Author Toolbox Blog Hop Post

Add Some Great First Lines to Your Author Toolbox

You know what’s the hardest part of writing a book? Besides the writing and the outlining and the scene construction and editing and . . . okay . . . every other part. This bit is really the most intimidating, I promise. The hardest part is making yourself start. Prevailing advice, endless online articles, and the image of the latest huge seller, hang over your head like a constant cloud. And the cloud isn’t merely decorative. As your mind goes…

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Review Sites for Your Author Toolbox

Getting reviews can be so difficult for small press/Indie authors. Believe me, I know the pain. As I’ve worked my way through the wild west Interweb I’ve been lucky enough to find & follow plenty of book bloggers, mostly for their fascinating reviews. A lot of these websites accept books for reviews, which makes them just about the most wonderful people on the web. The vast majority of bloggers do this completely unpaid. Just for the love of literature. Because this…

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The Basics of Romance, for Your Author Toolbox

*Sings* Do you want to write a romance? If you do, you’re in good company. Millions of books published every year. Thousands of authors. HUGE part of the market share. But, where to start? How is a romance different from any other fiction novel? What defines “romance”? At the basic level: A romance novel tells the story of the romantic relationship evolving between people. That’s all. That’s it. When you get right down to the nitty-gritty center of it, this…

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Sacrifices for the Marketing Beast; an Author Toolbox Post

This is an Author Toolbox post. And the last one for 2018, because our fearless leader knows how crazy November (NaNoWriMo!) and December (HOLIDAYS!) get. If you missed out for this year, it’s okay. Head on over to Raimey Gallant’s website, sign your author self up, and we’ll see you in 2019! So author friends. There are roughly nine shopping weeks left until Christmas arrives, heralded by the distinct sound of gift wrap ripping. Even less time left for those of you…

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Author Toolbox: Is Paying for a Facebook Ad Worth It?

Exposure isn’t just something that will kill you while hiking. For authors, it’s a coveted, elusive treasure. Like Atlantis? Let’s call it Atlantis. It’s well-concealed, no one knows if it’s real for sure, and you’ll most likely run out of air before you find it. Sounds about right. In the quest for some exposure I swallowed my pride and forked money over to the social behemoth. I decided to go with Facebook for two main reasons. First, it might not…

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Add Pre-Writing the Query Copy to Your Author Toolbox

I accept the concept of a muse wholeheartedly. However old-fashioned it might be, it’s a theory I like. My muse, however, does not resemble a lovely Greek statue. My muse is more like a kaleidoscope of butterflies, constantly circling my head. Only these delicate beauties carry ten pound cannonballs, which they like to release on me at random times. Me: *trying to get to sleep* My muse: WHAM!! *drops cannonball* My muse: This would make a good story. Me *buries…

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