For Writers
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Get Off the Churn Train! Writing Books That Stick
Note: what follows is NOT an assertion that good books can’t be written fast. It's about finding YOUR personal sweet spot where you do your best, most memorable work. I've read a lot of posts recently about the increase in "churn" with ebooks, particularly on Amazon. Conventional wisdom says that in order to have success selling on Amazon, particularly in…
How to Be Hooky
Hookiness. It's what a good book is all about, really. When I look at the books I really enjoy, that I burn through, they're (a) pulling me in and (b) pulling me on. But how do you do that? How do you grab a reader? How do you KEEP the reader? How do you entertain a reader enough that she…
Four-year anniversary!
Four Years, Twenty Books! September 1, 2016 marks something special. It's my four-year anniversary in publishing. On September 1, 2012, I held my breath, pushed the big "Publish" button on Amazon's KDP, and launched my first three books into the world. I had no idea what would happen. I just prayed I wouldn't crash and burn, and in my wildest…
Interview--Indies Who Sell
Listen to the interview here. (That's my Amazon author rank from the beginning, over there.) Well, this was pretty cool, and, if you're an author or aspiring author, a useful podcast to add to your list. Romance author Sylvia Frost and developmental editor Mary Novak have a "craft" podcast in which they interview indie authors who sell well, in a…
What Makes a Book Re-Readable?
I answered a survey from Amazon Crossing today (my German publisher). One of the questions they asked was, “As an author, which of these are most and least important to you”? About ten items followed—such things as “making a living,” “artistic/creative expression,” “connecting with readers,” “professional recognition,” etc. It was pretty easy for me to choose my “most important. “…
