Check out this chilling statistic from a 2011 article posted on The Motley Fool: Out of at least 1.2 million titles published by the entire industry over the course of a year, almost 80% sell fewer than 100 copies. Similarly, according to this article at Forbes.com, the average book in the United States sells less […]
Five Links Friday 6/26/15
Hey, hope you’re having a great Friday so far. Here are some writing links for ya. 1. From Mary Keeley at Booksandsuch.com here is a giant Writing Mechanics and Grammar Checklist. 2. Check out this podcast from Sara Whitford looking at point of view: Who Gets to Tell the Story? 3. Pitch Parties. The things that can render […]
5 Cold, Hard Truths About Writing
Writing is a fun, painful, time-consuming exercise that can leave you drained and exhausted or just as easily pumped full of adrenalin and ready to run a 10K. It’s crazy like that. But that’s okay. That’s what makes it cool. The art of writing is just as spastic as those of us who practice it […]
When are you ready to submit short stories to professional markets?
I was at a conference a couple of years ago where one of the writers said that you should only submit short stories to professional-paying publications. His two major points were: You’re a professional so you should be paid that way The only way you’ll improve your craft is to keep writing and rewriting until […]
Has reading gone out of style?
Think about some of your favorite authors. What makes them your favorite? If you’re anything like me, you want something that is easy to read, has engaging characters, and a coherent plot. Throw in a little suspense, a colorful setting, and maybe even some social commentary if you’re into that sort of thing. In other […]
Five Links Friday 5/8/15
It’s time for another Five Links Friday. Read some posts about writing and then hit the word processor and get some stuff done 🙂 1. Let’s start with a behind-the-scenes look at what happens to your manuscript after it goes on sub. Marcy Beller Paul has a great article at Fall Fifteeners on that very […]
Six Writing Scams To Look Out For
Scammers are everywhere. It’s not uncommon to see emails, sometimes ones that look fairly legit, trying to trick you into clicking on a link and entering personal or financial information. Fortunately, in most cases, we know what to do to protect ourselves from this stuff. Double-check the URL you’re logging into, don’t download attachments from […]
Quick update on stuff
Hey, I just wanted to chime in real quick to say thanks for all the encouraging and congratulatory email and facebook messages I received since announcing the upcoming novel. It really means a lot to me. So my next step is to approve the suggestions I got back from the editor and rewrite the parts […]