Today marks the 100th edition of the Be A Bestseller Inbox Magazine—time to break out the bubbly! It’s been a fabulous and insightful journey thus far, and I am proud to have joined Jen early in the process as she continues to build this wonderful community of writers, authors, and entrepreneurs.
Over the past 100 issues, we’ve met some amazing authors, some of whom are award winners, others have started their own publishing companies, and others still are using their unique voices to elevate their author brands and make a difference in the world.
We have also featured numerous great products and resources and had several talented writers inform and inspire us with their guest posts—writers including Dr. Morgan Giddings, Sara Hathaway, Sandra Beckwith, Dennis De Rose, Angela B. Chrysler, and Ara Grigorian.
And from pen names to podcasts, we have covered a whole slew of interesting topics in our Big Ideas.
Today, in honor of Be A Bestseller’s 100th issue, I am posing a writing challenge, one which involves starting a book from scratch and completing it along with a marketing plan in 100 days.
Meaning by June 28, 2015—100 days from today—anyone who chooses to participate will have a brand new book written and published; plus, they will have a marketing plan ready to implement. And the book can be any genre—fiction, non-fiction, memoir, a children’s book, or a collection of poems or essays.
What do you think, are you game?
100 Days Writing Challenge
The challenge will largely be up to your own scheduling and creativity. But here are a few basic tips and suggestions to get you on the right path.
What to Write
Your brain may already be teeming with brilliant ideas for what you want your book to be about. But if “On your mark, get set, WRITE!” doesn’t exactly get your creativity charging from the gates, here are 3 writing prompts you can use to help you get inspired.
Prompt #1: Location, location, location
Start by picking a scene, any scene—it could even be the room from where you are writing—and simply describe it in as much detail as possible. Be sure to include elements that capture the mood and tone as well.
Prompt #2: T.V. time
As you are watching television, take note of any interesting commercials. Then, craft a short work of fiction based on the commercial’s character dynamics and narrative. Choose one of the commercial’s characters and write from his or her perspective.
Prompt #3: Café eavesdropping
Go and sit in a nearby coffee shop. Write down everything you see, smell, and hear—from the busy barista, to the scent of java in the air, to the bits and pieces of dialogue you overhear—write it all down and try to pick up on patterns and anything that surprises you.
Character Development and Outlining
After you’ve got an idea of what you want your story to be about, it’s time to flesh your characters out and create an outline.
Basically, you want to learn as much as possible about your characters—from what they look like, to what their hopes, dreams, goals, and biggest fears entail.
TIP: Whenever I’m working on character development, I like to have my characters take the Myers-Briggs Personality Profiling test. The test helps discern things like how my characters view the world, how they interact with other people, and what their approach to problem-solving would be.
Next, it’s time to create an outline, which can eventually turn into your book’s table of contents. Break up your book into chapters and write a brief description of what is going to happen in each chapter.
TIP: You should know what your book’s ending is going to be before you start to write, because knowing your final destination makes it less likely to veer off course.
Make a Schedule
The challenge is set for 100 days, so it’s a good idea to reverse engineer that timeline. Depending on how long you expect your book to be, figure out how many days or weeks you have to write each chapter. For example, if you expect your book to have 10 chapters, you would have 10 days to write each chapter.
NOTE: You will also need to factor in time for editing, a final read through, getting your book’s cover designed, and creating an overview of your marketing plan.
Make a schedule that works for you, but hold yourself accountable. If you set a goal to write one chapter a week, then hold yourself to it. Check out the Write or Die app to help make sure you follow through on your goals.
No excuses allowed. You’re makin’ it happen.
So, what do you say, are you going to take the 100 Days Writing Challenge? Let us know on the Be A Bestseller Facebook fan page and definitely give us a shout on June 28th too, once you’ve finished your book! We’ll check in with you closer to then. ;)
Happy 100th, BAB! And remember: Voice mattes. Dare to share yours. Impact the world.
Your “Write” Resource!
Written by Karen Hodges Miller, Sell Your Book! 100 Tips and Tactics was voted one of Amazon’s best books of the year in 2014. So you know it’s good stuff.
Jam-packed with marketing ideas and promotional tactics to help you sell more books, Sell Your Book! is an easy read that covers a variety of topics, including marketing on Amazon, effectively working with book distributors, and using social media to network.
Plus, in addition to the 100 tips and techniques that Karen goes over, Sell Your Book! It also has interviews with PR specialists, book marketing experts, and bookstore owners.
Get the inside scoop and fresh ideas to rev up your book marketing strategies!
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This week’s Makin’ It Happen author is bestselling science fiction/fantasy writer and self-publishing guru Chris Kennedy.
A fiction writer and elementary school principal turned publisher, Chris teaches students and aspiring authors how to become accomplished writers by honing their skills, inspiring their creative processes, and sharing his insider’s perspective on the world of self-publishing.
Chris traveled a non-traditional path to becoming an author, proving there is no “right” way to get there. A naval officer for 20 years and then an elementary school principal for another 5 years, Chris finally tried his hand at writing while working as an instructional systems designer for the U.S. Navy.
Unable to find an agent to take him on, he chose to self-publish his first book Red Tide: The Chinese Invasion of Seattle, and he hasn’t looked back since.
To date, Chris has written 6 fiction novels. His first 2 books were the military fiction duology called Red Tide: The Chinese Invasion of Seattle and Occupied Seattle, which he followed with “The Theogony” science fiction trilogy: Janissaries, When the Gods Aren’t Gods, and Terra Stands Alone. His sixth novel is Can’t Look Back, which is the first installment of a new, epic fantasy trilogy.
Chris used the experience he gained publishing these books to write his non-fiction book Self-Publishing for Profit: How to Get the Book Out of Your Head and Into the Stores.
Additionally, after having seen the latest version of the Nation’s Report Card, which indicated that only 27% of American 8th and 12th grade students can write at a level of “proficient” or better, Chris developed a program called “Total Engagement: Giving Young Authors a Voice,” which he is now working with schools to implement.
Chris’ program brings published authors into schools as a way of encouraging students to write more and sharpening their literacy skills. By developing and publishing classroom anthologies, Chris gets students excited about writing by enabling them to include “published author” on their college applications.
You can earn more about Chris and his work at:
http://chriskennedypublishing.com, where you can get on his mailing list or become a character in a future book.
You can also “Like” him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chriskennedypublishing.biz or follow him on Twitter at @ChrisKennedy110.
So there you have it! A great informational newsletter from, Be a Best Seller ~ Voice Matters ~ Make it Happen. . .
Make sure you go visit all the links for helpful info, and sign up today and you’ll receive some awesome writing tips and information to make you the Writer You Can BE!
Until next time friends,
Catherine Townsend-Lyon, Author & Book Promoter :-)
