Today, I'm sharing another awesome article, this one is by Yecheilyah Ysrayl who does a great job of discussing the different types of publishing methods and why self-publishing, if done right, isn't free.
Category: Tutorials
Does an Author Really Need a Social Media Platform?
Check out this great article by editor Lynda Dietz on whether authors need social media platforms.
Ask the Editor Series, Q16
Q: I’ve heard authors should always have a platform. Is that really necessary for success?
A1: It can certainly make you look taller, and many tall people appear more commanding and therefore successful. Go, shawty!
A2: Ohh . . . a social media platform. Well, that’s different.
Think of your favorite author of fiction or nonfiction. Whoever it is, they’re probably readily found on the internet. All it takes is a handful of keystrokes and you can read about them or read their work.
Whether you’re a self-published (indie) author, published with a small press, or signed up with one of the bigger publishing houses, you’ve probably heard about the importance of having an author platform. Do you have one? Do you know what an author platform is? Let’s talk about it.
What’s a platform, anyway?
Having a platform is a general way of…
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5 Things To Do After Getting Beta Feedback
If you haven’t seen this already, check out this great article by author K.M Allan on what to do once you have Beta Reader feedback!
Any writer who has gotten to the beta reader feedback stage of their writing journey knows handing your MS to others to read is a helpful part of the process.
It can be essential for addressing plot issues, character flaws, confusing narratives, what works and what doesn’t, and picking up those elusive typos.
It’s also nerve-wracking.
Unless you’ve done the impossible and written the perfect draft, your beta feedback will include things you might not be ready to hear and could involve putting more work into the next draft than you initially thought you’d have to.
These aren’t bad things, even if it feels like it. Instead, embrace the help you’ve been given and do the following…
5 Things To Do After Getting Beta Feedback
1. Really Look At The Comments
While the first thing you’ll do is look at the comments, the second thing to do is really
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Tips For Book Openings
How do you start your book? Openings in books are so important as they are the third chance to catch your reader and the most vital. (The first two chances were the Cover and the Blurb).
But the opening will be the true test of whether your book is going to hook the reader and reel them in deep.
So today, I’m sharing an article by my author friend and fellow blogger K. M Allan who discusses book openings!
If you’ve entrenched yourself in the writing world, you’ve no doubt heard what doesn’t make for a good book opening.
These tips range from ditching prologues to the ultimate pressure inducing advice: the opening sentence/paragraph/page must automatically engage the reader or they won’t read on.
While this advice is enough to make you consider taking up a different career, ultimately, you should open your book with whatever is right for the story.
I did this for my debut, Blackbirch: The Beginning. It starts with another of those clichéd no-nos: a character having a dream. Dreams form a running theme throughout the book and serve as both a comfort and a warning for my main character. They also connect him to another important character who can only reach him through dreams.
Using this opening suits the story and sets the surreal tone, and (to my knowledge) no one who’s…
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Writing A Book Blurb In 4 Easy Steps
Today’s blog post is a REBLOG from my friend and author K. M. Allan. Her article on Writing Book Blurbs was so brilliant I just had to share it.
I had planned to write an article on this myself but I thought, why? This is SO much better than anything I could have written. Enjoy!
Any writer who’s had to write a query or a synopsis for a submission knows how hard it can be.
Trying to boil the essence of your carefully crafted story to a few paragraphs, or a page seems like the hardest thing ever.
I’m here to tell you it’s not. And that’s because there’s a greater horror: a book blurb.
A book blurb, or the book jacket description, summarizes the best part of your book in only 150 words (yep! one hundred and fifty).
If you’re wondering how to do that and where to start, it involves penning multiple drafts, lots of cutting, losing your sanity, and planning your blurb with the help of these steps.
Writing A Book Blurb In 4 Easy Steps
Step 1:Add A Tag-Line
Open with one catchy line, a question, or a hook.
Step 2:Introduce Your Main Character
Put their name, age…
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What My Top 5 Focus Tasks Are
Last year, I wrote a post that discussed the merits of picking your Top 5 Tasks/Projects to focus on. We are easily distracted by Shiny Object Syndrome that has us flitting from one thing to another and actually gaining enough focus to truly commit to a project or task can be hard. The premise of the 5 Focus Tasks is that these are the ones you truly commit to and you DO NOT take on any other tasks until these are completed.
Why You Need to Include Diversity in Your Novel
The last time I wrote this article, it didn't save and instead published just my brain-dump notes, lol. Let's try this again! 🙂 I have re-written the article and double-checked that it saved. So, today's article is all about diversity in your novel and why it's important. It was a recent article by guest writer, Simon Farnell, that made me realised I had never gone back to this one.
How to Build your World: Religion
Yes, it’s time for another World Builder article. Today’s post is all about Religion in your world. If you missed any of my earlier World Builder articles you can find them here – World Builder series. Disclaimer: Okay since I’m discussing religions, one of those topics they say never to discuss, I just want to add that nothing I right here is done so to offend. This article is just about creating religions in fantasy worlds.
The Unexpected Audience: Why Adults are Drawn to Reading YA
Today we welcome onto the blog, author E. E. Holmes who discusses why it's not just Young Adults to are reading YA novels. Big thanks to Emily for being today's guest poster, please make sure to check out her links and details at the end of this post.
Why You Need to Market your Book Before it’s Published
So, I thought it was high time I did another Monday Marketing post! Now, no matter how much I say it, I'm still seeing new writers who claim they "don't need to market" or that they will "Market after publishing." But it's important so here are 7 reasons why you need to market your book before it's published.
Author Ari Meghlen Official Website 