Tag: nanowrimo

NaNoWriMo

Gearing Up for NaNoWriMo!

50,000 words.

Just let that sink in for a moment:

50,000 words!

That’s a lot of words—but don’t panic! It’s only 1,667 words a day. You can do that!

November is here, and for those ready to accept the challenge, that means NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is fast approaching with its 50,000-word goal looming on the horizon.

NaNoWriMo isn’t just a vanity project; it’s a chance to tackle some of the thorniest issues related to writing and authorship that emerge when we settle into a long and sustained attempt to generate material. Issues like finding inspiration, maintaining motivation, vanquishing writer’s block, and navigating an author’s complicated relationship with editing.

To help you prepare, we’ve created a to-do list for all self-publishing authors participating in NaNoWriMo!

  • Read some pep talks to boost your motivation to get started—and succeed! (Available on nanowrimo.org)
  • Add a NaNoWriMo badge to your website/blog/social media pages as a fun way to let everyone know that you are taking the challenge. (Also available on nanowrimo.org)
  • Spend time doing things that refresh your writing: listen to music, people watch, drink coffee, and read books!
  • Relax: NaNoWriMo is inevitably hectic, so prepare your mind and body by practicing relaxation techniques such as exercising or meditating.
  • Bring your friends and family on board! You will need their support during this process, so remind them of your goals and writing schedule.
  • Have fun. NaNoWriMo is a fun process, so enjoy it.

Good luck to all self-publishing authors who are participating in NaNoWriMo. We hope you’ll keep us posted on your progress throughout November, and we can’t wait to help you get your books in print when you’ve achieved your goal!

When it’s time to share your story with the world, call and talk to an Outskirts Press Publishing Consultant who can help you on your journey to publication.

There are three convenient ways to connect:

NaNoWriMo

It’s Time for NaNoWriMo!

50,000 words.
Just let that sink in for a moment:
50,000 words!

(That’s a lot of words.)

November is here, and for some of you, that means National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has officially begun with its 50,000 words looming on the horizon.

NaNoWriMo isn’t just a vanity project; this is a chance to tackle many of the thorniest issues related to writing and authorship, specifically as self-publishing authors, that emerge when we settle into a long and sustained attempt to generate material. These issues include (but are not limited to) finding inspiration, maintaining motivation, vanquishing writer’s block, and navigating an author’s complicated relationships to editing.

To help you prepare, we’ve created a to-do list for all self-publishing authors participating in NaNoWriMo!

  • Read a couple of pep talks, all of which are available on the NaNoWriMo website, to boost your motivation to get started–and to succeed
  • Add a NaNoWriMo badge (also available on nanowrimo.org) to your website, as a fun way to let everyone know that you are taking the challenge
  • Spend some time before the writing doing the things which refresh your will to write: listen to music, people watch, drink coffee, and read books!
  • Relax: NaNoWriMo is inevitably hectic, so prepare your mind and body by practicing relaxation techniques such as exercising, meditating, or doing Sudoku
  • Bring your friends and family on board! You will need their support during this process, so remind them of your goals and writing schedule
  • Have fun. NanoWriMo is a fun process, so just enjoy it.

Good luck to all of the self-publishing authors who are participating in NaNoWriMo. We can’t wait to see your books in print, and we hope you’ll keep us posted on your progress throughout November if you choose to pursue the project. And, as always, we hope you’ll turn to us if you find yourself looking for encouragement or support.

When it’s time to publish your masterpiece, choose the Better Business Bureau A+ rated and Top Consumer Reviews #1-rated self-publishing company. Connect with Outskirts Press now in whatever manner is easiest for you:

 

Advice, Author Inspiration, NaNoWriMo, Publishing Packages

NaNoWriMo Afterglow: 4 Steps to Self-Publishing Your Month’s Work

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is in the home stretch now, with thousands of authors nationwide in their final sprint to finish by the November 30 deadline.It makes one wonder what will happen with all those finished and unfinished manuscripts that result from this exciting competition. For many, self-publishing their work is the next logical step.

So, how do we make that happen? Here are 4 steps you can take to get your NaNoWriMo project published (and start selling) before the summer book-buying season heats up.

  1. Reserve Your Publishing Package: Outskirts Press offers all-inclusive Diamond and Pearl self-publishing packages so you can customize your masterpiece the way YOU want it! Talk about perfect timing … Now that your marathon month of writing is finally over, you can let someone else do the hard work for a change!Self publishing iPad
  2. Get Writing Help: If you’ve churned out the 50,000 words necessary to win NaNoWriMo but your story isn’t quite tied up yet, you can still take a breather — talk to a ghostwriter about helping you finish what you started so your month of grueling writing will not have been in vain.
  3. Go Digital: If a full-blown paperback and ebook publishing plan isn’t want you had in mind, dip your toe into the self-publishing pool with one or more ebook editions first — iPad/iPhone, Barnes & Noble NOOK and/or Amazon Kindle. You can always print later.
  4. Talk to a PMA: Your PMA, or Personal Marketing Assistant, will help you map out a marketing strategy that you can implement when your book is finished — and you’ve rested up from that amazing NaNoWriMo feat you’ve just accomplished.

What are you waiting for? Let us help you finish that book you started with NaNoWriMo!

Start Publishing Today
Advice, NaNoWriMo

Turn Your NaNoWriMo ‘Experiment’ into a Successful Self-Publishing Venture

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November seems like a distant memory now. It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway to the next annual writing challenge! It makes one wonder what has happened with the hundreds of manuscripts that spun out of that exciting competition.

Are you among those authors who took the challenge? If so, what has become of your month of NaNoWriMo labor? Perhaps you produced what you consider a “stinker,” not realizing that that writing could be the genesis of something wonderful, if you only give it half a chance. You can finish what you started with NaNoWriMo — writing and (hopefully) publishing your book.

Outskirts Press Ghostwriting ServicesIf you need help, you may want to consider hiring a professional ghostwriter to fill in the blanks. You can benefit from having someone else finish off or polish your story so you can get the rough draft to finished manuscript form.

The best part of it all is that you pay someone else to do all of the work while you keep all of the credit, and you don’t even have to feel bad about it. As a matter of fact, almost every celebrity autobiography you have ever read or heard of was written by a ghostwriter. Even hugely successful authors like James Patterson collaborate with other authors to produce high-quality books.

So, how will Ghostwriting on your NaNoWriMo novel work?

  1. You pay a small down-payment. Upon receipt of your payment, we will team you up with the ghostwriter we believe is best-suited to your project based on your book and your goals.
  2. Once that introduction is made, you will work personally and directly with the ghostwriter. Together, the two of you will determine if it is a “match.” Ghostwriting is an intimate exercise based on compatibility and trust. You and the ghostwriter will both need to agree to move forward. If it doesn’t seem like a good match, just let us know and we will connect you with a different ghostwriter.
  3. You and your ghostwriter will come to agreement on some project specifics: cost, timeframe, deliverables, etc.
  4. The process will be outlined by your ghostwriter per your agreement and the two of you will work together until the project is done. Any additional fees you owe will be made directly to the ghostwriter via a payment schedule the two of you will agree upon in advance. Any agreements or contracts that are necessary will be presented to you by the ghostwriter, independently of Outskirts Press.
  5. Once the ghostwriter is done with his or her work, Outskirts Press is here to help you move the manuscript through to publication.

Outskirts Press can help you share your book with the world with a whole menu of valuable but cost-effective self-publishing services.

What are you waiting for? Let us help you finish that book you started with NaNoWriMo!

Order professional ghostwriting services

Outskirts Press, Inc. is a proud sponsor of the month-long NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) event.

NaNoWriMo

I Won NaNoWriMo…Now What?

You dedicated hours upon hours to finishing 50,000 words in 30 days. It was difficult. You were tired. You were busy. You put your blood, sweat, and tears into the bundle of joy that is your novel. When all was said and done, though, you did it. You won NaNoWriMo! We think you deserve a “good job,” so here it is:

Won NaNoWriMo

Okay — what’s next?

If you plan to take your work to the next level (publication), now is the time to get busy with furiously editing your content. After you’ve finished that, the next step is (wait for it…) even more editing! The simple truth is — any author who wants to publish a high-quality book and have it taken seriously needs professional copyediting. Click here to see an eBook with editing samples, for more details on the service and to get started.

With a valid promotion code, NaNoWriMo winners (hopefully you’re one of them!) are eligible for 10% off our à la carte editing services through the end of the year OR a $210 discount on our professional copyediting service with the purchase of the Diamond or Pearl publishing package through the end of the year.

As a NaNoWriMo winner, your “Winner’s Email” will have access to the page that will have the information with the details of the promotion we’re offering exclusively for you. If you missed that email, you can login to your writer’s area on www.nanowrimo.org.

Again, congratulations winners! We hope you enjoy the reward for your hard work and dedication!

Ready to get started?

Self-Publishing for NaNoWriMo winners

Outskirts Press, Inc. is a proud sponsor of the month-long NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) event.

NaNoWriMo

Finish Your NaNoWriMo Novel!

Wow!

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) breezed by like the wind, and now we’re faced with fun December things – like Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc. But before you start your holiday celebration, be sure to finish what you started last month – writing and (hopefully) publishing your book.

professional ghostwriterIf you need help, you may want to consider hiring a professional ghostwriter to fill in the blanks – even if you decide not to go for the “gold” of 50k words, you can still benefit from having someone else finish off your story so you don’t lose momentum while getting caught up in the details of the holidays.

The best part of it all is that you pay someone else to do all of the work and you get to keep all of the credit, and you don’t even have to feel bad about it. As a matter of fact, almost every celebrity autobiography you have ever read or heard of was written by a ghostwriter. Even hugely successful authors like James Patterson collaborate with other authors to produce high-quality books so prolifically.

So, how will Ghostwriting your NaNoWriMo novel work?

  1. You pay a small down-payment. Upon receipt of your payment, we will team you up with the ghostwriter we believe will be best suited to your project based upon some information we will solicit from you about your book and your goals.
  2. Once that introduction is made, you will work personally and directly with the ghostwriter. Together, the two of you will determine if it is a “match.” Ghostwriting is an intimate exercise based upon talent and trust. You and the ghostwriter will both need to agree to move forward. If it doesn’t seem like a good match, just let us know and we will connect you with a different ghostwriter.
  3. You and your ghostwriter will come to agreement on some project specifics — i.e. cost, timeframe, deliverable, etc.
  4. The remaining process will be outlined by your ghostwriter to your agreement and the two of you will work together until the project is done. Any additional fees you owe will be made directly to the ghostwriter via a payment schedule the two of you will agree upon in advance. Any agreements or contracts that are necessary will be presented to you by the ghostwriter, independently of Outskirts Press.

So, while we don’t get in the way of your creative communication, we are available to step in if/when needed.

After you’re done, we can also help you share your book with the world with our self-publishing services (NaNoWriMo participants save 10% on publishing services when using the promo code NaNo12 at checkout).

What are you waiting for? Finish up that book you started with NaNoWriMo!

Order professional ghostwriting services

Outskirts Press, Inc. is a proud sponsor of the month-long NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) event.

NaNoWriMo

3 Things Self-Publishing Authors Get for “Winning” NaNoWriMo

Every year in November, a writing challenge is issued for potential novelists around the globe. This challenge is called National Novel Writing Month. Participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is the ultimate writing gauntlet that forces potential authors to push through procrastination, laziness, and lack of enthusiasm to birth a novel that is 50,000 words or more. Authors who take on this challenge are often faced with battling later nights and earlier mornings than usual. The great news is that it’s all to reach an amazing goal – a full novel written in one month!

For some of us (myself included). it’s hard to find the time to start. After all, how do you convince yourself to sit down and tackle a full 50,000 words in a month (1,667 words per day)? It requires sitting still. It requires focus. Most of all, it requires a desire to do something new and different.

So, why bother starting? Well, you’re a writer, and you’ve got a lot of words left in you! More importantly – how do you stay focused? You have to think about the end goal – winning!

What do you get when you win NaNoWriMo?

  1. First Class Bragging Rights – Finishing a book is a big deal. Not everyone can remain dedicated and “crank out” a book in only 30 short days.
  2. Ability to Engage in Self-Publishing Your Work – Writing your novel during NaNoWriMo gets you on the fast track to self-publishing your work and holding the title of “published author.”
  3. Feelings of Pride – Imagine how proud you will be once you’ve finished writing your novel and can move on to publish it, share it with friends/family, or keep it as a “trophy” and evidence of your success.

Outskirts Press Vice President, Kelly Schuknecht, who is participating in this year’s month-long event explains her tactic for staying ahead on her NaNoWriMo Day 19 check in: “…I now have 33,138 words on ‘paper’! My novel is almost 2/3 complete and I have made it my goal to always stay slightly ahead of the daily goal to give myself some room in case I get behind over the Thanksgiving holiday. Now there are 12 more days and I have 16,862 more words to go! I can do this!”

There it is in plain words – participation is possible. Setting a goal and achieving it is possible. All that it requires is a positive buy-in on your part. You have to make the first move. You have to take the first step.

Even if you aren’t sure about where you will end up during NaNoWriMo this year, let us know where you are in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you (and cheer you on!).

Are you thinking about self-publishing the book you’re writing for NaNoWriMo? Let’s talk…

NaNoWriMo

Outskirts Press Sponsors NaNoWriMo 2012

Leading self-publishing and book marketing service provider, Outskirts Press, announces sponsorship of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November. Sponsorships help NaNoWriMo continue to offer valuable creative writing programs.

Author Writing Book for NaNoWriMoOutskirts Press, the fastest-growing self-publishing and book marketing firm, is sponsoring the 2012 National Novel Writing Month, an annual worldwide writing challenge that takes place in November.

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo (nan-no-RYE-moe) for short, is an Internet-based creative writing project that challenges writers to pen 50,000 words from November 1 through November 30. The virtual event started in 1999 with fewer than two dozen writers and grew to more than 256,000 participants in 2011.

Outskirts Press is an Inc. 5000 company that supports self-publishing authors with the tools they need to write, publish, publicize and distribute their works. Through sponsorship of NaNoWriMo, Outskirts Press will be helping the nonprofit NaNoWriMo continue to offer the annual event at no charge to participants. NaNoWriMo also funds creative education initiatives, such as the Young Writers Program, which brings free writing curricula, lesson plans, workbooks and more to tens of thousands of schoolchildren each year.

NaNoWriMo challenges can be used by would-be authors to kick-start writing efforts, or by experienced authors to switch up to a more stream-of-consciousness style for a while. The goal, according to NaNoWriMo, is to “write for completion rather than perfection.” For fledgling and old-hat writers alike, the experience offers many advantages:

  • a definitive starting point for a first or next writing project
  • a break from the usual writing routine
  • the start of a new, more disciplined writing routine
  • the chance to explore a stream-of-consciousness writing approach
  • the opportunity to hash-out ideas that have lain dormant
  • the chance to connect with other writers
  • a sense of accomplishment, whatever the final word count, and the realization of creative potential

While many participants in NaNoWriMo end their participation with the November 30 writing deadline, Outskirts Press can assist those who wish to take their efforts to the next step. NaNoWriMo participants are eligible for a 10% discount on the Diamond or Pearl publishing packages with the valid promotion code (NaNo12) when they choose to publish their book through Outskirts Press.

In addition to publishing and distribution, Outskirts Press provides a wide range of services to authors, regardless of where they choose to publish their book.  These services include editing, formatting, cover design, illustration, ebook publishing and much more. Learn more about self-publishing book marketing solutions by visiting Outskirts Press at http://outskirtspress.com/marketing.

Author Inspiration, book marketing, Outskirts Press News, Promotions

Don’t Wanna Go Slow? Give NaNoWriMo a Go!

Tick-tock, tick-tock … Only two days til NaNoWriMo! Have you registered yet?

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo (nan-no-RYE-moe) for short, is an Internet-based creative writing project that challenges writers to pen 50,000 words in the month of November. The virtual event started in 1999 with fewer than two dozen writers and grew to an estimated 200,000-plus participants in 2010. As a sponsor of the 2012 NaNoWriMo, we at Outskirts Press are eager to get this month-long party started with record participation!

Have you always wanted to write a novel? Are you currently a writer, but haven’t yet found the motivation to start your next project? Are you curious about what ideas might flow out of 30 days of intensive, stream-of-conscious creativity? With the event starting on November 1, there’s still time to register for the challenge of a lifetime, and even do some preliminary planning.

Though the NaNoWriMo challenge is designed so that the entirety of your writing is done between November 1 and November 30, you can still do some prep work. Choose your topic. Outline your plot. Ask your friends and neighbors for feedback and suggestions. Then dust off your keyboard and get ready to hit the ground running on Thursday.

Remember, in order to meet the NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 in one scant month, count on averaging 1,667 words — roughly two hours of writing time — per day. Increase your daily weekday quota to 2,381 words if you plan to take weekends off.

Start your participation in the 2012 NaNoWriMo by joining a regional group so you can communicate with other participants, spitball ideas, share tips and gather wisdom from those who’ve successfully completed the challenge before. Many seasoned NaNoWriMo authors have valuable input that can help you plan and execute your project.

NaNoWriMo is a fantastic exercise for new authors to use as a kick-start to their writing efforts, or for experienced authors to loosen up and switch up to a more stream-of-consciousness style for a while — whatever gets the creative juices flowing. However, this month of crunch time can be more than a mere exercise. Many of the submissions to NaNoWriMo have gone on to get published! As a self-published author, the decision on whether to polish and publish your NaNoWriMo creation is solely in your hands.

Start Self-Publishing Now!

Author Inspiration, Survey Poll

Are You a NaNoWriMo Veteran? Tell Us Your Story!

We’d be willing to bet that all you writers and would-be authors who plan to participate in the 2012 NaNoWriMo are gearing up — thinking about plot points, imagining your main characters, envisioning how your seat-of-the-pants writing experience is going to conclude. You may be nervous about the process. You probably would love some inspiration.

National Novel Writing Month, shortened to the catchy NaNoWriMo (nan-no-RYE-moe), is an Internet-based creative writing project that challenges writers and would-be authors to pen 50,000 words in the month of November. As a proud sponsor of the 2012 NaNoWriMo, Outskirts Press is encouraging our self-published authors to register for this challenge of a lifetime, and we expect we’ll be well-represented — in quantity and in quality.

Well, we have another challenge (don’t worry, it’s a much smaller task). We want to hear all about your NaNoWriMo journey! Did you successfully complete the 50,000-word goal? Better yet, have you published or do you plan to publish the results of your NaNoWriMo book challenge? What challenges did you face? What did you learn from the experience? Tell us your NaNoWriMo story in a reply to this blog post.

If you haven’t already, we also recommend joining a NaNoWriMo regional group so you can share your writing tips and gather wisdom from others who’ve successfully completed the challenge. We know many of our seasoned NaNoWriMo authors have valuable input that can others plan and execute their own project. We’d also encourage you to share your Outskirts Press success with your pals on the NaNoWriMo forums. Do you have a custom book cover you want to show off? A tale of how easy it was to publish your NaNoWriMo book? Let your fellow NaNoWriMo participants know about it. It may be all the inspiration they need to muscle through November.

Remember, NaNoWriMo is a fantastic exercise for either new authors to use as a kick-start to their writing efforts, or for experienced authors to loosen up and switch up to a more stream-of-consciousness style for a while — whatever gets the creative juices flowing. Many of the submissions to NaNoWriMo have gone on to get published! As a self-published author, the decision on whether to polish and publish your NaNoWriMo creation is solely in your hands.

Start Self-Publishing Now!