Author: RJ Crayton

RJ Crayton is a former journalist turned novelist. By day, she writes thrillers with a touch of romance. By night, she practices the art of ninja mom. To learn more about her or her books, visit her website or her Author Central page.

Top 5 Ways Authors Can Better Deal with Time

Time Management Tips for authors time-488112_640For authors, especially those who hold a day job in addition to writing, one of the hardest things is finding time to write, edit, publish, and market all the ideas they have.

I think time can feel like an enemy trying to keep us from getting what we need done. However, it’s not true. Time has no feelings and no agenda. Time is what it is, and that’s it. Time constraints start to feel stressful because of the way we interact with them. So, I thought I’d offer a few tips on how to view time so you see how much you’re getting out of the limited time you have each day. Continue reading “Top 5 Ways Authors Can Better Deal with Time”

Authors Can Make Book Trailers with YouTube’s Free Editor

YouTube_FINALI’ve been interested in making a book trailer for a while, so I was intrigued when K.S. Brooks told me YouTube had a completely online video maker that was FREE. See, FREE gets me every time. (Sorry). I thought I’d test out YouTube’s video editor, and what I’ve discovered is that it’s doable, but it’s not a simple plug-and-play system with no hitches. Continue reading “Authors Can Make Book Trailers with YouTube’s Free Editor”

Self-Publishing Shouldn’t be Miserable

miserable depressed author despair-513529_1280Over the past few weeks, I’ve stumbled across a handful of blog posts where self-published authors lament how awful self-publishing is and say they’re giving up. I’ve also seen a few posts (perhaps in response) reminding people that self-publishing is a long journey, that it takes time, and that they shouldn’t give up before they get to the Promised Land.

While I’m personally inclined to take the latter view, I understand that people who’ve taken the former view — that quitting is best for them — may be making a good decision. Life is short. So, if self-publishing is making you completely miserable, if it’s making you dread writing, if  it makes you hate looking at your sales dashboard, if it is stressing you to ulcer level, then for real, give it up. Life is too short to do optional things that make suck away your happiness. Misery is insidious in the way it infects your life, going so far as to make you physically ill. Get rid of misery. Continue reading “Self-Publishing Shouldn’t be Miserable”

Free Service Makes Lovely Landing Pages for your Books

Booklaunch LogoAuthors who need polished landing pages for their books can get them free with the web service Booklaunch.io. A landing page is a webpage designed to provide a splashy, glamorous look at your book that funnels readers to purchase the book.

Landing pages are particularly great when you publish to several different websites through a distributor. If you’re using the same file for Kobo, Apple, and Barnes & Noble, you can’t put vendor-specific links to your other books in that manuscript. However, if you put links to a landing page, purchasers can purchase your book from whatever vendor you want. Continue reading “Free Service Makes Lovely Landing Pages for your Books”