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self-publishing

Bookstores vs. Backlist: A New Decision

Drawing of ladder reaching a summit with a question mark, text: Bookstore vs. Backlist

Several weeks ago, we discussed why authors shouldn’t worry about the ebook versus print debate but should instead focus on their readers’ online versus offline buying habits. Shortly after that post, I visited my local Barnes & Noble bookstore, a beautiful two-story building complete with an escalator. I love that place. But […]

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August 23, 2012

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The New Publishing Paradigm, Part One: It’s Not about eBook vs. Print

Sepia-toned display inside bookstore with text "How Much Do Bookstores Matter to Authors?"

The Keynote Address at this year’s Romance Writers of America (RWA) Annual Conference was unusual. Instead of sharing an inspirational or funny story about her trudge to success, Stephanie Laurens essentially gave a lunchtime workshop about the publishing industry, complete with a PowerPoint presentation. Some were disappointed or bored and left early. […]

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August 2, 2012

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What Do We “Owe” New Writers?

Headline of "Are You a..." over a blank Sheriff badge with the text Mentor

The last couple of posts have been about beta reading, beta readers, and authors helping each other.  I love positive, uplifting conversations like that.  But the comments brought up an important point: Sometimes the relationships we have with other writers in our circle aren’t all unicorns and rainbows. Sometimes a […]

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June 21, 2012

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Are You in This for the Long Haul?

Man climbing up a hill

It’s tempting to put all our effort into a big debut or breakout book.  It’s natural to want our work to make a big splash and gain attention.  We might think that if we break out, we’ll have it made. But there’s a dark side to that approach, especially if […]

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May 29, 2012

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What Are You Looking for in an Agent?

Picture of unseen person wearing a safari hat and binoculars peeking through grass

*Shh*  Be very, very quiet.  We’re hunting agents.  (Sorry, with that picture, I couldn’t resist the Bugs Bunny reference. *smile*) Many—if not most—writers want to find an agent at some point in their writing career.  Even in this age of self-publishing, writers still want agents to help them with foreign […]

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May 17, 2012

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Are Ebooks Ever Done?

Old book with latch

In the world of traditional publishing, if errors make it through the editing process for a book, authors (and their readers) are stuck.  A lucky few authors are able to get egregious mistakes like wrong character names or missing paragraphs fixed in later print runs, but most of time, errors […]

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May 10, 2012

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Tips for Writing Back Cover Copy — Guest: Roz Morris

Picture of Roz Morris

I’m excited to share today’s guest post by author Roz Morris.  After ghostwriting many bestselling books, Roz recently self-published My Memories of a Future Life, her first novel under her own name. Roz’s decision to self-publish came about partly because this novel doesn’t fit into normal genre boxes.  However, even as […]

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April 26, 2012

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Who Cares about Quality Writing Anymore?

Bored girl holding her head in her hand

No, that’s not a rhetorical or trick question.  Recent events in the publishing industry have left me asking that as a serious point of confusion and discouragement. I know this is an ongoing complaint about the state of literature.  Over a century ago, people complained about penny dreadfuls and dime novels, and […]

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March 13, 2012

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Do You Call Yourself a Writer or an Author?

Close-up of a man's suit

Recently, the Awesome-Dipped-in-Glitter (TM) Kristen Lamb pointed out that “aspiring is for pansies.”  We are not aspiring writers. Aspiring: to have a plan, desire, or hope for something. Writer: a person who writes. If we put those together, that means an aspiring writer is a person who plans, desires, or hopes […]

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January 24, 2012

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