There are some generally accepted Golden Rules for authors (which, okay, change from century to century, genre to genre, and are not so much rules as guidelines?) One of them is DEATH to All Adverbs, which I am personally fighting against because I love me a good adverb. Another is Conflict is King. Too bad [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
This is an author toolbox post. To get in on the tips and resources yourself, head over to our host Raimey Gallant For this month's post, let's break down a well known romance plot to see where the story beats are going. This is an exercise I'd really recommend for authors of any genre. Take your [...]
*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 [...]
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 [...]
But the little bastards won't play along
Yes, there is BookBub.com. It's right up there with the ginormous Goodreads as a top spot for recommendations and book lists. Pretty much every post or anecdote I've heard about BookBub emphasizes how amazing it is when it comes to promotion. I believe those posts, and I'm happy for those authors but . . . BookBub will promote [...]
Don't fight it. Embrace the slang.
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 [...]