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Little Free Libraries Near Me!

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Have you ever noticed the cute little houses atop poles and near the sidewalk on a few properties in your city? A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to have my daughter and her family visiting from BC. Somehow we got talking about little free libraries and ended by looking up a few nearby.

I was so enthralled by the idea of leaving books for others and borrowing one someone else had left that I went to my trunk immediately. These days I always have a few copies of my latest book with me in case an occasion presents itself. I pulled out a book, Beth took my picture beside the little free library and voila! We notified the homeowner and she was enthralled. She said she pulled out my book to start reading immediately. Maybe one of these days I’ll meet her!

The Little Free Libraries we visited in my city (Woodstock) are at :

  • 48 Blue Jay Boulevard
  • 242 Munnoch Boulevard
  • 38 Sioux Crescent
  • 683 College Avenue

The Little Free Library service is supported online by a few websites. Composite Two Story BlueHere is a library box you can buy from littlefreelibrary that I love because it’s blue, my favourite colour. Click on the link to see the many choices available from this site.  I also noticed that libraries can be dedicated to certain types of books. One of the ones my daughter, granddaughter and I visited was dedicated to the younger generation. That was great fun but some library box designs would probably not hold the larger books for very young children. You have to plan, don’t you?

Check out this link as well for 5 steps to starting your own little free library. the link offers lots of help in short order. This is one of those great ideas that you can start with very little effort.

Of course you can also build your own library box. You must make sure it is sturdy and weatherproof and there are plans available online. You can be up and running with your own library in no time.

Take a moment to watch this video about how littlefreelibrary.org sees its vision to change the world. Click on the link here and then click on the link to see their website video. It will give you a warm spot in your heart.

TO DO:

  • check your own neighborhood for free libraries
  • sort your own books and find some to donate to free libraries
  • if you are an author leave your  books with a bookmark or business card in them
  • start your own free library if at all possible
  • ENJOY!
Part of my library before my husband and I downsized to a condo. I miss that room lined with shelves of books!
My latest book!

My Loyalist historical fiction!

A Different Kind of Historical

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When you think of it, every story we tell is historical. As soon as we use the past tense, as in “my daughter woke up in the middle of the night with red spots all over her chest”, we are dealing with history. To be considered a part of the historical fiction category, though, the subject matter should be at least fifty years in the past, a rule set and followed by the writing community.

That idea of categorizing sometimes leads us writers to wonder just what genre our new story actually fits into as it may have historical elements but they are more fantasy than history. Or it may have historical elements as the backdrop for a murder that needs to be solved. Is it historical or is it crime fiction?

This leads to agents having difficulty knowing where to sell a story. It may be excellent but their job is to sell it and they do all they can to figure out where their market might be. At lunch yesterday this very problem led me to suggest my author friend might be better to self-publish her book as it does not clearly fit into one category or another and I wondered if an agent would struggle to find a market for it. The book is extremely creative in its structure and story line, something readers love to see, but the author must decide how best to actually get it to those readers. Should she try to traditionally publish or do it herself?

In a similar vein, the new book I’m writing started out as creative non-fiction but I’ve completely restarted it as a biography. You see, the framing device that I had thought was so clever, actually began to be extremely unwieldy, so much so that a few weeks ago, lying awake at three o’clock in the morning, I decided I had to start over and write this thrilling and uplifting story about Ron Calhoun and Terry Fox and a lot of other amazing people as Calhoun’s biography.

That decision is allowing me to use a more sequential time line and include a rising action aspect just as I do in my historical fiction. And it relates to my historical fiction very well as I’m telling the story of a man born in 1933 who came to be so connected with historical figures during his long lifetime (and he’s still going!). My working title for this is The Man Behind the Marathon of Hope: The Story of Ron Calhoun and How He Helped Terry Fox Raise Millions for Cancer.

Click on the Loyalist Trilogy books below for great historical stories with satisfying endings:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behind the Books: 10 Things Authors Must Do To Survive

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Behind all those books on store shelves, library databases, home libraries, audio devices, and e-book formats are a zillion authors churning out words in wonderful medleys for your reading and listening pleasure. And we love it. Most of us never reach the big time but we love the writing itself.

Writing is a satisfying reward for me, too. Getting inside the head of one of my characters, feeling what they feel and struggling for just the right words so my readers feel it, too, is most satisfying. On the days when I write a sad scene, I know it’s working when my tears stream as quickly as my fingers type.

I am that rare author bird, though, who loves many of the other author duties that come with having a trilogy out and a new biography on the way. Perhaps my readers will be surprised to know that often I could work 5-6 hours a day on my writing business and never once do any creative fiction or non-fiction writing. That is why I am most diligent at setting aside my two hours writing time in the morning before I let the rest of the job take over. I unplug my landline, turn off my cell, shut down my Outlook and close my office door as a sign for my husband who often works at home, too.

Once the actual writing is done for the day a whole lot of other things flow into the suddenly vacant space like water when we pull a finger out of the glass. Here is a list of some of the main time suckers that haunt me.

Ten Things Authors Must Do To Survive

  1. Write summaries of various lengths to submit with book proposals or to contests, etc. Every avenue of advancement has differing requirements, all of which take up time and if we  don’t follow the rules, our submissions will be ignored.

  2. Read books related to the subject you might be writing about or researching. For a writer of historical fiction, this is huge. Luckily, I love it!

  3. Write queries for agents and/or publishers. Even though I have my own publishing company I’ve done my share of this tedious job and expect to do more of it with my new project. Again each must be personalized for its intended recipient.

  4. Interview other writers and be interviewed yourself. People love to hear what makes a writer tick. I really like doing both sides of this and take time to compose intriguing and thoughtful questions and answers.

  5. Write newsletters to and for those treasured readers who have signed up for your list. I love these people and will go to great lengths to give them interesting stories twice a month. They are the best. Oh, and my weekly blog followers are on that list of fabulous people, too.

  6. Support fellow authors by interviewing them, reading their work, following them on social media, and writing reviews for them, not to mention actually attending their book launches as they attend mine. We are a kind community.

  7. Sign up with Google Alert and check the daily emails. I put certain topics that relate to my books there in order to see what’s related in the news and online. Putting each of my book titles on there brought me a few surprises, not all of them pleasant.

  8. Send threatening letters to thieves of my work. Yup. You read that right. Through Google Alert I found my book titles offered for free in PDF formats. It’s taken me 10 years to produce the Loyalist trilogy so I was not pleased to learn of this insidious practice by unscrupulous people offering my books for free. Another writer yesterday told me most of these people are looking to get email addresses so that they can use them for nefarious practices.

  9. Google Alert also gives me places where I might offer my services as a speaker or to a reporter in connection with a topic they are covering. There are also other places to do that and I must start working to build a list of them.

  10. Prepare speeches and workshop materials for speaking engagements. I like to tailor my talks to a particular group’s interests and that works well. It also takes time.

You will note I said 10 things but there are thousands of other things. I just don’t have time to write them all down.

Oh, one more I must mention. This Canadian author has spent hours trying to get the proper IRS documentation which will make my life a lot easier and my pockets a little fuller. My accountant husband has carried the torch for this but we’re still not out of the red tape.

So all you readers, know we love you all the more because you make our hard work so worth it. Thanks to each and every one of you!

About Elaine Cougler’s Loyalist Trilogy

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Social Media: Does It Live Up To Its Promise?

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A few years ago I was lucky enough to attend a conference for writers in Vancouver, British Columbia.  The event took place at a perfect time for me in my writing journey and spurred me on to step up my Internet activities specifically around my writing life.

Already I’d spent a few years writing a blog on blogger.com which was called Beader Girl Jewels and celebrated my life both creative and personal. After attending the Vancouver conference I mentioned above, though, I stepped up my social media footprint to start a new writing blog (On Becoming a Wordsmith), get active on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and build my list. I even joined Pinterest when it became a thing. The promise was that all of this activity would help me get known for my writing.

Today I’d like to spend some time telling just what I’ve learned about the value and uses of the various social media platforms I’ve used.

Twitter: In the beginning this was really useful. I went on the Twitter Feed and narrowed my search for sites to follow according to my writing and marketing needs. I was interested in seeing sites which taught me about these topics and I learned a lot. At this stage I would run down the Twitter feed and see what people were publishing. Then I’d follow the sites that interested me and I found some fabulous people and information this way. As the years went on and I built my list and my needs changed so did the time I spent reading the Twitter feed. Now my Twitter time is spent liking and retweeting friends’ stuff as well as checking out new people whose work I want to follow. I rarely take any time to just run down the Twitter feed.

Pinterest: I do a little here but have certainly not used it to its potential. I’ve enjoyed seeing amazing libraries and books pictures but, truthfully, most of the emails Pinterest sends me do not catch my attention. My current goal is to create my own Pinterest poster about my Loyalist books and see if I can get some traction in book sales that way. Always looking for new and interesting ways to market.

LinkedIn: In the beginning I used LinkedIn’s groups to connect to a lot of writing/book related groups. I joined quite a few of them and used them to gain a wider market for my regular blog posts. It was fun and instructive to connect with other writers. One problem began to occur, though. Many of the groups did not want me to post links to my latest blog posts even though those posts had loads of pertinent information for other writers. One even told me I could not use any links in my posts. Gradually I realized I didn’t have time to tailor my group submissions and I opted out of several. The thing that I learned is that a writer’s needs change along the way, going from specific writing questions, to publishing, to marketing, and a LinkedIn member needs to keep abreast of help groups for whatever is the particular need at a specific time. I realized I had to use my social media time as it best helped me. Now I am a member of two marketing type groups and that’s all.

Facebook: My most useful SM time has been spent on Facebook. I have a personal page which helps me keep up to date with family and friends as well as a number of writing friends. Then I have my writer’s page at ElaineCouglerAuthor which is more tuned to the writing world which is so important to me. If you haven’t liked my page, come visit me. Here I post my weekly blog post and any other interesting writing-related things I find along the way. I am most appreciative of those who share and like my articles on this page. I have also done some Facebook advertising which worked pretty well although it takes a few months to actually see the results in sales. You can hone your marketing reach for these ads in several ways which all makes knowing exactly who your audience is absolutely crucial. The FB stats on this are good and the procedure itself is well-documented and easy to follow. Also my audience for my books coincides with the main audience for FaceBook which works out well for me.

I do find sometimes that the world works in mysterious ways. Today as I was writing this blog post, I received a newsletter in my InBox from The Writer Magazine with an article by fellow Canadian Brent van Staalduinen entitled “Stepping away from social media (and back into what matters.)”  Interesting because I felt it was kind of serendipitous. How did The Writer Magazine pick that moment to send me that article? Anyhow, I hope you’ll click on the link and read what Brent says.

Over the years I’ve really learned to limit my time on social media. The writing and the marketing are what matter the most to me. Every person on social media must decide where to spend time to get the most value. I think that we must also consider which platforms are the most pleasurable for us. I am much more likely to prepare articles to post in places that are fun. Aren’t you?

A final note to consider when deciding how much social media to do is its effect on getting your message out. I often get comments about my high level of visibility as I market my work. A lot of that is because of my social media time. One final thing I really try to do is make a FB event out of most of my speaking and workshop events. Even if people can’t get to these events they see the notice and are reminded about my writing life. Many people do come because of those ads as well. Life is good for me as long as I don’t let social media take over!

Come take a look at the Loyalist trilogy. Click here.

Yay! Book 2 of the Loyalist Trilogy earned a new award!

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Ten Years, Hardly Any Tears!

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“Is there anything you wish you had done, Mom?”

“Write a novel.” I answered my son’s question immediately surprising myself with my words.

“You’re 60 years old. You’re in perfect health, you have all that English background, you’ve read all your life, you have the time, and you have the computer skills. If not now, when?” My son took his eyes off the road for a moment to fix his blue eyes on me.

I don’t remember exactly what happened then but a week later when my husband and I arrived in Hilton Head, South Carolina, for a holiday, one of my first stops was to the local bookstore where I bought a book about writing and selling a first novel and I was off and running.

And now, here I am almost 10 years later with my historical fiction Loyalist trilogy out there in the world in various formats, an audio book soon to be released, and a book for writers about writing close to being announced. It’s been a tough but rewarding ten years for me who never wanted to retire and play cards every afternoon while wondering what part of my body would next fall apart.

It’s been mostly a terrific experience to spend most of every weekday writing, editing, marketing, and doing all the other necessities which have made my life so interesting. Hundreds of new people have enriched my life, most of them in the writing business themselves, and all of them willing to share and help me along the way.

As I celebrate this milestone I’m very aware that I could not have done this without the help of many people. Of course, my son, Kevin, whom I mentioned in the first lines of this post and my daughter, Beth, who keeps my brain ticking with new ideas and who is a great sounding board for my own ideas, are top of the list. My husband, Ron, joins them there as a ready listener to my ideas, my plans, my troubles and always encourages me to go farther. He has fueled my ambition. My sister, Linda, gone now, always kept my off-site flash drive safely in her kitchen cupboard and my brother Ross whose own achievements and then early death fueled my drive to succeed while I still could.

There have been a few missteps along the way but thanks to great and constant support from my peeps, I’ve found the way to go on. The biggest problem was when I joined an online group of great people whose mission was to help authors get published and editors and agents find worthy clients. For reasons which are not going to be aired here, I gradually sunk lower and lower as I struggled to work in that environment but I finally realized I not only could leave the group and go on but absolutely had to for my own sake. When my husband said to me in the kindest of words that I did not have to continue with my book, I took stock. He did me such a favor because I realized I had to go on for myself. I dumped that group, walked away from three prospective agents and a senior editor with Penguin in New York, and have never looked back.

Writing and finding a measure of success has given this second part of my life more meaning than I could ever have imagined. Because I’m so thankful to so many for helping me, I’ve decided to have a celebration with my online friends and those I’m so fortunate to know in person. I’m picking March 29th for my celebration blog post. I’ll have giveaways, reading suggestions, messages from other author friends about their writing and a grand prize of the whole trilogy, bound and beautiful, for some lucky person. Keep checking back here and on my twice monthly newsletters for more information. And invite your reading and writing friends to join in the fun.

Check back next week for more exciting news about March 29. Help me celebrate!

 

What’s Up For 2017?

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One of the gifts I received for Christmas shows yet again how closely my husband is tuned in to my writing life. He knows that having just launched the third in my Loyalist trilogy, I am working even harder on marketing. After all, what good is writing a great series if few people know about it?

While my next writing project is simmering in my mind, I’m going to step up my already busy book marketing life. My husband bought me this book: Online Marketing for Busy Authors. (Click to see it on Amazon.)

 

I have yet to crack this book open but soon!

Now I have a closet full of books on writing and even a few on marketing. The first book I read on the subject linked writing and selling right in the title so I know how important the selling part is to a writer’s career. And before I open Burke’s book I’m going to list my own marketing methods to date:

  1. Talk about your writing whenever you can. So many people will be thrilled that you’ve included them in your writing inner circle. (Of course, you don’t want to become annoying!) Believe it or not, having published books seems to give a writer the right to call herself an author and most people respect that.

  2. Get on as many social media outlets as you can handle comfortably and keep them up to date. I use Facebook, both my main page and my author page, sometimes I do ads on these; Twitter;  Pinterest; and, to a lesser extent, LinkedIn. I’m planning to step up my YouTube game in 2017 and post regular videos.

  3. Look for speaking gigs that relate to the subject matter of your book. Historical and Loyalist groups are delighted to hear about my Loyalist trilogy. Elementary schools would be excited to get in children’s book authors. Those with non-fiction books can look for their peeps among those who need/want their books about dog-grooming, lifestyle suggestions, or dating advice.

  4. Offer to do special presentations where your book is most suited. Last summer I did a July 1st (Canada Day) table at a wonderful museum in London. For that I did special games for kids that related to the history at the museum and in my books. Of course the woman who wanted to dumb my games down for her kids by giving them the answers kind of missed the point.

  5. Make it your goal to do at least one thing to market yourself and your books EVERY DAY. This keeps you on top of your marketing game and increases your chances of the world finding out about your books. It also results in all kinds of people knowing you. Just a few days ago I received a lovely thank you letter from a couple who subscribe to my twice monthly newsletter telling me how much they enjoy it and wishing me Merry Christmas. I so appreciated that both for the kindness it showed and for the feedback on what I am doing.

Here is a link to some blog posts related to this topic which will show you my journey along the marketing road. On that blog I really talk about my writing journey to publication and beyond so there may be other things there that interest budding writers. Whatever your interest I hope the articles help you. Meanwhile I am going to push on with marketing my Loyalist trilogy. For this morning? I’m going to go down my list of previous speaking venues and see if there is somewhere I might seek a return gig now that it’s almost four years since I’ve been to some of them. Happy New Year!

The Loyalist’s Wife, The Loyalist’s Luck, The Loyalist Legacy

by Elaine Cougler

Available at Amazon.com and many other places.

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London Chapters Mecca for Readers

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book shelves in Norwich

Have you ever wanted to write a book or to meet published authors face-to-face?  On Civic Holiday, Monday, August 1, 2016, you are invited to meet 6 London area authors, face-to-face, and peruse their books at a fabulous event hosted by Chapters, Wellington Road, and the London Writers Society.

You Are Invited

What:    The London Writers Society Inaugural Authors Day. Six featured local authors will speak about their writing and be available for book signings.

When:     Civic Holiday Monday (Aug. 1) from noon to 3:00 p.m.

Where:    The Chapters Book Store, 1037 Wellington Road, London, Ontario (519) 685-1008

Who:     Six local authors whose storytelling and writing matches that of best selling authors. Featured authors will be:

  • Pat Brown, prolific author of gritty detective mysteries and historical fiction.

  • Elaine Cougler, award-winning author of an historical fiction trilogy based on the Loyalists.

  • Colin Forbes, writer of a thought-provoking autobiography about his work as a physician on four continents.

  • Rita Hartley, author of a compelling memoir about trekking back from loss to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

  • John Matsui, award-winning writer who’s won critical acclaim for his urban fantasies and thrillers.

  • Aldous Richards, author of acclaimed sci-fi literature

Why:       Fans around the world know these talented writers. The London Writers Society wants to introduce their works to a wider local audience.

What reviewers are saying about:

KRONOS DUET by Aldous Richards- “it will leave you breathless.”

LATE BITE by John Matsui- “Kept me up all night.”

LONG CLIMB BACK by Rita Hartley- “Clever and witty and inspiring throughout.”

FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART by Dr. Colin Forbes- “(Forbes is) deserving of the word – humanitarian.”

THE LOYALIST’S WIFE by Elaine Cougler- “Her storytelling ability is awesome.”

L.A. HEAT by Pat Brown- “Brutal, Thrilling, Romantic and HOT.”

So now you have all the info. Here’s the blatant promotion part: Please come and say hi to these six authors. We’ll be delighted to chat with you and tell you all our tricks. You can see how extraordinarily different we all are. You can even buy our books! 🙂

 

 

 

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20+ Ways to Make Your Book Table a Book SALES Table

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Here’s a book display I did early on in my new-author-selling-books career. It’s not bad but below is a list of things I’ve learned along the way and I hope some of them are useful to other authors.

 

 

 

20+ Ways to Make Your Book Table a Book SALES Table

  1. Plan ahead. The morning of the event is too late.

  2. The number of copies of books you have should correspond to the size of the event. Extra books can be stored under the table or in your car, just in case.

  3. Make up a price sign and get a plastic display case to hold it upright on your table. This saves people the embarassment of having to ask.

  4. Get your photo taken for marketing and display it on your cards or other handouts.

  5. Do not put candies on your table. Too messy. Give out bookmarks and/or other items instead. (business cards)

  6. Take a tablecloth that matches your covers well in case the venue has nothing on the tables.

  7. Have a signup form for your list, either soliciting through a free draw or inviting those who buy your books. (MailChimp)

  8. Maybe put a pick up sheet of Raving Readers’ Comments on your table.

  9. Dress the part. Maybe a costume if you want and it’s applicable but definitely nicely.

  10. Bring your smile. A friendly face will go a long way to getting people to stop at your table.

  11. When they do, have a good opening question ready. I use several such as “Are you a reader?” “Do you like historical fiction?” “Enjoying the event?” Anything that shows you’re human and approachable. And don’t look desperate!

  12. If people are reading the back of your book, let them. Especially if they seem not to want to talk.

  13. Get there early to set up.

  14. Remember not everyone is a reader or a reader of your genre. It’s okay.

  15. Make people feel welcome whether they buy or not.

  16. If they are rushing by, let them.

  17. Know about the other vendors and their books so you can help them sell, especially if you’re talking to someone who loves science fiction and you sell children’s books. Direct them to your fellow author’s table.

  18. Autograph books ahead of time, then add a personal note if they ask. Saves loads of time.

  19. Your autograph is a selling feature. Emphasize that you have personally autographed books for sale.

  20. Take your banners with you and use them if there is room. You can’t put them up if they’re at home.

  21. There are many ways to have success at your table. Getting readers to sign up for your list, having readers notice you and your books, getting a query about speaking gigs, and, of course, making a book sale right then and there.

  22. Take your Square gizmo so that you can accept credit cards. Lots of people don’t carry cash so be ready for them. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to turn away a sale becaue you’re not signed up for Square.

  23. Good Luck! Of course you’ll make most of your own luck.

More exciting new things coming next week. In the meantime you’re welcome on my Goodreads author page. Come and visit!

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