Writing with soul. That seems like an easy thing to do, but it's a lot harder than it seems. Stephen King (who everyone knows is my favorite author) and JK Rowling have mastered infusing soul into the books they write. That's one of the reasons their books sell so well. For JK Rowling, she's not w…
The Baltimore Book Festival was last month and it was so much fun! I brought Maggie with me, she's one of my editors (Stephanie Martin is the other). We decided to make a weekend of it and head up on Friday after work. We got to Maryland Friday night. We were both starving so we wen… |
Plotter or Pantser?
That's the question asked in writer circles around the world. I am a proud, card carrying, plotter.
My plotting method is a bit crazy, but it works for me. First, I plot out the beginning of the book. I go as far as I can easily get. Once I'm happy with what I have, I write…
Since I've gone indie, one thing that I find myself doing a few times a year is....
reviewing then re-calibrating if necessary. What I mean by that is, I step back and look at all of my stats and decide if I like what I see. If I do like what I see, I continue doing what I'm doing. If I don't like …
People have told me that they've read books I've written and had nightmares. This fills me with such joy. But I've also been told by readers that they've read something I wrote under my pseudonym and had to go find their husband after they finished the book. This also makes me happy. Some people thi…
One of the things people often ask indie authors has to do with book pricing. They wanna know what's with all the free books. The thought is that if an author sells a book for $.99 or (gasp) gives it away for free, it's because they don't think the story is worth much. But that couldn't be f…
Once upon a time...
I worked in a corporate office and had to drive to work every day. I may again, someday, but while I don't have to, I'm enjoying it. I'd wake up late, pray, say hello to the kitties, then rush to shower and dress. I'd get annoyed on the drive to work by all the stupid dri…
There are so many distractions in the world today. And there are so many new distractions that authors didn’t have to think about 15 - 20 years ago. Things like:
Okay, so I'm not really on the edge. I'm just in my office, writing. I've been writing full time for a little over two months now and I've noticed a few interesting things that I thought I'd share.
Ready? Here goes:
1. Being alone all day takes getting used to. I'm single, so without my full-t…
I'm putting on my author hat today to talk about something indie authors often overlook when they're formatting their books. The type of formatting I'm talking about happens after the book is finished and edited, but before it's uploaded to online retailers like Amazon or Barnes and Noble. What is t…
I've always thought it would be fun to post an excerpt from a book when it was a WIP, then post the published version of that same excerpt, just to show how much the first draft of a book can differ from what's published. You learn so much about your characters and what's happening to them while…
Okay, so the title is a bit misleading. That right there is the kind of late night treat I'd like (LUV) to have when I'm burning the midnight oil, the way I am tonight. But that drink at midnight on a regular basis would do unpleasant things to my body.
I made the picture nice and big so ev…
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 |  | First let me preface this by saying publishing houses never twist an author's arm and make them sign a publishing contract. That decision is the author's. But once the author signs that contract they are giving up some aspects of creative control. For ins… |
I've been indie publishing for about a year now and I've learned a lot! Since October 2014 I've released 4 books. By December 2015 I'll have released 6. It's been a busy year.
All of the research I've done since October 2014 shows that the best plan to have followed would have been to focus o…
This past weekend I went to the Baltimore Book Festival. As always, I had a great time! Over the past three years I've gone I've picked up a few insights on ways to have a successful signing/appearance at large festivals. Here are a few of the things I learned.
1. Candy is always nice…
Today I read Joanna Penn's book, How to Make a Living With Your Writing. If you're an indie author, this is a book you'll want to check out. She covers topics that I've been considering, but not quite sure how to implement.
It's offered FOR FREE right now, so you'll want to check it out IMMEDIA…
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It's been a crazy year! I'm not sure what I was thinking when I started making so many life changes. |
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| Front & Back Cover
I'm proofing my book! Digitally for now. I have an actual paperback coming in the mail. I'm going to have to push back publication of the print version, but I'd rather do that than risk selling a book that doesn't look the best it can possibly look. I… |
I just finished formatting my first indie paperback. Whew! Feels like I had a workout. It's so nice to wait for the box of books to come in the mail from the publisher! LOL!
A few things that I had to consider that I hadn't thought of before:
1. Book Size - You'll notice the ebook is about 314 pa…
