Recipe for a Successful Synopsis
It’s easy to get wrapped up in our story’s subplots and twists and turns, but this recipe can cut through that confusion so we can complete a short, clear synopsis.
Pin ItDo You Judge Books by Their Covers?
I’ll admit it. I do judge books by their covers, especially in this age of self-publishing. If authors don’t care about the quality of their book cover, it’s easy to assume they also didn’t care about the quality of their writing. Besides, we all have too many reading choices now, and just […]
Pin ItIntroducing the Query/Blurb Exchange Club!
The response to my request for help on my query in my last post was amazing. I really shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, we all know you are amazing, right? *smile* But the tremendous outpouring of offers to help also made me feel guilty. I’ve heard stories from others about […]
Pin ItWorldbuilding, Genres, and Reader Expectations
After I agreed to do a guest post for my friend Melinda Collins, she suggested I write something about worldbuilding. Despite being a paranormal author who continually invents worlds slightly different from our own, I haven’t written many posts about that topic yet, so I sat down to brainstorm ideas. […]
Five Lessons from a Book Tour Newbie — Guest: Suzanne Johnson
I’m in Anaheim, California this week for the Romance Writers of America (RWA) Annual Conference, but I have another great guest here today. Suzanne Johnson just had her debut release a few months ago, and she’s been on fire with her stories. Her Royal Street debut came complete with a book tour. A book […]
Pin ItTips for Writing Back Cover Copy — Guest: 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 […]
Pin ItAre All Cheap Ebooks Crap?
In my last post, I asked how much people would be willing to pay for ebooks. Most comments agreed with my thoughts: Ebooks should be less expensive than paper books because of DRM, ownership, quality, and physicality issues. What surprised me, however, was the number of people turned off by […]
Pin ItWhat Does It Take to Sell Books?
Subtitle: Über Blogging, True Fans, or ??? In case you haven’t heard, recent statements by agents have started a kerfuffle over whether blogging is a waste of time for most writers. The first I heard of it was through agent Wendy Lawton’s post, What’s Not Working, where she says: “I wouldn’t recommend a […]
Pin ItShould Books Have a Rating System?
This must be the week for me stepping into controversial topics. It’s a good thing I’m still wearing my flameproof jacket from my last post on plot vs. character. *smile* It’s been a while since Meghan Cox Gurdon’s article at the Wall Street Journal and her contention that young adult (YA) […]
Pin It“What’s Your Book About?”
Do you dread that question? If you tell the cashier at the grocery store you’re a writer and they ask what your book is about, do you have an answer? All writers who want readers have to be able to answer that question. Whether it’s our brother-in-law at a holiday […]
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