Work at Home Moms Articles – WAHM Articles

Have you ever wanted to write a book, fiction or non-fiction, but you just couldn’t get it started…

… or didn’t have the time

… or couldn’t think of a plot

… or had writer’s block

… or didn’t think you had anything important to say

… or didn’t think you had the writing talent

… or had something else that was stopping you?

I’ve just discovered a web site that is specially designed to help you write your book faster than you ever thought possible. In fact, there’s information here that will lead you to write your book in 14 days!!

I know that seems hard to believe, but when Mark Victor Hansen (co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and dozens of other books) saw this information, he not only said it was some of the best stuff he’d ever used, he even asked the owner of the website to speak at his next seminar! And Mark is using this information to crank out still more books!

This stuff is so powerful, that folks all around the world, even absolute novices, are using these techniques to write books faster than they ever thought possible. There’s even a free email course that gets you started FAST!

So if writing a book has always been your goal, your dream, your desire, you’ll want to get yourself over to www.WriteABookNow.com .

I should warn you the site takes a little longer to load than I would like, but it’s definitely worth the wait.

This week I have the privilege of interviewing my mom! Not only is she a great mom and grandma, she is an article writer, Christian children’s author, and co-owner of WAHM-Articles.

WAHM-Articles: What is your business?

Ruth Willms: I’m co-owner of WAHM-Articles and a children’s author at RuthWillms.com. Plus I’m a freelance writer and I writer for magazines and periodicals.

W-A: How do you help moms?

Ruth: My first desire always is to inspire moms and equip them to interact well with their kids. I wished I had understood my kids’ development and needs better. Studying for my Early Childhood Education certificate opened up a whole new world to me on what kids are all about. I want to impart that understanding to moms to help them be the best person and mom they can be.

And then, as a Christian, I want to help parents make the Bible real and exciting to their children.

In my writings I also hope to share the knowledge I have gained as a self published author. I’ve gained a lot of skills and understanding about this whole process of planning and writing a book and taking it through the steps of editing, publishing and marketing. I believe giving my readers this material will be a huge help to them.

W-A: Did you always want to be a writer?

Ruth: Actually, I always wanted to be a teacher. Looking back though I can see that story telling and writing have always been two of my greatest strengths.

I used to steer clear of even taking writing courses because I thought I’d never be good enough. We writers reveal a lot of ourselves in our articles and books and I wasn’t ready to share my life so openly. I used to be a very private person. When I finally did take writing courses my mentors were very kind and encouraging which helped me overcome my intimidations. Writing has helped me to be more of a people person.

W-A: How did you get your new book, The Lion Tree, published?

Ruth: When I finished my book, The Lion Tree, I was really not looking forward to all those rejection slips from publishers. Also I wanted to keep all my rights to my book.

Actually, it was you, Denise, that got me thinking about self publishing. Thanks for finding a local based publishing coaching company for me to work with. They walked me through the many steps in the right order. Everything was very manageable once I knew who to contact on every step.

They taught me the procedure of obtaining an ISBN and then they made up my barcode.

The coaching company even had a list of artists for the cover work and editors although I chose to find my own. You are a great editor. The author writes the story but you, my editor, made it flow smoothly.

The coaching company put my manuscript into a PDF to send to the printer of my choice. I chose to work with a local printer, Blitzprint. They are great to work with and very reasonably priced. There were no shipping charges. I just picked up the books when they were ready.

W-A: What advice would you give someone who wants to become a children’s writer?

Ruth: That really depends on what phase of your life you are in when you enter the writing field. I recommend taking journalism and English courses at college or university if you are able.

Take in other courses and seminars on writing as much as you can.

I believe that in order to be a writer for children you have to really want to be a writer and you must know and like children. You must always respect your audience as a writer and if you don’t know or like them, how can you? Read books that will help you to understand children and study articles and books that are already published. They will help you know how to handle subject matter for the younger ages and vocabulary and the length of the story. Also, read for research, general knowledge, and object lessons on how the professionals handle the material. You are writing for a highly specialized field. Children’s minds are very impressionable and what they read affects them their whole life.

If you really want to be a successful children’s writer, start writing and don’t give up.

W-A: Do you have any suggestions for how to market a new book?

Ruth: Well, yes, I could write a book on marketing with all the research I have done and all the marketing I am doing. If you self publish you better be prepared to learn marketing because no one else will do it for you, unless you hire someone. Even if you have your book published by a publishing company they still want you to be involved in marketing your book.

There are lots of ways to market your book especially now that we can go on line. Set up your own website to advertise and sell your book. Writing and submitting articles targeting the right audience for your book is a great way to drive traffic to your website. There are several sites you can sell your book on. Two of the most popular ones are Amazon and eBay.

To attract the press and get free publicity prepare a press kit. Send out a press release every time you have a reading or signing. Set up signings at libraries and book stores. Go to tradeshows and collect email addresses to build your database.

There is lots of information out there on line and in books. Two helpful books to learn about marketing are Canadian Writer’s Guide: Official handbook of the Canadian Authors Association, 13th Edition and Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, 2007;where & how to sell your fiction.

W-A: How can writing articles help an author?

Ruth: I’m glad you asked me that. Writing articles has been a big part of my success in publicity for my book, The Lion Tree. Using key words in my articles has brought more traffic to my website to buy my book. Publishing articles gives me a constant presence online and shows my expertise giving me credibility as a writer for children and moms. It’s a wonderful marketing tool.

W-A: Thanks for talking to me today!

If you’d like to learn more about Ruth and her new Christian Children’s novel, The Lion Tree, visit http://www.RuthWillms.com. She also has several free Christian children’s stories you can read and print.

You can read Ruth’s articles at WAHM-Articles or by signing up for her monthly newsletter for Christian parents.

Well, I guess it’s only a trickle, but you’ve got to start somewhere!

We’re getting excellent feedback from the parents and kids who have bought The Lion Tree so far, and they’re now recommending it to their friends! Word of mouth is the best form of advertising.

It’s so exciting to see all of our hard work (especially Ruth’s!) pay off. If you haven’t heard about her new children’s book yet, here’s the link: http://www.RuthWillms.com/the liontree

A few days ago I wrote about how to hold a book signing in your local library.

Everything I said is still true, but depending on where you live, your local library could be a little more challenging than I suggested it was.

It turns out that our library needs a copy to review before they will consider buying a copy and letting us hold a book signing.

If they decide the book is appropriate for their collection, they will buy a copy, but only from one supplier. We have to get that particular supplier to carry The Lion Tree so the library can purchase it.

Then, and only then, can we hold a book signing in the library.

Like I said, it’s still possible – and still a good idea – but we have a few more hoops to jump through than we previously expected.

After slaving over a manuscript for months, you’re finally holding a printed copy in your hands.

Now what? How can you get the word out and get people to buy your self-published book?

Your local library can be a great place to start. Most libraries will allow you to hold a book signing in exchange for a copy of your book for their collection and a small donation for each book you sell during your signing.

But, to capture people’s interest, you’ll need to do a little more than just sign your book.

Read from a chapter, tell how you got the idea for your book, hold an interactive seminar, teach a workshop.

To learn more about holding a book signing in your local library, just give them a call. Introduce yourself as a new author (because now you really are one!) and let them know you’d like to do a signing in their library. They’ll give you all the information you need.

Wahoo! After many long months of working on it together (and many before that of Ruth working hard all alone!) The Lion Tree is finally available for purchase!

It’s super exciting for my family because my children, Darian and Cassidy are two of the main characters in the story.

The story actually started out as a series of bedtime stories their grandma would tell them whenever they went for a sleepover at Grandma’s house. How it’s grown!

You can take a look at it here. It’s available as an eBook and as a paperback. www.RuthWillms.com

By Ruth Willms

Self-publishing can be very rewarding but it can also be a nightmare if you have not done your research properly. I did not have any knowledge or experience in this area at all so I chose to buy a self-publishing coaching package. It worked well for me. My coach and her graphic designer guided me through each procedure at my own pace.

Once I purchased the package, my coach discussed my book with me and informed me of the order of the process. I saved my manuscript in Microsoft Word and the graphic designer did the layout and design of my book. She informed me how to apply for my ISBN number and then she made the bar code. I chose my own editor and artist although she had a list of these that was available for me if I had so chosen. I wrote a short description of the book for the back cover. We discussed testimonials to put on the back cover, the cost of the book, and the category.

The graphic designer did a great job of incorporating my artist’s illustration on the front cover. After my editor and I had done all the corrections she formatted the book for the printers. She listened to my input throughout the whole procedure of laying out the book and designing the cover making it fit my schedule and ideas.

I am now waiting for a ‘proof copy’ of my book from the printers. Soon I will let you know where you can purchase a copy of my finished book, The Lion Tree. It is a Christian fantasy written for children 8- 13 years of age but I know you will want a copy of it also. I had several adults read it and it touched their hearts.

Ruth Willms is co-owner of WAHM-articles.com and author of the children’s novel, The Lion Tree.

by Ruth Willms

While I was writing my first children’s novel, The Lion Tree, I was very apprehensive about getting it published with a publishing house. I learned that publishing companies would only look at my book if an author whose book they published endorsed it or if I belonged to the Writer’s Guild. I did have a well known author read my manuscript but she suggested that I rewrite my book making a lot of changes. I thought what she suggested destroyed what I wanted the book to do in the lives of my young readers. I did not qualify for the Writer’s Guild. Some publishing companies would allow me to send them a one page fax and if they were interested they would ask for a preview of a chapter of two of my novel. I was a bit apprehensive about that. I did not want to deal with one rejection slip after another. So I looked into self publishing.

My editor suggested a local company who for a fee would walk me through the process. It was a good fit. This company gave me the names of reputable and professional graphic designers, artists and editors who guided me through the process of getting my book ready for printing. They answered all my na?Øve questions and gave me tons of information. They put me in touch with a local publishing company who would do a short run for my first printing. So I‚Äôm set to go. In a couple of weeks I hope to inform you of how to purchase my children‚Äôs novel, The Lion Tree, for your child‚Äôs reading pleasure. A Christian fantasy, it‚Äôs one of those family stories, like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which adults will enjoy too.