The Writing Life: See Something and Say Something

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

The details of publishing are important. Each of us as individuals can make a difference in our world--but only if you see something and say something about it. In this article, I want to give several specific examples.

As a writer, it’s easy to feel like you are writing and putting material into the world, but getting little feedback and few things are changing. Or you feel like there is little you can do about incorrect things you see in your work. I understand these feelings and yet I want to tell about a couple of actions that I took this week. They are actions any writer can take whether you are experienced or a beginner.

As a regular practice from time to time, I will join a launch team for a forthcoming book. I’m a part of such a team for a new book which releases on Tuesday, June 18th. The launch manager sent us a list of websites where we can post our review. In general, I write my review in Microsoft Word. I also create a unique image for the book that I can post with my review. When I got this list of possible places, I opened each one, then cut and pasted my review into the right section. Some of these sites will send a confirmation email to make sure you are who you say you are. Others will take time to post the review and still others will not post the review until when the book releases.

One of the review sites on this list was a well-known bookseller. The forthcoming book was listed but this website did not have the book cover. Instead they posted a generic book graphic. I posted my review but without the right book cover, my review has less visual impact on the consumer. On my computer, I had downloaded the missing book cover. At this bookseller site, I looked for how to contact customer service about this missing book cover. I filled out a form on their website and attached the book cover asking them to add it to the appropriate place (and I gave them the exact website address). After a day or two, the customer service area sent an email they had added the book cover to their site. I checked it and now the image of the book appears with the book information. My action took a little effort but hopefully helps this author sell more copies of his book. Anyone could have made this change. It did involve seeing something that was missing, then saying something so this missing element was added.

Recently one of my friends on Facebook posted the cover of his new book. It was an attractive cover but when I read the words, I noticed a key word was misspelled on it. I could have shrugged it and figured others would catch this error. Instead, I reached out to this author. I was hopeful that what I was seeing was a preliminary cover and not a final one. My friend appreciated my feedback but I was seeing a final, printed cover. Ouch. As he told me, I would be surprised how many people had reviewed this cover and didn’t catch the misspelled word. I encourage you to help others when you see errors, then say something.

In these articles, occasionally I highlight my consistent actions on Goodreads. There are millions of dedicated readers on Goodreads and I encourage every author to take the time to build their Goodreads profile and connect with friends. The average person on the site has about 200 to 400 friends. I’ve got over 5,000 friends or the maximum. Why is this detail important? When I review a book on Goodreads, the review shows up on the main page of each of these friends. That translates into lots of exposure for my review and the book. Exposure is one of the first actions to drive book sales for every author.

While reading a recent book to review on Goodreads, I noticed the cover was white instead of blue. It was a small detail but important. The book wasn’t my book nor from Morgan James Publishing where I work. I could have ignored it. Instead I filled out a help form on Goodreads and sent them the cover with the right color. BTW, Goodreads has excellent support for such questions. Within 24 hours, they responded and fixed the cover.

Each of us can take these types of simple actions to improve our world. My encouragement to each of you is to take these small but significant actions. Much in our world is outside of anything in our direct control. Yet each of us can take our own responsibility for making our own changes and fixing what we see needs to be fixed. If you are a Christian, you have a powerful underutilized resource for whatever you see needs to be changed outside of your control: prayer. We can talk with the God of the Universe about these aspects and ask for his help.

Recently I read and reviewed 1001 Ways to Be Kind by Dallas Woodburn. Each of us can use more kindness in our lives and that can begin with you being kind and spreading kindness. Get this little book and tuck it into your desk or briefcase or purse, then read it and get a practical idea to apply into your life.

If you want to be a world-changer, that process begins with you and your actions. What actions can you take to improve what you see and make a difference? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

When you see a book with a missing image or some other wrong aspect, do you say something? This prolific author and editor encourages simple actions. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)