The Self-Publishing Advice Compendium: Author Level Up, #9

THE SELF-PUBLISHING ADVICE COMPENDIUM

500+ TIPS ON HOW TO BE A BETTER WRITER AND SELL MORE BOOKS

M.L. RONN

Copyright 2021 © M.L. Ronn. All rights reserved.

Published by Author Level Up LLC.

Version 4.0

Cover Design by Pixelstudio.

Covert Art by jashoshulwathon.

Editing by BZ Hercules.

Very special thanks to the following patrons who support the author on Patreon: Stephen Frans, Jon Howard, Michael Guishard, Beth Jackson, Megan Mong, Lynda Washington, and Etta Welk.

Some links in this book contain affiliate links. If you purchase books and services through these links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. You are under no obligation to use these links, but thank you if you do!

For more helpful writing tips and advice, subscribe to the Author Level Up YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/authorlevelup.

CONTENTS

What You'll Learn in This Book

Writing Craft Tips

How to Stay Inspired and Keep Your Creative Well Full

Writer's Block is Like a Leaky Bucket

Places of Inspiration

Navigating the Murky Middle of Your Novel

Planning Your Novel

Choosing a Writing App: What to Look For

Outlining Methods

The Best NaNoWriMo Resources

Powering Through Your Novel Even When It Hurts

How to Write Engaging Characters

Writing Romance

How to Study the Craft

The Major Science Fiction Subgenres

The Major Romance Subgenres

How to Write Better Dialogue

The Major Fantasy Subgenres

The Major Mystery Subgenres

Reading Skills

How to Read Your Readers’ Minds

Rhetorical Techniques

Lost Literary Forms

Main Character Basics

Supporting Character Basics

Setting Basics

Dialogue Basics

Point of View Basics

Reading Like a Pro

The Ultimate Guide to Dictation for Writers

The Ultimate Guide to Beating Writer's Block

Writing Life Tips

Pep Talks for Writers

What are You Grateful For?

Dealing with People in the Writing Life Who Don't Get You

When Nothing Seems to Be Going Your Way in the Writing Life, Read This

Balancing Writing with Other Responsibilities

Time Management Tips

Relaxation Tips for Your Writing Sessions

Universal Truths of Writing

Renewal and Self-Care Tips for Writers

How to Have Fun with Your Writing

How to Survive the Time of Great Forgetting

S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Writers

Celebrating Small Wins

Author Etiquette

How to Treat Your Readers Right

Five Successful Things to Tell Yourself When Things are Tough

Five Reasons Why It's an Amazing Time to Be a Writer

How to Be More Productive as a Writer

Five Tips to Tame Your Email Inbox

Different Ways to Write Your Novel

What to Do When You're Having a Bad Week

What to Do When You're Having a Good Week

How to Prep for the New Year

Acts of Kindness for Your Significant Other

Acts of Kindness for Your Readers

More Productivity Tips

Why You Should Be Part of a Nonprofit for Self-Published Writers

Tips for Joining an Author Community

First-Timer Mistakes

The Apps and Equipment I Use

Fighting Self-Doubt

Editing Tips

Edit Your Manuscript into Nirvana

Finding an Editor

Top Editing Tips

How to Improve Your Self-Editing with Data and Analytics

Advanced Editing Tips

Beta Reader Tips

Punctuation Fun

Marketing Tips

Social Media Tips for Writers

Social Media Wellness Tips

Your Author Website Essentials

Your Author Press Kit

Email Marketing Best Practices

Advanced Email Marketing Tactics

Marketing Basics

A Deep Dive into Book Covers

A Deep Dive into Book Descriptions

Guerrilla Marketing Tactics When You Have No Money

Good Paid Marketing Strategies

Amazon Ad Strategies

How to Help Readers Get the Most Out of Your Book

How to Market Yourself in a Podcast Interview

Business Tips

Fundamental Mindset Tips for Indie Writers

Income-Generating Activities

Radical Ideas About Readers

Planning for the New Year

A Clear Strategy for The New Year

How to Make Money Self-Publishing

Advanced Money-Making Tactics for Self-Publishing Writers

Tax Tips for Writers

Threats to Your Writing Business

Untapped Opportunities in Your Writing Business

Different Formats You Can Sell Your Book In

The Costs of Self-Publishing

Backing Up Your Work

A Can't-Fail Writing Strategy

Managing Money as a Self-Published Writer

Read Next: Authors, Steal This Book

Meet M.L. Ronn

More Books by M.L. Ronn

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS BOOK

Hey there, wordsmith! Welcome to the Self-Publishing Advice Compendium! This book is jam-packed with writing, marketing, and business tips to help you become a better writer.

The advice comes from my podcast, Writing Tip of the Day, which I have discontinued, but it was a daily show that ran from 2019-2021 where I provided a crisp writing tip in five minutes or less. Thousands of listeners found the show helpful, so I compiled the tips into book format. My listeners told me that they like getting the writing advice in book format because they can refer to it more easily later.

As for me and why I'm qualified to host a writing show and write this book, I'm the author of over 60 books of science fiction and fantasy and self-help for writers and the host of the popular YouTube channel for writers, Author Level Up. I live these tips every day, and they come from the wisdom I've gained from running a profitable publishing business.

How to Use This Book

However you want! Read it straight through, or if you dare, read one tip every day, preferably in the morning, to set the tone for the rest of the day. This book (and series) exists to help you become a better version of yourself, however you choose to do it.

The book is organized by topic, so it's easy to jump around if you need to, especially if you want to use it as a resource long after you're done reading.

In any case, I'm glad you're here. If you're new to my community, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel Author Level Up. In the meantime, welcome aboard, and let's have some fun.

WRITING CRAFT TIPS

HOW TO STAY INSPIRED AND KEEP YOUR CREATIVE WELL FULL

Have you ever thought about how many ideas the human brain has every day?

If ideas could be harnessed into energy, they could power the world with plenty of energy still to go around.

Think about that as a writer—what if you could capture more ideas and tap in to that amazing well of energy that flows around us every day?

Write Your Ideas Down

Write your ideas down. One way to do this is with pen and paper. Pull out your notebook whenever the muse strikes, but just remember not to lose it. One time, I accidentally dove into a lake and had my notebook in my back pocket of my swimming trunks and didn't realize it. I lost my entire pocket notebook of ideas. Don't do that!

You can also use a note-taking app like Evernote or Bear to capture your ideas, which is my method of choice. If you're walking along and get a killer story idea, just pull out your phone and write it down. You can even use these note-taking apps to capture photos, video, and even audio notes whenever inspiration strikes.

In my note-taking app, I have two folders: a sketchbook and an idea book. The sketchbook contains interesting things that could end up in one of my stories one day. My idea book contains ideas for books or marketing projects I might try for my books.

Commit to writing down one idea every day, even things that may seem trivial. Do this for a really long time, and you'll have hundreds if not thousands of ideas to draw from whenever you have writer’s block.

Capture Ideas Successfully

Have you ever considered how to capture your ideas?

When you write stuff down, what do you write? Whenever possible, capture your ideas in the five senses. For example, if you’re in a coffee shop and feel inspired by the venue, here’s how I might capture it. Instead of writing long paragraphs, I would write down imagery.

What do I see? A barista with a stud in her lip.

What do I hear? The coffee machines humming, the people at the next table discussing a Bible verse.

What do I smell? The malty aroma of the tea I’m drinking.

What do I taste? Hints of coffee and autumn leaves.

What texture do I feel? This one’s tricky, but I like to think of textures that I can see, like the reclaimed wood at my table.

In just a few sentences, I captured the blueprint of the coffee shop. I’ll be able to recall these images forever. Even years later, looking at them will make me feel as if I’m back there, drinking my tea and watching the people.

And here’s the real magic: whenever I need to write a coffee shop into my next book, I can literally import the images I captured, word for word if I wanted. I’m doing the work upfront now so I can benefit later. I’ve written over 50 books, and this technique has paid dividends for me book after book. I use it every day. I have a sneaking suspicion that it will work for you too. And it only takes a minute or two.

Be a Student of People

When new writers ask me what they can do to improve their craft, I always tell them to be a student of people. It’s fundamental to fiction writing.

Being a student of people means putting yourself in places where you can watch them. Coffee shops, grocery stores, gas stations, airports—wherever people are, you can watch them.

The next time you’re in public, pick one random person and watch them. Don’t be a stalker, please, and don’t be creepy...

But let’s say you’re at the grocery store and there’s a man in front of you in the checkout line. Maybe he’s in dusty construction clothes. What’s his story? More importantly, how might you write him into one of your books? If it were me, I’d first try to get a sense of the person’s energy. Is he calm? Frantic to get through checkout? Constantly on his phone and distracted?

Next, I’d pay attention to his clothes and appearance—the dust on the man’s shirt or the mole under his left eye, for example.

Lastly, I’d pay attention to the words he uses when he speaks, and how. Sometimes, I might even write down what he says, like if he has a unique accent and says something unusual.

When you’re observing people, ask yourself how you would write this person into your story. That simple question is the gateway to writing better fiction and nonfiction because it trains your brain to translate people onto the page. The best part about this exercise is that there are no wrong answers. You don’t have to be right—you’re just practicing and stretching your mind.

Collect Words Like Pokémon

Collect interesting words. This will help you expand your vocabulary so you can write more compelling imagery, which will help you when you capture ideas.

Use pen and paper or a note-taking app like Evernote to write down unique words whenever you encounter them.

Now, you can go overboard here. Don’t go off collecting rare words that no one will ever know, the Latin names of flowers, or things like that. The point is not to make the reader reach for a dictionary. They don’t like that. (If you write literary fiction, that's a different story.)

The key is to expand the vocabulary that your readers will understand. Chances are, there are simple words that you aren’t aware of that can have a big impact in your story.

I read a poem once where the poet used the phrase police cars cockroaching through tunnels. The imagery was completely unexpected, but it always stuck with me because it was so vivid.

That’s why reading good books is so important—bestsellers often use arresting and unexpected word choices. Poetry is also another great source of fun and interesting words.

Create a repository of words in one long document and review it every once in a while. I think you’ll find fun and unique opportunities to use perfect words that your readers won’t expect, but will find delight in.

Mix Ideas Around and Review Them Regularly

Mix your ideas around. If you’ve followed the previous few tips, you're going to collect a lot of ideas very quickly.

What do you do with them?

Every once in a while, I like to go into my idea book and review all the ideas I have. I scroll through them randomly with no real agenda. What I find is that things start jumping out at me. An idea I captured yesterday might merge with an idea I captured three years ago and create a unique synthesis.

For example, back in 2011, I reread Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, which is one of my favorite books of all-time. I absolutely love Long John Silver. I always thought it would be interesting to write a Long John-inspired character myself someday.

In 2015, I happened upon some amazing dragon images on Pinterest, one in particular of an enormous black dragon. I also read Shakespeare’s Richard III that year. Somehow, I got the idea to write a story with an evil dragon antihero whose personality was one part Long John Silver and one part Richard III. That character became the hero in my Last Dragon Lord series, which is one of my most popular fantasy series with readers—available in ebook, paperback, and audio if you want to check it out at www.michaellaronn.com/thelastdragonlord.

Mix your ideas together and you’ll be surprised at what might happen.

WRITER'S BLOCK IS LIKE A LEAKY BUCKET

First things first, what is writer’s block?

I define it as the inability to start or continue a story.

I'm sure you've suffered from writer’s block. Maybe you're experiencing it now. Perhaps you woke up this morning with your brain in a fog about how to finish the chapter you're on.

For writers, writer’s block is as common as the common cold, but it doesn't have to be that way.

The Leaky Bucket Analogy

Pretend that you have a bucket full of water, and it's leaking because there are several holes in it.

How do you fix a leaky bucket? You plug the holes.

Now pretend that your mind is the bucket.

What if I told you that your mind is brimming with ideas and inspiration, but that it's leaking inspiration, and that leak is the reason you have writer’s block?

What if I told you that curing writer’s block is really no different than plugging holes in a leaky bucket?

Many people think that writer’s block is this magical, mysterious force, but I don't. I believe it stems from only a few key problems, all of which are easily fixable.

I can honestly tell you that I don't get writer’s block anymore. I plug the holes in my bucket regularly, and it's full of water!

The First Hole: Fear

The first hole we need to plug is fear.

It doesn't matter who you are; fear affects every writer. We’re afraid of making mistakes in our books, afraid of what readers will think, afraid of our book not selling, and so much more.

That fear can drip into your manuscript. When it does, it will paralyze you. You'll start to think, What's the point of writing or No one will like this story or I'm just an imposter posing as a writer.

Many writers let this fear get to their heads. Many quit writing because of it. I don't want you to be one of those writers.

If you're worried about your success as a writer, just think of me. I've written over 50 books of fiction and nonfiction, published over 300 YouTube videos, 200 podcast episodes, three writing courses—and I had some pretty bad failures early on in my career. But I kept at it, and now I have a pretty respectable platform.

I wish I could give you a recipe for eliminating your fear, but it doesn't exist. But I need you to learn to be fearless and silence that inner critic in your head. If you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.

Whenever that inner critic says you're inadequate, keep pushing and write 100 more words.

Whenever it tells you that readers won't like it, tell it that readers get to decide that, not anyone else.

If you can get a handle on your fear, you'll find that writer’s block won't visit you nearly as frequently because you'll be confident in your work—and yourself.

I give you permission to be fearless today.

The Second Hole: Personal Circumstances

Personal circumstances are the second hole in our leaky bucket.

Personal circumstances play a big part in our lives whether we like to admit them or not.

Sometimes we get sick.

Sometimes our family members need us.

Sometimes we get unusually busy at work, or have other important obligations that have nothing to do with writing that call us to be present, for a time.

That's normal.

I will admit to you that one of the secrets of longtime professional writers is that they keep at it, rain or shine. But if you look at many of their careers, almost none of them write every single day, year after year without fail. They have stops and starts.

Don't beat yourself up when life strikes. For example, when I wrote this tip, my daughter was having her tonsils out. I didn't expect to get much writing done for a week or two, and that was okay. Family is more important to me.

Life happens. Deal with the things you need to deal with. Set a timeline to restart, and when it's time, pick up where you left off. That's all you can do.

The reason this applies to the leaky bucket example is because if other circumstances are distracting you from writing, then your bucket is going to leak, no question about it. Once you deal with the problem, you'll find it magically stops leaking.

One of my favorite sayings is from Arthur L. Williams, a motivational speaker. He has 11 magical words that hold the secret to his amazing success. These 11 words will revolutionize the way you think about your writing life. These 11 simple words will also insulate you from burning yourself out.

Are you ready for them?

All you can do is all you can do, and all you can do is enough!

Print that out and put it on your wall, because it's the essence of this tip.

Create Some Distance

This tip is a little controversial, but it does work on occasion.

I'm sure that you've experienced writer’s block, and you know how agonizing it is. You would do anything to get rid of it, right?

Do something that most writing coaches and experts would tell you NOT to do: walk away, for a time.

All the tips I've given you so far have been deep. Eliminate fear, deal with life circumstances, and so on. But this one is simple.

Sometimes, you just need to walk away from your work for a little while. Get some distance between you and your manuscript.

When we get too deep into our work, we can lose perspective. Sometimes, fresh air is all we need to get our perspective back.

I'm not telling you to walk away from your work forever. At best, a few hours or one day is the most I'd ever recommend. Any more than that and you run the risk of compounding the problem.

I had a friend who was a serial procrastinator. He finished a book, and in his words, I took a deep breath to relax, and it lasted eight months. Don't be him.

Procrastination in general is bad, but there is something to be said about giving your brain some time to figure out how to solve a problem.

For example, it's common advice in the self-help community to use sleep as a discovery tool. Tell your brain what problem you want to solve, then take a nap or go to bed, and see what happens in the morning.

In any case, while I don't recommend that you use this tip frequently, just understand that it is a tool in your toolbox that can get you results if used correctly. It can help you gain perspective on how to continue fixing your leaky bucket.

Filling Your Bucket

Assuming you followed the previous tips, our leaky bucket shouldn't have any more holes in it.

But there's probably not much water left in it either. Your bucket's water level may be so low that there's only a few drops of water in it. It may feel like you'll never have another idea again. This used to happen to me many times.

You have to learn how to fill that bucket. In other terms, we might say you need to fill your creative well. You can do that by ensuring that you have a steady stream of water flowing into your bucket at all times, so much that your bucket is always full—even overflowing.

Constantly expose yourself to new experiences. I'm an introvert and I prefer to stay at home on the weekends, and I suspect that you're a lot like me. But I make it a point to get out of the house on a regular basis.

Recently, I went to my local farmer’s market in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. The city blocks off several streets downtown and the market is full of great food, vendors, live music, and people-watching opportunities. I've been to the market many times, but this time in particular energized me and gave me some great ideas for my next book. Just being around all that positive energy was enough for me.

Do this enough and your bucket will soon be full.

PLACES OF INSPIRATION

I can't stress enough to learn the art of people-watching.

My mission is to shape your mind and transform how you see the world. In other words, I want you to learn how to SEE like a writer.

Learning how to SEE like a writer means developing what I call laser vision—seeing something in everyday life and then instantly being able to see how it would translate into fiction or nonfiction. You have to develop that skill.

The best way to develop your laser vision is to visit five key places in your community. You can do this for free, and your visits will give you an immense number of opportunities for people-watching.

Service-Based Businesses

Coffee shops, gas stations, convenience stores, tailors, dry cleaners, shoe shiners, barbers or hairstylists, funeral homes, insurance agencies, post offices, banks, and car washes are just a few of the many options in your community. Chances are high that you're going to visit at least ONE service-based business today alone!

I love visiting these places because I'm only there for five minutes or so, but I can walk away with an incredible sketch of human nature.

For example, I visited a barber, and I paid careful attention to the sights, sounds, colors, and smells. When I left, I used the Evernote app on my phone to jot down some of the sensory details that I observed as well as my brief conversation with the barber. I can easily import these details into a future novel.

If you're writing a novel, maybe you'll have a character that's a barber or some kind of service-based business in it one day. Maybe in space. Or in the Wild West. You can apply your observations in any setting. Service-based businesses make cameos in novels all the time. Think Diagon Alley in Harry Potter or how every epic fantasy book ever has a shopkeeper of some kind.

Restaurants

Restaurants are incredible places to people-watch and absorb ambiance. They're also a great place where you can eavesdrop on some fascinating conversations.

For example, I once had a business lunch on the top floor of one of the tallest buildings in Des Moines. I ate lunch with the entire blinking lights of the city beneath me. Every time I looked out the window, I saw snow-crusted roofs and cars far, far below that looked like toys moving along a kid's race car track. I overheard two businessmen at the table next to me brokering a deal to build a new strip mall. Pretty cool stuff.

When you visit a restaurant, I want you to first pay attention to the theme. Is it upscale? Is it a seafood restaurant that invokes imagery of the sea? Or maybe it's a standard Americana restaurant with checkered floors, red gingham tablecloths, and waiters with rectangular caps and white uniforms.

Next, pay attention to the people. Are the wait staff running around like decapitated chickens, or are they lounging around, joking amongst themselves, or are they so bored that they're falling asleep?

Lastly, pay attention to the patrons. What's their demeanor? What words are they using in their conversations?

I'd be remiss not to mention the food, but you can always make that up if it doesn't taste good!

Parks

Almost everyone lives within walking distance of a park. Parks are peaceful places, and they're amazing places to steal book ideas from.

Sometimes with parks, I don't focus on the people there. I like to look at the place and think about what kind of people MIGHT visit this place.

For example, there's a park within walking distance of my house that my daughter and I visit. It has a soccer field, a playground, and a gazebo.

I see the place and I think about the people that might be painted against the greenscape of grass, trees, and flowers.

African immigrant children practicing soccer in the fields, for example. Or drooling toddlers waddling across the mulch bed of the playground, and cheerful parents chasing them around. I think about those kids, and how they might come back to this playground in twenty years and reminisce about their humble beginnings.

And the gazebo—I see birthday parties, quinceñeras, Fourth of July barbecues, families playing lawn games, eating catered meals from a local restaurant, or dancing to loud music from someone’s Bluetooth speaker. And, at late at night, I imagine shady people doing drug deals in the gazebo, and a police car sweeping the place with a spotlight at 4AM.

You can do this too. It doesn't cost a thing—just a few calories to get to a park and a willingness to use your imagination.

Television

You can visit this place of inspiration without leaving your living room! This place will let you travel across the world without ever leaving your couch. That's right, I'm talking about television.

Too much TV will melt your mind, but I think people often forget that it's also a window into other cultures.

For today’s exercise, you just need cable TV, Netflix, Hulu, or your on-demand provider of choice. If you don't have a TV, then you get a pass for this tip!

I want you to watch a documentary. Sure, you could watch a movie or a television show, but you won’t get the same benefit.

Documentaries are vehicles for learning. Pick a documentary that you’ve never seen before on a topic you don’t know much about.

Watch the people. Get a sense of them. Get a sense of the places. Go in with the intent that you’ll expand your mind and take away one thing, however small, that you can apply to your craft.

Maybe you watch a documentary about growing marijuana, a big trend right now. What’s it like to be a legal marijuana grower? What might that person be like, and what kind of life would they live?

I love documentaries for this reason. They’re the perfect way to escape, learn, and be entertained.

Downtown

Every place has a downtown.

If you live in an urban area, downtown might be city blocks full of skyscrapers.

If you live in a small town or a rural area, it might be the town square or main street.

What’s it like there?

For example, in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, where I live, downtown is a pretty busy place, but it’s still fairly laid back compared to bigger cities like Chicago or New York City. There is a skywalk system that connects many of the buildings, and the inside of the skywalk system is like a big shopping mall. There are fashion boutiques, restaurants, businesses, and panhandlers playing guitars. People frequently stroll through the skywalks on their lunch breaks. The stores in the skywalk are slowly dying, and it’s sad to see local business close every year, but so many young people are moving downtown that the skywalk system will eventually make a comeback.

If I were to write downtown Des Moines into a book, it would be a vibrant downtown area, but it would also have a young, hip vibe to it because a lot of young people are moving there to experience the loft lifestyle. Decades ago, downtown Des Moines wasn't a hot destination—it was rather boring.

In an urban area, studying any downtown area is a great lesson in pacing. Some people are always in a hurry and can’t be bothered to stop to give you directions. Others are in their own world. Others are just strange.

In a rural area, though, people in the main square might be friendly to a fault.