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5 Reasons Why Being a Knicks Fan Is Like Being a Writer

I have been a New York Knicks fan for a long time. Very long. About twenty years, since the time Pat Riley joined the team as coach (before he became the enemy). And, coincidentally, the same amount of time, more or less, that I’ve been a professional writer. Last night’s crushing loss to the Boston Celtics made me realize how similar being a Knicks fan is to being a writer.

  1. It’s unbelievably stressful at times. When Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith go cold, as they did last night, it’s excruciating. Nothing is working. The ball goes in the air and you think, this is it, and then it bounces off the rim and is rebounded by the other team. I know that feeling as a writer, when the words just aren’t coming. You try and you try, but you just can’t make that basket. It sucks. Sisyphus has nothing on you.
  2. It’s unbelievably glorious at times. When Anthony or Smith or Raymond Felton scores a three-pointer at the buzzer or can’t miss a shot, it’s heaven. The basketball gods are smiling on you, birds are singing, the sky is filled with sunshine. Same as true when the words are flowing, as a writer. I become Spike Lee standing up from his courtside seat, pumping my fists.
  3. The road is looong. The Knicks haven’t won a championship in forty years. And when I tell you it’s been almost 20 years since we even PLAYED in a basketball championship, you should know that I have felt every one of those twenty years. A writing career is similar, filled with starts and stops, disappointments and victories, ups and downs. Accepted pitches and rejection letters come in the same day. Even, like the Knicks, my players have changed over the years — many of the magazines and websites I wrote for five years ago have folded or ceased operation, new ones taking their places. Every year is essentially a new season. Sure, there’s no championship to be had in writing — unless, of course, you’re vying for the Pulitzer and, hey, why not? — but it is goal-oriented. You want to get a piece in THAT magazine or THAT anthology or get picked up by THAT publisher. You work toward achieving whatever goal or game winner there is.
  4. Continue reading →
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7 Things I Learned About Shooting a Video on the Cheap

I have been meaning to shoot a few promotional videos for Baby Grand to put up on my YouTube channel, so yesterday I took (dragged) my daughter, husband and youngest son with me to Hofstra University for a video shoot. My daughter is thinking about a career in directing and my oldest son has expressed an interest in video editing, so I figured why not encourage (take advantage) of these aspirations and get some publicity as well. Well, after an hour of frolicking in the sun on campus, I learned seven important lessons:

  1. Make sure you have a charged battery. If my husband hadn’t come along for the ride, it would have been a very (very!) short shoot. The minute my daughter, who served as camera-person, pressed record for the first take of the afternoon, the screen went black. “I had a feeling that would happen,” my husband said, pulling an extra charged battery out of his knapsack. I didn’t know if I wanted to slug him or hug him. :)
  2. Know your lines. I wanted to kick myself for not having memorized my script. There are so many things that are out of your control during a photo shoot, like the weather or the amount of people milling around if you’re in a public place. The last thing you should have had to worry about is knowing your lines. Lesson learned.
  3. Empty your memory card beforehand. Luckily, it was after an hour of shooting that my memory card screamed, “No more, please!” Otherwise, as I said in Tip #1, it would have been a very short shoot.
  4. Vary your shots. As an undergrad at Hofstra, I took a few television classes so I know a thing or two (but that’s it) about video production. So I had my daughter video me saying the same paragraph several times — while sitting on a bench, while walking, etc. This helps to make your video more interesting and dynamic when it’s put together in post-production.
  5. Have cutaways. Basically, a cutaway is a shot of something different from the main action. In my case, for example, we shot the university’s name on a sign for a few seconds and my legs walking. Cutaways are crucial to the editing process, particularly when you have talent who apparently hasn’t memorized her lines. It gives the video editor options and helps piece together different shots that wouldn’t otherwise go together so that they look cohesive.
  6. If you’re not going to pay your tech people, feed them. And if you’ve got anyone 10 years or younger there for the ride, it might behoove you to feed him BEFORE the photo shoot. It keeps the complaining to a minimum (and while you’re at it, bring a jacket for him too).
  7. Have fun. My daughter and I giggled the entire way through. “I feel like I’m in a writer horror movie!” she squealed when I asked her to walk backwards with the camera as I approached. Sure enough, we watched the playback, and it did. Perhaps an idea for my next book…
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Hear Ye, Hear Ye: How to Promote an Audiobook

Okay, folks, this one is easy: If you’re already out there promoting your paperback or eBook, all you have to do is keep on doing what you’re doing and now throw your audiobook into marketing mix as well. What should you be doing? Most, if not all, of the following:

Create social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Goodreads, Google Plus — wherever it is you find you get the most mileage from your posts (remember, too much promotion can turn friends and followers off, so post wisely). You can also syndicate your content so that you can post to multiple accounts simultaneously.

Create a blog: There’s been a lot of debate lately on whether writers should bother with blogging, whether blogging is helpful as a promotional tool for writers. I started this blog in March 2010 not as a promotional tool, but as a way to help write myself out of a writer’s block and to network with other writers. (It worked.) Readers of this blog will know that I rarely use it for promotional purposes — Yes, I have my book info in the sidebar and I mention Baby Grand all the time but the blog is more informational than promotional.

Create a dialogue: Spend time reading other people’s blogs and social media posts. Not only do you learn a heck of a lot, but I’ve found that people find their way to my book simply by reading my comments or viewpoints and then clicking my gravatar.

Create a website: This is a MUST. All authors should have a “home base,” so to speak, one place where readers can go to find out everything they need to know about you and your books. Additionally, a recent blog post by Shelli Johson suggests you should have a media kit available on your website, which will make it easier for others (newspaper editors, bloggers, TV producers, etc.) to get your bio, head shot, book jacket and other info readily. Excellent advice.

Create a mailing list: Give readers and potential readers the opportunity to sign up to hear about your news. I use Constant Contact for my mailing list needs.

Create videos: Create a YouTube channel and develop promotional videos for your book. These can include man-on-the-street videos featuring the author, or Q&As or book trailers. Whatever you think will help people find you and generate interest in your work.

Well, that winds up this week’s celebration of the premiere of the Baby Grand audiobook. If you have any other promotional ideas for your books, audio or otherwise, I’d love to hear them. Have a great weekend!

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Baby Grand: The Audiobook That Almost Wasn’t

audiobook_imageThis post has been a long time coming. In fact, I had planned to write it back in October 2012 when the audiobook for Baby Grand was supposed to be completed and available for purchase. But there were a few setbacks, and then a few more, and then it looked like I would have to go back to the drawing board when — cue Rocky music — my technologically savvy husband saved the day (again). Now, the Baby Grand audiobook is completed and available for purchase on Audible and Amazon. Here’s how it came to be.

A writer-friend of mine sent me information on an ASJA (American Society of Journalists and Authors) seminar taking place in NYC last summer on audiobooks. At the time, I really wanted to get busy on producing an audiobook for Baby Grand, but didn’t know how to go about it. What I DID know is that I DID NOT want to narrate the audiobook myself. I wanted a professional voice artist, but didn’t know how to go about contacting one or whether or not I needed to provide/rent studio space and how much all this was going to cost me.

The seminar was put on by a representative of ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange), which is an Amazon platform. Amazon. That word alone was enough to ease any fears I had. Not only was it a company I knew, but one I trusted, having initially released my eBook through Kindle and my paperback using CreateSpace.

In a nutshell, this is what I learned from the ACX guy during the hour-long presentation: Not only would ACX connect me with professional voice people, who had their own studios, but it offered a 50/50 royalty share agreement between narrator and author so that I didn’t have to shell out any money up front. Woo hoo!

Continue reading →

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The Next Chapter, Without Mom

Mom and me, Book Revue, October 2012

Mom and me, Book Revue, October 2012

When I was a little girl, my mother would leave notes for me around the house. And she would always sign them, “I love you desperately.” Three weeks ago, my mom called me at 5:30 a.m. from her hospital bed to remind me that she loved me. And she called it out to me as I was leaving her house two Sundays ago, the last day I would ever see her. My mother died a week ago on Thursday, March 21, after a relatively short, but ugly battle with cancer. It is a sad time for my family and for those who were lucky enough to be a part of my mother’s world. There will never be another person like her.

This morning, WordPress reminded me that today is my three-year blogging anniversary. I can still remember the day I started this blog as a way to jump-start my way out of an awful writer’s block. It worked. I managed to get my first novel written and published, and my mom was there every step of the way. She read Baby Grand as an eBook — the first eBook she’d ever read, proudly downloading the Kindle app software onto her computer all on her own. She  sent emails to all her friends telling them about Baby Grand. This morning, I found this one, sent to an Atlantic City chum and cc-ed to me:

“How are you? R U gong this weekend? Just an fyi. Dina’s book is on Amazon. Here is the link to go on Amazon and request the book either on a kindle or right on the PC. It’s only $1.99 and I have to tell you I read it in 3 days. It’s THAT good. Not because she’s my daughter but because it’s THAT good. I read it off the PC and it was perfect for me. You can enlarge the font if necessary.”

She gave a copy to her Atlantic City slot host, demanded to know why some of my friends and family had not yet read the book, needled my dad, a thriller lover, for taking so long to read the eBook (although he’s a hard copy kind of guy, my mother insisted he read the eBook rather than wait for the paperback that was coming out a few months later). During the last days of her life, I contacted her oncologist to inquire about my mom’s health. When he answered the phone, I said, “Hi, my name is Dina Santorelli, I’m Pat Santorelli’s daughter.” He responded, “I know who you are. I have your book.”

Continue reading →

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Today Only: ‘Baby Grand’ Giveaway

To celebrate my birthday today –  as well as the amazing review for Baby Grand I received via WordPress this morning that I could not approve because it contained so many spoilers it made my head spin (LOL!) — I am giving away an autographed copy of my top-rated debut thriller. To enter is easy: Simply post a comment below that answers this question:

If you could have one birthday wish this year, what would it be? (And no asking for more wishes!)

Entries must be received today, February 11, 2013 (New York time). And once the day is over, I will head over to Random.org and generate a random integer based on the number of entries received and name the lucky winner (U.S. residents only)!

Good luck, everyone! And happy birthday to you, whenever your birthday may be. :)

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The Middle Malaise

As I wrote on my Facebook page the other day, I had been discouraged lately because I was having so much difficulty with my second novel, In the Red. What the heck? I mean, I’ve done this before, right? Baby Grand, yes? What gives?

Suddenly — and truly it was like one of those Aha Moments — I remembered that writing a novel IS hard and that I had to give myself a break. It’s kind of like parenting — you forget how hard it is until you’re back to stressful, sleepless nights. And, trust me, I’m stressed and sleepless.

So, faced with blank pages and lingering doubt and fear, I did what I always do: Just write. Sit down and do it. No excuses. Hard shmard. Go for it. Eye of the tiger.

And as I pushed myself to keep writing — and, trust me, there’s quite a bit of pushing — at some point, the writing got easier. I could feel the adrenaline starting to pump again, my excitement once again building, the words coming to me more readily, unlike the “pulling teeth” of weeks prior. And, boom, another Aha Moment. Could I have forgotten all about this too? A little something I like to call The Middle Malaise.

Writing the middle section of a book, at least for me, is the hardest. The beginning is easy. As I like to say: Anyone can start a novel (but not anyone can finish one). You’re full of excitement and inspiration and tons of energy, and then about a hundred pages in, all of that wanes. You question your motives, whether any of this is interesting, and you’re not exactly sure what the heck is going on now, who these characters really are, and whether any of it makes sense — even WITH an outline. Ah, The Middle Malaise. Gotta push through, push through. And, suddenly, everything becomes clear once again. You see how the ending of the book will come about, like the proverbial light at the end of a dark, dark tunnel. I found myself muttering, “Yes, that will work!” or “Oh, I can do this!” and the clouds cleared and narratives tied together and — lo and behold — writing was fun again.

So, for those of you who are out there in the middle of your manuscripts and faltering and stumbling and questioning your decision to write, remember: If you can get through that Middle Malaise — and remember that writing is hard — chances are that you’ll not only pass the finish line, but you’ll do it with a feeling of accomplishment that you will not believe.  Now, THAT I remember.

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Writing Tip #106

No Naughty and Nice lists here. One of the most interesting comments I’ve received about Baby Grand came from my 15-year-old son. He said that he liked that there was no underlying message or moral to the book, that the bad guys weren’t always punished and the good guys weren’t always rewarded. And it’s true. I tried to create very real characters, put in real-life situations, in Baby Grand, and to do that, I think, you need to recognize that there’s good and bad in all of us and that nice guys do sometimes finish last. Separating our characters into Naughty and Nice does a disservice to them in that it doesn’t allow authors to fully realize their potential and it does a disservice to readers who may be looking for something other than the usual knights in shining armor and evildoers in black hats and wiry mustaches. While it’s tempting to take sides, we need to treat our characters, both good and bad, with the respect they deserve. Leave the playing favorites to Santa.

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Marketing Tip #4

Create an email mailing list. I have been thinking about creating a mailing list for eons. And then I would think, But I already have a subscriber list for my blog — isn’t that enough? No, it’s really not — mostly for the reasons outlined here.

For me, this blog is not about publicity; it’s about offering helpful and interesting information to writers as I wind my way through publishing. An email list, on the other hand, is for people who want to be kept up-to-date on the latest Baby Grand news or want to be the first to know about my new fiction and nonfiction titles. So yesterday I went ahead and (finally!) created an email mailing list through Constant Contact, a company I’m familiar with having used it for email marketing for both WHY magazine and my local PTA.

So if you’d like to be one of the first to join my official mailing list, fill out this form (I promise not to bombard you with lots of promotional material — if I send more than one email per month I’ll be surprised), and I look forward to sharing all the exciting news for 2013 and beyond.

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What Is It About Short Chapters?

I remember when I was writing Baby Grand people used to ask me all the time: Are your chapters short?

I thought it was such an odd question. I mean, of all the things to ask a writer about her work-in-progress…

I would answer, “Yes, for the most part.”

“Oh, good,” they’d say.

And then when Baby Grand was published this year, people told me how much they enjoyed the book, especially those short chapters. They said that they provided a natural place to stop reading or, perhaps more often, enticed them to read just a little bit more before going to bed.

Which is great. But I find this phenomenon so interesting. Don’t get me wrong: I think short chapters are terrific, as long as they’re tightly written and meaty. I guess with so many things vying for our attention these days, being able to read something in tidy digestible chunks is helpful. Totally.

Still, I often stop in the middle of a chapter when I read. I have no problem putting down a book at any point in the reading process, rather than only at chapter breaks. Am I weird?

How about you? Are you a strictly end-of-chapter bookmarker? Or does anything go?