Self-publishing 101
Write a good book and finish it. Do not even consider self-publishing until it’s finished, with good cover art and editing. Write at least two and up to five more books before releasing Book One, even if it’s in another genre – nothing sells Book One like Book Two, Three, etc. Give the first book […]
How to be a Pantser – Character Development
When you first met one of your best friends, did you know everything there was to know about them? Of course not. Sometimes becoming friends is instantaneous, something about them tells you that you just know somehow that you’ll like them. Maybe it’s the easy way they have about them, or the direct way they […]
Pinterest for Writers
First, remember that Pinterest is not a promotion or sale site, it’s simply another social media site except that it’s geared around pictures. For a writer, a Pinterest page allows readers to get to know the writer as a person, as well as your work. Your goal with Pinterest is to engage readers. So, with […]
How to write a best-selling novel
First, read. Read a lot. (Stephen King, paraphrased – “if you don’t have time to read, you can’t write.”) Reading will teach you how to write, how to write well, and how to write compelling characters. Corollary – read the genre you’re writing in, that will teach you the ins and outs of that genre, […]
Reality Check for Indie Authors
I n all honesty I suspect that Scribd found the path of least resistance in their romance/erotica decision. (Witness the petitions to Jeff Bezos/Amazon asking him to change the review policy.) The truth of the matter is likely to be a more harsh reality – a lot of romance/erotica readers were downloading books, finding them to […]
Writing series/sequels
First, readers love series/sequels. However, the next book in any series should always be a standalone book, that is unless you really want to annoy your readers. And you should only write it because you have more to say, because you like the world in which you wrote it, or because you love the characters […]
To a writer, words should be sacred
“If you don’t have the time to read you don’t have the time (or tools) to write, it’s as simple as that” – Stephen King “You can’t write well what you don’t read for pleasure. If it doesn’t entertain you, it’s not going to entertain anyone else” – Nora Roberts I was reading a blog […]
Don’t make me pull out my teeny tiny violin…
Lately, there have been a lot of writers crying the blues about their books – “I’m promoting like mad, but no one is downloading my book,” or “I can’t get any reviews,” or “Someone gave me a bad one-star review.” Oh, gee, I say as I search for it on the interwebz, I’m so sorry. My […]
Our groups and subgroups, and the award winning project!
EXTRA, EXTRA! The Indie Author Group has won a Preditors and Editors award! We were voted BEST DISCUSSION FORUM, 2014! And while we’re here – would you like to join some new writer’s groups? Our main writers groups are our closed one – Indie Author Group Our open group is smaller, but just as friendly […]
Author Marketing Live! – Part Two
Yes, it really did need two posts! There was a LOT of information! I was getting overwhelmed, so if I misrepresent things, forgive me! Hunter Boyle spoke about using e-mail to keep in contact with your fans and to build your fan base. He also advocated setting higher expectations, creating e-mail connections with the offer […]