Category: Writing: It's a Business

Home > Writing: It’s a Business

Villains, Victors & Vixens: OCC/RWA’s Birthday Bash

September 21, 2017 by in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Events, Writing Conferences tagged as , , ,

Villians, Victors & Vixens: OCC/RWA's Birthday Bash | A Slice of OrangeYou’re Invited to Join OCC/RWA in celebrating our Birthday Bash!

We’re having the Birthday, but we want to give everyone the presents.

 Villains, Victors & Vixens

Come for the day and/or join us Friday night for the Write In and Saturday Night for the Pajama Parties

October 21, 2017
Embassy Suites – Brea
900 East Birch Street
Brea, California, 92821

Cost is $50 for OCCRWA Members

$60 for All other Guests

$30 for Past Presidents

Signup HERE.

Keynote Speaker: Damon Suede

Bestselling Author, Renowned Speaker, and member of the RWA National Board of Directors

Reader’s Block:

Damon’s talk focuses on the modern romance industry, the radical shifts in readership and fandom and how they’re altering what success looks like for professional authors. Genre fictioneers often grouse about writer’s block but more and more what we encounter is something more akin to reader’s block: an unwillingness to step beyond our ruts or move past the shadow of our steeples.

Romance is the literature of hope, simultaneously the most traditional and most provocative of genres. Our industry is evolving, but not necessarily in the obvious ways. Tribalism and division cost us marketshare and media access. In a world expanding and connecting at an exponential rate, where do books land? Who are the readers of tomorrow? What is the future of love stories and genre fiction careers? Join us for a free-range discussion of the art of heart and the business of happy endings.

Bestselling author Panel : Debra Holland, Maggie Marr, Brenna Aubrey, Damon Suede

What Made the Difference!

Lunch will be served

Auction! Auction! Auction!

Incredible auction prizes from Scrivenver, RWA, Embassy Suites, Amazon, Major Publishers and authors

Come in Costume!

There will be Prizes. Dress as your favorite book character.

Book Cover Contest!

Enter your favorite covers for prizes. And help judge the winners.

(you can enter on the OCC website)

Awards for the Orange Rose and Book Buyer’s Best Contests

Friday night Write-In

At least one hour with Damon Suede

Saturday Night Pajama Parties — Damon Suede, Louella Nelson, Maggie Marr and more.

Cost is $50 for OCCRWA Members

$60 for All other Guests

$30 for Past Presidents

Signup HERE.

0 0 Read more

My 3 Favorite Apps to Use for Marketing by Denise M. Colby

August 12, 2017 by in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby, Writing: It's a Business tagged as , , , ,

3 Favorite Apps | Denise Colby | A Slice of Orange

Your brand is your author name. Everything we post on our website, social media or blogs help add content to that author brand.  For someone like me, still unpublished, I want to create posts that are worthwhile even if I’m not selling books yet.  Figuring out what to do can be overwhelming and time-intensive.  Here I share with you three website/apps I use that have helped save me time and mental energy.

 

WordSwag

 

I love the WordSwag App.  For $4.99 in the app store, you can create memes for your social media fast and easy.  You can use any photo from your phone and customize the text using either the given quotes or writing your own.  I love to quote scripture this way using a nature pic I’ve taken.  There’s even a way to enter a watermark so you can have your website listed at the bottom, branding your memes.

 

Design-Seeds.com

 

One of the websites I like to use is design-seeds.com. There, you will find blends of colors that make a variety of color palettes. You can select the colors you like and write down the color codes.  Color codes are universal.  In different design software programs you can type in a color code and it will match.  So anyone you hire for cover designs or creating materials can use these codes and you can have a consistent look.

Having a recognizable color scheme with your author brand is a great way to build awareness and identity across your books, website and social media. Take a look at the books you read and notice the fonts and colors used on the covers.  Then go to their website and social media and see if you see a connection.

So what are the colors you want to associate with your author name? You can select 5-6 colors from light to dark and use them in everything you create. Your website, memes for your social media, and yes, even to incorporate into your book cover designs. (You can then select additional colors for that specific series or book).

I would recommend creating a Pinterest board where you save the photos of the color schemes you like and reference back to them.

Once you’ve selected a palette of colors for your brand, write down the color numbers to use in your graphics.

 

CANVA.com

 

Another website I love using is Canva. This website lets you create all sorts of media, including banners and social media sized for any app, to flyers, postcards and more. I created the image for this blog by uploading an image I purchased through a photo website.  You can upload your own pictures that you take or buy and you can use the color codes selected from design-seeds.com (the brown in the image is one of my colors).  You have the choice to use existing designs or create your own.  I use this program to create memes.  I even used it to design my son’s high school graduation announcement.

 

Creative Challenge:  Create a free account on canva.com and create an image using a photo you upload.

 

If you would like to learn more about these and other programs, I would highly recommend signing up for the teachable class Author Elena Dillon has created titled Visual Content Marketing for Authors.  Take a look at http://confused-and-terrified-writer.teachable.com/  Her videos offer step by step instructions and she provides written out lessons explaining things in detail. (More information here.)


Denise Colby |The Writing Journey | A Slice of OrangeAlthough new to the writing fiction world, Denise Colby has over 20+ years experience in marketing, creating different forms of content and copy for promotional materials.  Taking the lessons learned from creating her own author brand Denise M. Colby, Denise enjoys sharing her combined knowledge with other authors.

If you are interested in a marketing evaluation and would like help in developing a strategy for your author brand you can find out more here  http://denisemcolby.com/marketing-for-authors/

 

0 0 Read more

Deb Dixon’s Book In A Day Hosted by Music City Romance Writers

August 8, 2017 by in category Writing Conferences tagged as , , , , , , ,

Debra Dixon | Music City Romance Writers | A Slice of Orange

 

Deb Dixon’s Book in A Day

 

September 16, 2017

 

9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

 

$45 for MCRW Members, $55 for all other RWA Members

 

Registration Deadline: August 31, 2017

 

https://musiccityrwa.blogspot.com/2017/08/september-2017-all-day-workshop.html

 

Mark your calendars for September 16!

 

Join us and spend the day with the one and only Deb Dixon, author of the classic GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict and publisher of Belle Books. Deb will lead us through her Book In A Day program.  This full-day workshop includes GMC  and the Hero’s Journey.  It’s affectionately called “Book In A Day” because the workshop provides all the tools a writer needs to pull a book together.  Whether you’re a new author or a veteran, you can benefit from her insights!

 

On August 8th, registration opens to all RWA members.

 

Space is limited, so register today.

Deb Dixon’s Book in A Day

 

September 16, 2017

9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

$45 for MCRW Members, $55 for all other RWA Members

Registration Deadline: August 31, 2017

https://musiccityrwa.blogspot.com/2017/08/september-2017-all-day-workshop.html

 

0 0 Read more

Visual Content Marketing for the Confused and Terrified Writer

July 17, 2017 by in category Writing Classes tagged as , , ,

Visual Content Marketing | Elena Dillon | A Slice of Orange

 

Visual Content Marketing for the Confused and Terrified Writer

Instructor: Elena Dillon

Cost: $79

Dates: On Demand

What is visual content and why do you need it for your marketing strategy? And how does this apply to your author business?

 

The answer is simple.

Visual content is anything that uses pictures, graphics, video, etc. When you see a GIF of cats falling off tables? That’s visual content. A pretty graphic with a quote from a book? Visual Content. Those fabulous cooking videos where they make a cinnamon roll apple pie in twenty seconds? Visual content.

It’s what will get your content seen. As a matter of fact, statistically your readers are 44% more likely to engage with visual content. Hmmm. 44%? Hard to ignore. We all want to work smarter not harder, right? In this class, you will learn:

  • How to decide what kind of visuals will work for you and your business
  • How to create all kinds of visuals
  • How to make one piece of content work in many different ways
  • Drive traffic where you want it to go (your website, lead page, Amazon or other retailer page)
  • Save time and effort in your marketing efforts

Who should take this class?

This class for you if you’ve never created any kind of graphics on your own. It’s for authors who need to learn how to create visual content for their author business and are unsure about using new technology. We will go over:

  • Strategies for smarter marketing
  • Tools that make visual content easier to create and more manageable
  • How to plan out your content and marketing so it takes up less precious writing time.

And believe it or not? I’ll make it fun. I’ll teach you how to create a graphic while you’re standing in line for coffee. =)

About the instructor:

 

Visual Content | A Slice of Orange 

 
Who Am I?

I’m Elena Dillon, an author of the award winning Young Adult Breathe series. When I’m not writing, I love to help my author friends with technology and social media. I’ve taught Social Media for the Confused and Terrified, Pinterest for the Confused and Terrified, Visual Content for Authors and spoken at numerous conferences, chapters, and groups about social media and indie publishing.

Most of the time, I’m a wife to my husband of twenty-six years, mom to my two grown kids and servant to my high-maintenance English bulldog, Brutus, while I wait, not so patiently, for grandbabies.

 

Visual Content Marketing for the Confused and Terrified Writer

Instructor: Elena Dillon

Cost: $79

Dates: On Demand

2 0 Read more

Visual Content Marketing for the Confused and Terrified Writer with Elena Dillon

May 7, 2017 by in category Writing: It's a Business tagged as , ,

Visual Content Marketing | A Slice of Orange

Visual Content Marketing for the Confused and Terrified Writer

Instructor: Elena Dillon

Cost: $79

Dates: On Demand at Teachable.com

 

 

What is visual content and why do you need it for your marketing strategy? And how does this apply to your author business?

The answer is simple.

Visual content is anything that uses pictures, graphics, video, etc. When you see a GIF of cats falling off tables? That’s visual content. A pretty graphic with a quote from a book? Visual Content. Those fabulous cooking videos where they make a cinnamon roll apple pie in twenty seconds? Visual content.

It’s what will get your content seen. As a matter of fact, statistically your readers are 44% more likely to engage with visual content. Hmmm. 44%? Hard to ignore. We all want to work smarter not harder, right? In this class, you will learn:

  • How to decide what kind of visuals will work for you and your business
  • How to create all kinds of visuals
  • How to make one piece of content work in many different ways
  • Drive traffic where you want it to go (your website, lead page, Amazon or other retailer page)
  • Save time and effort in your marketing efforts

Who should take this class?

This class for you if you’ve never created any kind of graphics on your own. It’s for authors who need to learn how to create visual content for their author business and are unsure about using new technology. We will go over:

  • Strategies for smarter marketing
  • Tools that make visual content easier to create and more manageable
  • How to plan out your content and marketing so it takes up less precious writing time.

And believe it or not? I’ll make it fun. I’ll teach you how to create a graphic while you’re standing in line for coffee. =)

 

About the instructor:

Visual Content | A Slice of OrangeWho Am I?

I’m Elena Dillon, an author of the award winning Young Adult Breathe series. When I’m not writing, I love to help my author friends with technology and social media. I’ve taught Social Media for the Confused and Terrified, Pinterest for the Confused and Terrified, Visual Content for Authors and spoken at numerous conferences, chapters and groups about social media and indie publishing.

Most of the time, I’m a wife to my husband of twenty-six years, mom to my two grown kids and servant to my high-maintenance English bulldog, Brutus, while I wait, not so patiently, for grandbabies.

 

Enrollment Information

 

Visual Content Marketing for the Confused and Terrified Writer

Instructor: Elena Dillon

Cost: $79

Dates: On Demand at Teachable.com

3 0 Read more

Copyright ©2017 A Slice of Orange. All Rights Reserved. ~PROUDLY POWERED BY WORDPRESS ~ CREATED BY ISHYOBOY.COM

>