Author Sharon Michalove lets us in on what she would tell her pre-published self in our ongoing author series! Her advice list below is a good one whether you're just starting out or well into your writing career. Good reminders!
Reading, wRiting, and Roaming with Author Valerie Biel
September 18, 2023
A Very Quick Look Tips for at a Very Important Vital Process: Editing a Novel
The difference between the almost right word and the right word is … the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. – Mark Twain
For 2023, Valerie Biel and I are exploring ideas about writing a first novel. We’ve discussed story development, the writing process, the ending—and everything in between, including the messy middle! For a list of what we’ve discussed, see last month’s blog post.
In August, Valerie discussed preparing a novel for editing or how to identify problems... Continue Reading
August 24, 2023
Why Goodreads and Amazon are Becoming Dumpster Fires
All About Simon & Schuster’s Sale to an Investment Firm
Selling Direct to Readers: Article Bundle
FEATURED ARTICLES
I Would Rather See My Books Get Pirated Than This (Or: Why Goodreads and Amazon Are Becoming Dumpster Fires)
If you follow Jane Friedman, you already read all about her recent tussle with Amazon and Goodreads over titles THAT SHE DID NOT AUTHOR being added to her Amazon and Goodreads under her name. This blog post that she updated throughout the ordeal shows the process she took to get both platforms to remove the offending titles. (And it really shouldn’t have been that hard.) ... Continue Reading
August 10, 2023
The author series continues, sharing the knowledge (often hard-won) from published authors as they let us in on what they would tell their pre-published selves. This month's featured author, the talented Tim Chapman, puts his knowledge as a former forensic scientist for the Chicago Police Department to work in his crime thrillers. (Check out his full bio and his fab advice below!)
Tim Chapman is a former forensic scientist for the Chicago Police Department and writing instructor at Malcolm X College. He holds a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Northwestern University. His fiction has been published in The Southeast Review, the Chicago Reader, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Palooka, Litbop, and the anthology, "The Rich and the Dead." His first novel... Continue Reading
August 3, 2023
Throughout 2023 writing instructor and pre-published author Tracey Kathryn (T.K.) Sheffield and I will be offering a blog series on plotting from the beginning developmental stage through the messy middle and all the way to the end, including editing advice on how to fix plot problems in a completed manuscript.
In Part 1, Tracey lists wonderful resources that are great for those that are new to writing or looking for a new approach to plotting in: "Plotting a Novel: Resources for Those Just Starting Out."
In Part 2, Tracey discusses how to use plotlines, tropes, and conflict to test your story ideas: "... Continue Reading
July 27, 2023
Elizabeth Gilbert’s Book is Review-Bombed on Goodreads
eBook Piracy: How to Respond if Someone Steals Your Book
Preparing Financially to Become a Full-Time Author
FEATURED ARTICLES
Goodreads: Review-Bombing Could be Mitigated
Recently, before the book was even released, Elizabeth Gilbert’s new novel—a early Bolshevik-era historical novel set in Siberia—was review bombed on Goodreads. Users “enraged by the Russian setting launched a coordinated attack on the book’s Goodreads page, causing Gilbert to pull her novel indefinitely.” This is the dark side of Goodreads, and Gilbert’s book wasn’t the first to experience this. Amazon bought Goodreads in 2013 and there was always trepidation about this purchase. With the problem of review... Continue Reading
June 29, 2023
Amazon’s Huge Book Category Change
Barnes and Noble Refusing to Shelve Print-on-Demand Books
How to Develop a Complex Protagonist
FEATURED ARTICLES
Amazon’s Huge Book Category Change
Background: Previously authors or publishers using the KDP dashboard would choose two broad categories when uploading books into the system. Then after publication, requests could be put in to add the book to more categories—up to 10 categories for each format of a title. But again . . . because people abused this feature and put their books into categories where they didn’t really belong, Amazon/KDP has made a shift . . . Now you get to choose three categories that are more specific at the beginning of your upload process for each format of your book. (... Continue Reading
June 22, 2023
Throughout 2023 writing instructor and pre-published author Tracey Kathryn (T.K.) Sheffield and I will be offering a blog series on plotting from the beginning developmental stage through the messy middle and all the way to the end, including editing advice on how to fix plot problems in a completed manuscript.
In Part 1, Tracey lists wonderful resources that are great for those that are new to writing or looking for a new approach to plotting in: "Plotting a Novel: Resources for Those Just Starting Out."
In Part 2, Tracey discusses how to use plotlines, tropes, and conflict to test your story ideas: "... Continue Reading
June 15, 2023
You may remember Anne Bannon from her visits to my blog in the past:
Publishing World Wisdom with Anne Louise Bannon, where she tells us what she wishes she could tell her pre-published self.
And, Switching Things Up with Anne Louise Bannon, where she discusses author branding and writing in different genres.
Today, Anne has graciously agreed to more of a traditional interview, as I’m a nosy type of person and wanted to ask her a bunch of questions.
Q. Anne, did you always want to be a writer, and do you remember the first story you every wrote?
A. I don’t... Continue Reading
June 1, 2023
The author series continues, sharing the knowledge (often hard-won) from published authors as they tell us what they would tell their pre-published selves. This month's featured author is the talented John DeDakis, who gives an entertaining conversation between his pre-published self and his post-published self.
