Promote YOUR Stories HERE

18. Tips Brushover

Do's!

Do these to help.

1. Share it on social media, even if you don't have a lot of followers. And don't forget to use the right hashtags. For example, I'd give TOH the hastags romance, magic, dystopian, mermaid, love, wattpad, free, ebook, and I would hashtag my last name so if someone clicks on it they'd see the other things I would hastag with my last name. I know that they seem like a lot and unnecissary, but it helped, especially on Twitter.

2. Reply to every comment. This engages your readers more and lets them know you care about and value their comment or opinion. Try to be as nice as you can, even if the comment offends you. And remember: you can always delete the comment. I've had someone tell me my cover wouldn't be good enough for a publisher or to get it published, and I've also had someone try and correct everything in my book. Even though I do ask that no one would do this. It's stubborn on my end, but there's a reason for it: I go back through and edit. Plus I feel like they're trying to sound as if they could write it better (even if that's not what they're saying.)

3. Make/get a cover that tells the story. My TOH cover has the wave, the magic, Cress's scales, the water, mountain, and Tamir (in the back). If it wouldn't be my cover I'd wonder how they all were incorporated into the story. Plus, it gives the mood to the story. Make sure it does that and you will draw readers in like flies.

4. Have a good hook to your summary. For TOH, I talk about killing babies. If that doesn't anger anyone or perk up any ears, I don't know what would. Be creative with it and make sure you like it. If you don't, who will? Oh, and don't forget the summary part. You need enough mystery to keep the reader reading and enough information to help them understand and guess.

5. Pictures and videos. Add them to each chapter. What I do is keep Pandora on as I'm writing (I listen to Sleeping With Sirens a lot on it, but it's varied because of the different music I've added to it.) By doing this, I'm bound to come across a song that goes with the chapter. If not, I just put one of my favorite songs up there.

6. Cliffhangers! Doesn't everyone love these? No. But it does keep people interested. My stories definately all have these because if you read a chapter and feel complete, you'll put it down for a moment. And with thousands of free books, sometimes you won't pick it back up again. Cruel and cunning, but true. Me, personally, I love cliffhangers. They jog my mind and help the creativity flow. How do you think my Maskless Series started? With a cliffhanger, lol. They help me and I love them no matter what. (I read a lot of Goosebumps--I got it from R.L. Stine.)

7. Update weekly, and try to stick to it. If you can't, let them know. They will eventually give up if you miss too many. I know I'm very bad at this because I have an unpredictably busy schedule. Sucks, but it's mine. And I thank those that have stayed with me through all of this crud. I feel really bad about it... but I try to keep up, espcially working like 6 books at once.

8. Don't conform to the masses. Don't repeat stories and have same plotlines or endings or characters. Those clog out the original stories. Be you with your story and don't be afraid. Go there. I go into a lot of gritty and nasty stuff in TOH that no one would be comfortable with in the real world (the grown babies, the torture, etc.). Go there. Be fearless.

9. Read, vote, and comment on other stories. No, I don't mean "can you guys please read my story?" This is rude and disrespectful. I've deleted quite a few from my books. People don't go there to read your story, so sorry to burst your bubble. Don't do this. But what I'm talking about is actually reading and being an active reader. I know I've checked out quite a few people's stories because of this, and because they're really nice. And I've found some really good ones like Expirament by , Can't Stop Me Now by , War Diplomat by , and a handful more. And I never read on here, really, so that tells you something.

10. Be confident. Don't go in expecting people to change it. Don't ask people if you should post a second chapter. Don't ask if it's good enough for them to read. Because bottom line, it doesn't matter. As long as you love it and you love what you're doing, you're doing it for the right reasons. If you're doing it for everyone else it won't mean anything to you along the way and you'll give up or get stuck. Know that your story's the best (without the boastfulness) and know that it's perfect the way it is, even with its imperfections, and know that it's your story and your world, and you can do and change whatever you want in it. It's yours. I hate when people don't understand that. A story is like a person, unique in its own ways, and yet alike to something else somewhere. But not completely, hopefully, and not mostly. Aspire to be you, and write how you want to write. Someone said I repeat things too many times, but I do it to keep it in the front of the mind. I have my reasons. So what are yours?