the Cheeky Pelican touches on the impact of ocean pollution, such as rubbish, on wildlife – an important theme in line with “Clean Beaches Week” that took place earlier this month July 1-7.

Renée’s ‘monkey see, monkey do’ attitude has inspired her to pursue her dreams and become an author! Learn more about Renée and discover her advice for authors!

PATROOSH, THE CHEEKY PELICAN is an illustrated children’s story that hits all the marks: appealing and memorable central characters, high entertainment value, and its function as a powerful educational tool.

~Amanda Ellison for IndieReader
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Tips & Tricks

Get reader reviews by running an online book giveaway

Oct 25,2018 / By / 1 Comment

How do you get readers to review your book? You give it to them for free. Hosting an online giveaway is one tactic that will provide a bit of extra publicity for your book.  Goodreads, Facebook and Amazon have functions on their sites that give writers the opportunity to organize their very own book giveaways. The question is: which platform is best for you?

Goodreads Giveaways

Goodreads

Goodreads boasts over 55-million members, with 1.5-billion books and more than 50-million reviews. So, this may be one of the most viable ways to reach your target readers. Running a giveaway on Goodreads is straightforward and easy to set up. The great thing about Goodreads is they promote your giveaway, helping drive entries and then randomly select winners once the giveaway ends.

How it works
When participants enter in a giveaway, your book automatically gets added to their “want-to-read” list promoting your book via updates in their friends’ feeds, building exposure for your book. About eight weeks after the giveaway ends, winners receive an email from Goodreads to remind them to rate and review your book. This will help other readers discover and decide to read the book too. Goodreads also features their book givewaways on a section of their website, allowing new readers to discover new books.

The Goodreads giveaway process is simple, allowing authors to gift ebooks through their KDP account and print books to American or Canadian residents. The fee of $119 USD (approx $150 CDN) allows you to gift up to 100 copies fo your book. 

Giveaways for Kindle ebooks are fulfilled directly by Goodreads, while authors are responsible for mailing print books to winners. Take into account shipping costs when deciding how many print copies to gift. Giving away ebooks is much more cost effective as you only pay the giveaway fee, and do not have to pay for each ebook copy you gift. 

Goodreads also offers a premium giveaway valued at $599 USD which includes all the above benefits plus premium placement on the Goodreads’ giveaway page and a customizable message sent by Goodreads to entrants who don’t win.

FAQs

  1. How many copies should I give away?
    Goodreads allows you to give away up to 100 copies of your book. If you are gifting ebooks, then decide how many copies you are comfortable giving away. You are not paying out of pocket for the ebooks you giveaway, only the $120 USD fee. So if your goal is to generate reader reviews, then I would encourage to give away as many of those 100 copies as you can.
    But if you are giving away print copies of your book, then you do have to take into account the price of the book as well as shipping costs. In this case, limit the copies to the amount you can afford, taking into account the Goodreads giveaway fee. You can limit the giveaway to only one book.
  2. Will each reader who gets a free copy leave a review?
    No, Goodreads clearly states that people who receive free copies are not required to leave a review. And this is a good thing because if someone doesn’t like a book, sometimes they choose not to leave a review, and that is better than having a negative review. Books are given in the hopes that the reader will leave a positive review.
  3. Who can enter giveaways?
    Giveaways for print books are eligible for entry by Goodreads members who are residents of the US and/or Canadian residents. (During the setup process, giveaway hosts can select to offer print giveaways to U.S residents, Canadian residents, or both.)Giveaways for Kindle e-books are eligible for entry by Goodreads members that are residents of the US.
  4. Do I have to pay for the ebooks I’m giving away?
    No. Kindle Direct Publishing authors and publishers with ebooks available in the U.S. can run giveaways for up to 100 copies of Kindle ebooks. Whether you choose to give away 1 ebook or 100, it will always cost $119 USD. We automatically deliver the ebooks to winners at no additional cost, meaning you are not responsible for paying for each copy of the ebook. And the more books you give away, the more reviews you’re likely to receive, which will help create buzz around your book!

Take a look at the books currently up for grabs on Goodreads.
If you want to read more about creating an online giveaway on Goodreads, click here.

If you want Tellwell to setup a Goodreads account and run a giveaway for you, then fill out this form.

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