Category: Katie Ganshert

Choices

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Do you ever think about the craziness of life? All the choices? All the forks in the road? Accumulating over the course of your existence? Bringing you exactly where you are today?

Sometimes I find myself thinking about these pivotal moments that might not have seemed so monumental at the time.

Like when I chose to go to the University of Wisconsin instead of the University of Iowa. It was freshman year, in my dorm room in Madison, when I gave my life to Christ. Would I have done that in Iowa?

Or when I chose to take two years off after my freshman year so I could gain residency and pay in-state tuition. During my college intermission, I got a job as a receptionist and met my husband. Would we have met if I hadn’t taken those two years off?

Or when we chose to wait five years before having kids. Would my son be here if we’d decided to try earlier?

How different would my life look if I would have gone to Iowa, if I wouldn’t have married Ryan, if I never had my son?

Would I be writing?

What about all the people I know because I’m exactly where I’m at right now? Where would they be? What would they be doing? Would I be who I am today, would they be who they are today, if we never would have crossed paths?

Our lives and choices make splashes that ripple so much farther than we know.

I love looking back at those pivotal moments and seeing how God has orchestrated so many things, even before I knew Him, to bring me right here.

Living in Iowa. A stay-at-home mom. A wife. A writer. A believer.

Let’s Talk: What are some pivotal moments from your past? Do you ever think about what life would look like if you’d gone left instead of right?removetweetmeme

The Art of Stringing ‘Em Along

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

Readers don’t need to know nearly as much as we think they do. In fact, the opposite is often true. The less readers know, especially in the beginning, the better. Yet so many writers use the beginning of their novels to dump loads of information.

This is harmful, people. Seriously, seriously harmful.

First, it bores the reader. 
Think for a minute. Why do you read? To get caught up in a good story, right? Yet when we stop the flow of the story to fill the reader in, they’re no longer getting a story. They’re getting a biography on a character they neither know or care about yet.

Second, it’s not natural.
How do you get to know a person? How do you move from first-time acquaintances to full-out friends? Usually there’s a process. When we’re introduced to somebody for the first time, we know better than to reveal all the personal details of our past. That would be awkward. And again, boring. In order to care about somebody’s past, we have to get to know the person. And we get to know a person by what they say and do. Otherwise known as action and dialogue.

Third, it squashes all intrigue.
This is huge. Huge, huge. The biggest reason why we shouldn’t reveal too much in the beginning. Think about what keeps readers turning pages. It’s intrigue, right? That enticing unanswered question. The minute we jump in and reveal too much information is the minute we squish all the questions.

Last week, we had issues with our plumbing.

First, there was this mysterious drip coming from the ceiling in our laundry room. That drip caught my attention. I found myself thinking about it throughout the day. Visiting the laundry room more often than usual.

The next morning, the rug in our upstairs bathroom was wet. It was a mystery, because I couldn’t find a leak anywhere. You can believe my curiosity (and okay, fear) doubled. Were the two related? Where was the water coming from?

The day after that, more wetness on the bathroom floor. The leaky ceiling was worse. And get this. Another pipe in our basement, nowhere near the leaky ceiling, started dripping.

I went upstairs, got on my hands and knees, and searched everywhere. I was hooked. I was engaged. I was obsessed with finding this dang leak.

My plumbing gets it. It understands the art of stringing an audience along, bit by bit, unveiling just enough to keep a person hooked.

What an important skill to master as a writer. 

We need to know how to reveal tantalizing scents that make our readers want to take a few steps further to see what’s up ahead. And when they move forward, the scent needs to get stronger. More tantalizing.

Okay, maybe I’m mixing metaphors here. Tantalizing scents and plumbing problems probably shouldn’t go together. But you know what I mean.

Of course, there is a fine line. We can’t reveal so little that the reader gets confused. All I’m saying is, many of us error on the side of too much. And I’d take a confused reader over a bored one any day. Because at least a confused reader keeps turning those pages.

Let’s Talk: What do you think? Do you tend to reveal too much, afraid the reader won’t understand or like the character unless you explain everything? Have you mastered the art of hinting?

*Photo by missy &the universeremovetweetmeme

Ten Ways to Market a Book

Posted on by Katie Ganshert

I’m a debut author. My first book, a contemporary romance, will hit shelves May, 2012. And as soon as I signed that I-could-kiss-you-you’re-so-lovely contract, my mind jumped from “How can I get published?” to “How can I get read?”

Last Monday, I wrote a post about my marketing philosophy, titled How May I Serve You?

Philosophy is good. Philosophy is fun. But today, let’s get practical.

I’d like to share ten things I’ve done or will do to market my upcoming book.

As you read through the list, I hope you feel encouraged. None of these things are difficult. Many are practical. Most are free. And I’m willing to bet you’re doing some already.

I’ve defined my target audience.
Nobody can write for everyone and the minute we try is the minute we write for no one. Defining our target audience is a prerequisite if we’re going to market effectively.

I blog.
Ever since I signed my contract, I’ve put more thought and time into blogging. Consistency and content is key. I’ve tried to consistently post three times a week about topics that will appeal to my target audience.

I created a Facebook page.
I have to be honest here. I’m not utilizing my page as well I could. But I’m hoping, as my book gets closer to release and then hits the shelves, that my page will be an easy place to connect with readers.

I tweet. (Oh, how I love Twitter.)
If you don’t have a Twitter account yet, get thee to Twitter right now. It’s a great way to meet new people and as Thomas Umstaddt pointed out in a recent webinar, it’s a great place to listen. Listening is key. If you sign up for Twitter, make sure to download Tweetdeck.

I joined a writing community.
Because I write contemporary romance for the Christian market, the best organization for me to join was ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). I can’t tell you how many amazing, supportive, encouraging people I’ve met within this community, many of whom will help promote my book when it releases.

I’m in the process of creating a website.
If a reader finishes my book and Googles my name, I want her to be able to find me easily. A website is like a cyber office. It gives readers an easy way to find information about us and our books. I also hired a professional photographer to take some high-quality photos that I can use on my website.

I’m establishing (I hope) positive relationships.
With readers, yes. But also with the people at my publishing house. I listened to a workshop given by Colleen Coble and she believes one of the smartest things a writer can do to gain a readership is establish positive relationships with their publisher. Sounds weird, maybe, but it makes sense. I want to be a blessing to the people at my publishing house.

I’ve done interviews.
I recently completed a telephone interview with my publishing house. They recorded it and will use it for promotional purposes. More information on this fun adventure is coming soon!

I completed a questionnaire for marketing.
Not a quick one either, but nine pages of questions. I answered as thoroughly as possible in order to best help the marketing department market my book.

I will take advantage of local connections.
I have a friend who writes for the newspaper and a family member who works for a local news station. As my release gets closer, we’re planning on doing an article in the paper and an interview on the news.

So there you go. Ten things I’ve done or will do in order to market my debut novel.

As my release date approaches, I’m sure I’ll give other things a try. Some of which might help. Some of which might not. And that’s okay. Marketing is a try-and-see adventure. One that can be as stressful or as fun as we make it.

Let’s Talk: What are you doing right now to market your work? What marketing strategies have you seen authors do that have been effective?

I drafted this post a few weeks ago, and since then, Jody Hedlund published an amazing post that goes well with this one, titled 10 Ways to Prepare in Advance for Publication.


The clients of WordServe Literary Agency have launched a new blog, The WordServe Water Cooler, where we hope to build community and discuss all things writing and publishing. Please come say hi!removetweetmeme