Tag: national novel writing month

NaNoWriMo

50,000 words . . .

NANOWRIMO logo

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!

October 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 like 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.

October is a great time for all self-publishing authors to prepare for participation in NaNoWriMo. We hope you’ll keep us posted on your progress throughout the month of November, and we can’t wait to help you get your books in print when you’ve achieved your goal!

Then 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:

Author Spotlight, NaNoWriMo, Outskirts Press News, Promotions, self publishing news, Uncategorized

It’s That Time Again: National Novel Writing Month Is Here!

It happens every year, as reliably as Turkey Day and Christmas and Tax Day. It’s the most grueling challenge you’ll ever love … and one we highly recommend.

National Novel Writing Month – you may know it as NaNoWriMo (nan-no-RYE-moe) — is an annual, internet-based creative writing project that challenges writers to pen an ambitious 50,000 words in the month of November. The writing marathon started in 1999 with fewer than two dozen participants, but it’s now estimated that more than 200,000 speed-writers make a run for the finish line every year.

An entire book in just four weeks? Impossible, you say? Not at all! To successfully complete the NaNoWriMo challenge, will need to write consistently most days from November 1 through November 30 and average about 1,667 words per day. For most writers, that means a couple solid hours of writing most days, as long as you focus on quantity over quality. Remember, the goal is not perfection but productivity — you can sort out the quality later.

The challenge, should you choose to accept it, could pay off for you in several ways:

  1. A much-needed kick in the pants. NaNoWriMo can kick-start a newbie’s writing efforts, or help an experienced author see what happens when they loosen up and freestyle for a while.
  2. Opportunity to connect and promote. At the very least, the project is a great writing exercise – and a chance to promote yourself as an author or your future book. In the true spirit of this virtual writing challenge, use social media to turn NaNoWriMo into a prime marketing opportunity by engaging with other writers and followers and updating them on your progress toward this herculean task.
  3. A chance to flesh-out unexplored ideas. Perhaps you have a nugget of an idea that’s lingered in the pages of a notebook for years with nowhere to go. Expand on that. NaNoWriMo is not about creating a work of genius – although many authors have produced books that are quite good – but about pushing yourself. Even if your idea doesn’t pan out exactly as you expected, the exercise may take you on a very good path that you can hone later.
  4. Increased odds of publishing. Most of us don’t have deadlines with our personal, self-publishing projects; it’s one of the best and worst things about flying solo. NaNoWriMo forces you to finish in record time. Many NaNoWriMo participants have even gone on to have their projects published!

As if those advantages weren’t incentive enough, once you’ve completed NaNoWriMo (and polished those 50,000 words to perfection), you can take advantage of services such as One-Click Publishing packages for Fiction to get your newly penned book to print.

Now, get cracking!

AMAZON EXTREME FREE when you start publishing today!

Are you ready to jump-start your marketing efforts with the Amazon Extreme marketing package? Start today with the promotion code below!

The Amazon Extreme marketing package from Outskirts Press offers self-publishing authors a head start on book marketing by taking triple advantage of the immense audience of Amazon, the largest online retailer in the United States.

This package includes:

  • An Amazon Kindle edition of your book
  • Amazon’s Search Inside the Book feature
  • Amazon Cover Enhancement, and
  • A free copy of Sell Your Book on Amazon

These valuable, popular options are free for authors who start publishing in November. Start today with the promotion code below when you choose to publish with our industry-leading Diamond publishing service or our full-color Pearl publishing service to receive the FREE Amazon Extreme Marketing Package.

Enter the promotion code FreeAENov13 when checking out of your shopping cart while purchasing the popular Diamond package or the full color Pearl publishing package by November 30, 2013.

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TOP 5 PUBLISHING HEADLINES
AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT & SUCCESS STORY

“The physical appearance of my book is absolutely beautiful! Everyone thinks it’s lovely. The cover designers were great. Everyone I was in contact with was congenial and tried to be helpful. The book was printed on good quality paper, I liked the design at the page numbers and I loved the idea of capitalizing the first few words of each beginning paragraph of each new chapter. Overall it was a great experience. I thank everyone for being so pleasant.”

Bobbie Himes Hadfield and her husband, Fred, of fifty two years, live in Gastonia, North Carolina. Fred unknowingly plucked Bobbie from self destruction when he met her. He has always taken care of her and stands beside her when she needs someone to lean on. Their three adult children live nearby. Bobbie and Fred also have three adult grandchildren and one new great granddaughter.

Born into meager means, a very shy little girl was raised in southwest New Mexico. She met adversity at seemingly every turn but her inner determination and sense of survival against odds led her on an uphill struggle. She and her husband began raising a family at a very young age. Bobbie developed a sense of self worth early in life when she excelled rapidly in her piano lessons. Her music lessons brought about a sense that she had something of value to offer. A professional who has known Bobbie for several years says her story is no less than a miraculous sequence of events. He would say, “You will never believe this, but it’s all true!”

– Bobbie Himes Hadfield, author of Sometimes I Laugh Sometimes I Cry
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

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.

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!

Uncategorized

A Novel in 30 Days? Go NaNoWriMo!

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. Though it started in 1999 with fewer than two dozen participants, it’s estimated that more than 200,000 tackled the challenge in 2010. We’re hoping that 2012 will see record numbers — and we want Outskirts Press to be well-represented!

Outskirts Press is proud to be a sponsor of the 2012 NaNoWriMo and we’re encouraging our self-published authors to register for the challenge of a lifetime. Consider it the writer’s equivalent of the Boston Marathon, but without the blisters (you can still carb-load if you’d like). The difference is that instead of running your 26.2 miles in one slow, steady session, you’re probably going to be running it in a series of short sprints.

Who knows, you might want to churn out your 50k in one fell swoop, but in all likelihood, you’re probably going to want to write consistently every day from November 1 through November 30. Considering most authors require many months, even years, to plan and compose a quality book, don’t get caught up in creating a pristine tome in 30 days; the quest for perfection will only slow you down. Remember, no one expects a great American classic to spill out in a few short weeks, so don’t get caught up in any editing. Focus on just quantity for now — you can tackle the quality later.

Here’s why: In order to meet the NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 in one scant month, you’ll need to average 1,667 words per day. For most writers that’s probably going to mean a daily commitment of about two hours. If you take weekends off to decompress, up the daily weekday quota to 2,381 words. If you’re saving all your work for the weekend, count on putting in full days and cranking out about 6,250 words per writing day. And if, like many writers, you procrastinate until the last week to write your novel (perhaps during a post-Thanksgiving vacation), you’re looking at 7,143 words per day for seven days. We don’t recommend it, but hey, some folks thrive on pressure!

We do, however, recommend 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!