I’m a summer gal. I love the long days that seem full of possibility. They make me want to make the most out of my waking hours. This means getting my work done more quickly and efficiently so that I have more time to read, write, and do other things I love. Maybe you are… Read more »
Self-publishing might be a grand undertaking for most authors, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a struggle. Though trial and error will always be part of the process, a bit of preparation goes a long way—and if you know your stuff going in, you might even enjoy the ride! On that note, if… Read more »
They say the eyes are the window to the soul… but hardly anyone talks about how a book’s cover is the window to its contents. The common maxim, of course, is “don’t judge a book by its cover”—but there are some sales-killing cover design mistakes that indie authors can’t afford to make. Readers will judge… Read more »
If you’ve spent any time with self-published authors, you’ll know that one of the community’s real hot-button issues is Amazon exclusivity: the decision to either sell your book only on Amazon, or to “go wide” with other retailers like Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Google Play, etc. This debate has been flourishing since Amazon introduced… Read more »
When publishing routes are so often discussed in terms of self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, it’s easy to forget about options beyond the binary—and even as someone who works in publishing, I’ll freely admit that I don’t talk about small presses enough! So while my previous column reinforced that trad pub/self-pub dichotomy, today I want to… Read more »
Whether you’re an author, a publishing pro, or just someone who hangs out on Twitter, you’ve probably heard — and likely internalized — certain stereotypes and misconceptions about the publishing industry. Some are easily disproved blanket statements, like “you can only succeed as a traditionally published author” and “no one actually reads self-published books.” Others… Read more »
Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser at heart, you probably recognize that an unwieldy, unclear, or unstable structure can be a death sentence for your novel. Even if you’re writing a book defined by its quirky characters or experimental style, most readers simply won’t have the patience to get through it unless the structure… Read more »
Halloween is just around the corner, which means it’s prime time to read — and write! — some spooky, scary stories. And whether you’re a fan of the classic ghost story à la M.R. James, the darkly imaginative tales of Stephen King, or Gillian Flynn’s unique brand of psychological horror, you probably realize that all… Read more »
As a declared English major from day one, my running joke through four years of college was, “I’ve just always wanted to live in a box.” But of course, I still got offended when non-English majors laughed, because I believed it was as useful and applicable a major as anything else—and I wasn’t wrong! Sure,… Read more »
It’s that time of year again: the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, the pool is beckoning, and you are…stuck inside, trying to make progress on your latest draft. Sigh. We all know that writing is notoriously difficult during summer—which is partly why we tend to concentrate our creative efforts during fall and winter… Read more »
