Five Golden Tickets

Do you remember watching Charlie and the Chocolate factory? I remember the excitement as the children would obtain every Wonka package possible and search for five golden tickets. These tickets would unlock treasures for them for years to come. Just like those children searched Charlie's chocolate factory and the Willy Wonka candy bar packages for five golden tickets, many authors dream of obtaining at least one of the five golden tickets in the publishing industry. These golden tickets represent the five major publishing companies known as the "Big Five". These companies are listed below: - Hachette Book Group - HarperCollins Publishers - Macmillan Publishers - Penguin Random House - Simon & Schuster You may be asking yourself "Why are aspiring authors and current authors searching for access to these golden tickets?" One reason why authors search for these golden tickets are because they do not have to pay anything to publish through these agencies. Also, their book instantly gains credibility and prestige. One of the negative aspects of publishing through these "golden ticket" i.e. traditional publishing companies are the author has no decision making power regarding book cover design and marketing. Another negative aspect of obtaining these golden tickets is the author typically earns less than 20% in royalty for the sale of their books. Last but now least, the contracts that are signed are final; thus, there isn't much room for negotiations compared to those who self-publish. One key fact that you must be aware of when trying to access any of these golden tickets is that they do not accept unsolicited manuscripts or other materials. You must go through a literary agent. You may be thinking to yourself, "Ok. Spill the beans girl! How do I find a literary agent?" "Hold on wait a minute, let me put some facts in it" is my reply to your request. LOL! Seriously, though, you must visit https://literarymarketplace.com/lmp/us/index_us.asp and register. Once registered, you can look up the different literary agents on the website. However, they will not give you contact information such as phone numbers or email addresses until you pay to subscribe to the site. Another great source to acquire a literary agent is The Writers Market. Visit www.writersdigest.com to access this market. Now that you know how to gain access to the golden tickets, let's discuss a secret back door to one of them: Archway Publishing. Archway Publishing is a self-publishing agency that has a partnership with Simon & Schuster. Through this partnership, Simon & Schuster review the titles published under Archway Publishing and consider them for publishing under their label; thus, causing your book to not be considered "unsolicited manuscripts or material" and giving you a back door method into accessing this particular golden ticket. Now that you know how to access these golden tickets, go forth into the candy factory and get what you are looking for. It's time to embrace the royal you. If this blog has helped you, please like, comment and share this blog with someone else. As you decide which publishing method is best for you, make sure you also learn about the additional streams of income that are connected to your book. Movies are an additional stream of income that can be connected to your book. During the Clarity in the Pen conference, I have experts ready to share the process of writing and releasing your book as a movie. This is a virtual conference that you do not want to miss! To register, click the link below. See you in the room! #royalclarityview #aspiringauthors #authorsofinstagram #writerscommunity #indiefilms #writeyourstory

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X Marks the Spot

Do you remember playing mystery games as a kid? I loved them! They allowed me an opportunity to use my intellect, creative ability and problem solving skills to identify those who committed the crimes. For example, I would play the game "Clue" with my friends for hours without being bored. Like most board games, the name of the game gives you insight to what the main purpose or action that will be taking place throughout the game. The name highlights the theme. Just like the name of board games highlights the theme, the name of books highlights the theme or solution within the book that the main character wants to share with the reader. For example, when I was deciding which title I wanted to choose for my recent publication "Burning the Help", I thought about the main point that I wanted the reader to gain after reading this book. This book is written from the prospective of a member within a parent's support system: the babysitter. As the reader reads this book, I want the reader to know that some actions that seem minor start flames on the members of their support system. I wanted them to know that the reader has the power to extinguish those flames before they lose those who previously agreed to help them with their children. The more often these "minor flames" i.e. actions occur, the more intense the flames and the higher the chance of the reader burning their help i.e. their support system out entirely. This book identifies behaviors that burn your help and behaviors that extinguish the flames once they have started. The reason I chose a match is because I wanted to highlight the fact that people who originally were excited to babysit someone's child for them, do not "all of sudden" refuse to help that person. Typically, the babysitter experienced "minor flames" such as someone being late picking up their child, failing to provide adequate diapers etc. too frequently which caused harm to the babysitter. I've been told by several people that the book title made them want to purchase the book find out why someone would want to burn their help. Picking the right title for your book is similar to choosing a name for the board game. The only difference is that your title screams the phrase "X marks the spot" to your readers; leaving them with the responsibility of detailing the solution presented through the process of reading your story. According to Grammarist, "X marks the spot is a phrase that means this is the exact location, the thing that you are looking for may be found in this exact area." When it comes to choosing your title, "X marks the spot" means this is an aspect of the main message that I want you to get from reading this book. Uncover the entire message by reading the book. To determine the best title for your book, make sure you check the F.A.C.T.S. F.A.C.T.S. Focus on what is the message that the main character in your story wants the reader to gain from reading this book. Aim to summarize the solution or main message in 3-5 words. Construct and implement a plan to research the title that you chose. This will ensure that there aren't a lot of people who have published books using your same exact title. Take a moment to see this title as a movie, play, television series, on products etc. Is the title catchy enough to make you want to buy that product that has the name of your book on it? Solidify your decision and contact a graphic design artist with the ability to bring your thoughts together exceptionally well visually. A great book cover art draws people in and this will help people guess what the book may be about based on the title that you chose and graphics presented on the cover. Now that you know how to determine the best title for your book, What's the title of your story? I love to hear more about it. Schedule your FREE Royal Meeting today. Visit bit.ly/RoyalMeeting If you are interested in acquiring a copy of the book "Burning the Help," click the link below.

Burning the Help

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT July 12 -13, 2024 We are hosting the Clarity in the Pen Conference. This year's conference theme is "Write and release your story as a movie". If you are ready to write and release your story as a movie and would like to learn how to do so, purchase your ticket to the conference today. Click the link below to register,

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Screenshot Lane

Have you ever driven in the fast lane on the freeway? Why did you decide to take that route as opposed to using the local lanes? I remember the first time that I drove in the fast lane on the freeway. I was so nervous! People kept blowing their horns and driving around me. I was so focused on making sure I followed all the driver's training rules for hand positioning on the driver's wheel, obeying the speed limit etc. that I did not properly utilize the gift of the fast lane. Eventually, I realized that my fear of being in an accident or failing to do all the right things was causing me to put others at risk. What's the point of driving in the fast lane if you are not going to drive faster or use it to pass another vehicle? You should at least drive in the flow of traffic. According to Collin's dictionary, "On a highway, the fast lane is the part of the road where the vehicles that are traveling fastest go." Typically, the fast lane is the lane on the far left side of the road.

When writing your story, it can be beneficial to consider your social media memories as the fast lane to book development. People frequently use social to share real time memories of things that are taking place, things that have taken place and/or things that they desire to take place. Some of these memories include meals, smells, locations, pictures of loved ones etc. If you are going to use the Screenshot Lane method to begin writing your story, you will need to spend time reviewing your Facebook or Instagram pictures, memories etc. and then take a screenshot of key memories that you desire to place or discuss in your upcoming book. Email these screenshots to yourself, create a folder on your email account and place all of the emails with these screenshots in them. Be sure to label that folder the title of your book so that you can easily access these gems as you write your story. For my upcoming book titled "Hurt But Grateful", I used Screenshot Lane to help me capture key memories like the one that is posted above to use while writing my story. If you are trying to figure out how to start writing your story, know that you have already started writing your story. You were just unaware of it. Use Screenshot Lane to help you uncover what you already wrote. Your fully published book is closer than you realize. Stay on track and don't give up. Someone needs the story that only you can tell. It's time to embrace the royal you!

If you would like assistance using this method, schedule your free Royal Meeting today by clicking the "Book Now" button below. I am looking forward to assisting you. #royalclarityview #screenshots #writeyourstory #aspiringauthors

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