The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has been unbelievable, on so many levels. From the speed at which it spread, to the closing of borders, stores, schools and universities … and the cancellation of conferences, seminars, and businesses in general. It’s been a long, dark road. The discussions about opening up again are all interesting, but they are split between encouraging massive bursts of productivity and gentle, realistic spurts of things that are more manageable. So many authors I … [Read more...]
Author’s Corner: Why Does Your Book Pitch Matter?
July 17, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Why Does Your Book Pitch Matter? When it comes to trying to sell your book, there’s a lot of noise out there. As a writer, I find I’m always listening to other people’s conversations. Don’t get me wrong … I don’t do it to eavesdrop … it’s just a habit I developed to help me understand how people really talk to each other. It’s enormously helpful when crafting realistic dialogue. I was at a writers’ conference, when something I overheard really struck me. While standing in the registration … [Read more...]
Author’s Corner: Believable Characters
April 17, 2020 by Leave a Comment
How Do You Make Your Characters Believable? A story is a composite of myriad pieces: point-of-view, setting, theme, plot, action, conflict, character, pacing, dialogue and more. You need all of these parts to make good fiction work but, in my mind, none is as vital as character. No matter how we dress them up, stories will always be about people. The trick, of course, is making the people featured worth reading about. Readers want interesting plots, true. They want to be impressed by … [Read more...]
Author’s Corner: Plot vs. Character
December 29, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Plot vs. Character The plot-versus-character debate is nothing new. Most indie writers struggle with it. I’ve never been one to work from a plot outline, but I’m also among the first to admit that a man sitting alone with his thoughts is a not an interesting story. It may be a colorful character study, but it’s not a story. Story is the intersection of character and plot. Your premise and plot twists might keep the reader turning pages, but you also need a character (sometimes several of … [Read more...]
Author’s Corner: When Did You Start?
September 14, 2019 by Leave a Comment
When Did You Start to Write Stories? I’ve been thinking about all the wannabe authors out there. I suppose it’s because I’m in the same boat with them. I’ve been writing as long as I can remember. I write because I feel the urge to put my stories down for others to read. It’s something I have to do. Have to … even though I occasionally wonder if I’m relevant. For instance, I often hear young people talking about what cool new music they’ve been listening to and, if they bother to ask me … [Read more...]
Author’s Corner: Creative Ideas
June 9, 2019 by Leave a Comment
So, Where Do Creative Ideas Come From? The answer might surprise you. In Paul McCartney’s biography, he shared this secret: “… John often had just the first verse, which was always enough. It was the direction … the signpost … the inspiration for the whole song. I hate the word, but it was the template.” In other words, The Beatles, the most successful rock band in history, used a template to create blockbuster songs. They’re not the only ones. For instance, Agatha Christie, one of the … [Read more...]
Author’s Corner: Generating Ideas
March 12, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Generating Ideas One of the most common questions a published author is asked is “Where do you get your story ideas? New writers sometimes think ideas are just supposed to pop into an author’s head … or else they use some secret formula. But fully-formed story ideas don’t do that - not usually, anyway. Nor do most established authors have some magic formula. The truth is they probably already have more great ideas than they could ever write. Every how-to book on writing will tell you … [Read more...]
Author’s Corner: More about Marketing
January 8, 2019 by 4 Comments
More about Marketing I talked in my previous article about creating a solid marketing plan to brand you as a writer. The question becomes, how do you want to be known? I still struggle with it, because I write things in different genres. Today, even the legacy publishing houses find themselves unable to promote more than a handful of the thousands of books they publish. Almost without exception, they expect authors whom they sign to have a significant online presence already. If … [Read more...]
Author’s Corner: Branding for an Indie Author
November 9, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Branding for an Indie Author Many authors mistakenly assume building a personal brand comes naturally, or that it’s simply unnecessary (my fans will know me through my work). I have to admit those thoughts went through my own mind when I started this journey. It was very much like believing “Build it and they will come.” Sadly, with my marketing background, I should’ve known better those assumptions were false. For people to follow you and your work, they need to know some very important … [Read more...]
Author’s Corner: The Power of Earned Media
September 12, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The Power of Earned Media So, you’ve just written and indie-published your book. Now all you have to do is find fans, right? You’re probably going to be disappointed in what I say next, because I’m not going to offer a magic way to get a ton more readers. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. Anyone who tells you different is either trying to sell you something, or scamming you. Readers are only gained a few at a time, even if you experience a sudden and serendipitous burst of exposure. … [Read more...]
