Hey Everyone! I've been gone for quite a while. For the last few years I have been swamped with manuscripts to edit for my small publisher, but I hope to come back to some form of regularity. For those of you who followed along when I was blogging, we spent the better part of a … Continue reading I’m back! Beta Request and “The Publishing Process”
I will have an instructional post for you next week, please send me your questions. I see many of the same topics that I end up answering together. I need some new lines of direction. What haven't I covered, or what would you like me to go into more detail about? For this week, it's … Continue reading The Blood Match: Birth of a Novel (Series #2)
When I grew up I wanted to be Barbra Streisand--specifically as Fanny Brice--but that was never going to happen. Because I wasn't born Barbra Streisand. And you weren't born Stephen King. Which is a good thing, because he's not the best writer. He's ONE of the best writers, along with other household names--Dean Koontz, Nora … Continue reading Literary Q&A: I Just Published a Book, Now What? #Authorgoals (Series #8)
I did the Amazon ads the way you said with lots of ads and low bids. Now what? I did the keyword ads, but I don't know ACOS from pizza. How do I make it work better? Hi everyone! What the author of the question is asking is how to optimize your ads--to make them … Continue reading Literary Q&A: How Do I Know if my Keywords are Converting? [Or Optimizing Amazon Keyword Ads] (Series #7)
This week should be shorter, I have our weekly question, plus an announcement. I am almost done with my book, where should I publish it? This question has a roundabout answer. First of all, if you haven't finished your book, you are looking too far ahead, in my opinion. Not only do you have time … Continue reading Literary Q&A: Where Should I Publish My Unfinished Manuscript? (Series #6)
Good Sunday everyone. My calendar says, "When you can't find the sunshine, BE the sunshine." Love it. Great advice for everyone--especially writers. What do people mean when they say, "It's never too soon to start marketing?" I just released my first book and I haven't even started. So am I already losing because I don't … Continue reading Literary Q&A: What Do People Mean When They Say, “It’s Never Too Soon to Start Marketing”? (Series #5)
Question: I'm editing my book, but what do I do with tags? This week an author friend of mine expressed some confusion on the topic of tags in his novel. I asked, Is your issue with tag punctuation, the difference between action tags and dialogue tags, acceptable dialogue tags, or something else? I could go … Continue reading Literary Q&A: What Good Writers Know About Tags (Series #4)
Hello all! First, I have two promos to share with you. They are both on Bookfunnel. Click on the photos to jump to the sale. Today's post is a casting net. I need your input again authors. I'd like to do another question/answer series for the blog through October. First, I want to know all … Continue reading Journey to a Bestseller: Tell Me Everything YOU Need to be a Successful Writer (Series #46)
Hi everyone. Have you written your first draft, finally gotten it complete, only to realize you have 200,000 words? You are not alone. There are many reasons to "cut" or "trim" your writing. It makes things clearer, stronger, more concise, and streamlines the information that the reader needs to know. And of course, word counts--everyone … Continue reading Journey to a Bestseller: Cutting your Novel Down to Size (Series #45)
Hello friends and writers! You know, most of the time I sit down to write this blog about my writing journey, and have no idea what I want to say. I begin telling you about what's going on and fall into a helpful topic. This coming week I'm going to be plotting out my new … Continue reading Journey to a Bestseller: Researching For Your Fiction Novel (Series #41)
Hi everyone! I'm going to be doing a series of teaching videos on a free writers' website called Commaful. Give it a visit! It's a colorful site full of great writing samples. The videos I'm making should be about ten minutes long, so I thought I'd write out my article for you here, as well. … Continue reading Commaful Series: Dynamic Fictional World-Building (Writing #1)
Jennifer Haskin 