Camp NaNoWriMo: Write a giveaway to build your mailing list

Non-fiction author and ALLi Communications Manager, Jay Artale, has enrolled in Camp NaNoWriMo to write a freebie to build her mailing list. If you need some writing inspiration before you sign up, Jay has showcased five articles from our 2016 Indie Author Fringe events to help you achieve your writing goals.

Virtual Writing Camp

Have you thought about enrolling in the Camp NaNoWriMo to help you stay focused and motivated during July? I've enrolled in this virtual summer camp, and plan on using the time to write a giveaway to help me build my mailing list, but you could also use the month to draft a new novel, revise an existing one, or create poetry, a script, or a short story.

If you're like me, there's usually so many activities and tasks competing for your time when the sun shines that it's difficult to get focused on achieving your writing goals. There's nothing like a plan, and self-imposed deadline to achieve your goals!

Camp NaNoWriMo

No doubt you're already familiar with NaNoWriMo, but did you know that the folks who bring us National Novel Writing Month each year hold two virtual writer's retreats in April and July?

I'm using June to get myself organised so that I can achieve my writing goals at the July NaNoWriMo Camp.

Writing Resource Articles for Authors

Here's a roundup of writing articles from LBF and BEA Indie Author Fringe events, to help you plan and get inspired to start Camp NaNoWriMo in July.

5 Indie Author Fringe Articles to help you plan your writing approach

1. What’s the difference between plotting and pantsing, and does either approach produce better books? In this debate, watch advocates of each method explain why their approach is best so that you can decide which approach is the best fit for you.
2. Watch this video discussion from Sean Platt and Johnny B Truant of Sterling & Stone, to get inspiration from their own creative process. They show how planning can help indie authors write a better story in less time, even if they’re “pantsers”.
3. Listen to this 20 minute podcast from Joni & Jerusha Rodgers where they explore the concept of Plot Whispering.
4. Here's another 20 minute podcast from book designer and indie author Amie McCracken that outlines how to get your first draft down in six months. With this approach you can start it at NaNoWriMo camp and finish it by the end of the year.
5. Read this 12 Steps From Inspiration to Finished Novel by Sue Johnson, where she shows you how to build a solid foundation for your novel so that you can stay inspired enough to complete your first draft.

There's plenty more Writing Advice on this blog to help you plan and become inspired for a July at NaNoWriMo Camp, just click this banner:

Use the Camp NaNoWriMo to Build your Mailing List

One of the best ways to build your mailing list is to offer readers a sample of your writing for free. This could be a couple of free chapters, a short story or novella. It's a great investment with long term benefits.

I'm using my time at Camp to get the first draft of a giveaway written. I plan on writing a collection of poems about my new adopted home of Bodrum in Turkey, and using it as a free giveaway to encourage people to sign up to my Bodrum Travel Guide mailing list. I'm not sure whether the union of travel guide and travel-inspired poetry will be successful, but the Turkish sunshine has inspired me to give it a shot.

Let's get writing

Are you planning to go to NaNoWriMo Camp?

Let us know what prep you're doing to make sure you're ready to hit the ground running (and writing) on July 1st.

We still have a few spaces left in our ALLi Camp NaNoWriMo cabin, just email me at [email protected], with your NaNoWriMo email or user ID, and I'll invite you in. 

Related Posts:

• How NaNoWriMo Changed my Writing Habits
• NaNoWriMo – A great productivity prompt for self-published authors