There’s been a lot of scuttlebutt on the digital wires (so to speak) about what works, and what doesn’t work in book marketing. By and large, the substance of what I have read suggests that much of the social media we were once encouraged to use is no longer seen as useful. There are exceptions. … Continue reading What Works in Book Marketing: Part Deux
Thoughts on Writing
The Holy Grail of Book Marketing
We have written of this many times in the past, yet it bears more discussion. The knowledge and skills required by an author to market a book have nearly (and in some cases actually have) superseded the skills necessary to write a book. Gone are the days of devoting one’s time exclusively to writing. The learning … Continue reading The Holy Grail of Book Marketing
Salomon Pico Addendum
It is past time to make good my promise to the history buff followers of this column to share findings from my research. Of my ongoing projects, the latest development of interest concerns my research into the life of California bandit Salomon Pico, considered by some the Zorro model. The Pico family (or should I say families) … Continue reading Salomon Pico Addendum
Do You Really Need An Editor
Editors are engaged in a task which never ends. No work is ever complete, no manuscript ever reaches perfection. I know this, because when I review my own work, there is always something I need to change. Certainly every writer should seek different perspectives on his/her work. Everyone is subject to their own brain orientation, … Continue reading Do You Really Need An Editor
Should You Read a Book To Review It?
Reviewing 101, right? First you read the book, then you review it. THE OTHER was a recent recipient of a ‘2' rating and a very critical review from someone who admitted he/she stopped reading after just a few pages. Fair enough. Stop reading if the book is not your cup of tea. But don’t review it. … Continue reading Should You Read a Book To Review It?
It Ain’t Necessarily So
In the absence of knowledge, we assume. Such assumptions can be erroneous and lead to fallacious thinking which can create problems for us. This is particularly so in publishing a book.Once the author has completed a work and committed it to the public, nothing remains but to await the court of public opinion. Yet often … Continue reading It Ain’t Necessarily So
Why Their Success Story is not Your Success Story
Recently, while reading an encouraging piece about someone’s ten steps to successful book marketing, it dawned on me that there might possibly be more authors of how-to-succeed books than people who are actually successful authors. Let’s face it, how-to-succeed books are a tremendous market. We are drawn to them like bears to honey. In a … Continue reading Why Their Success Story is not Your Success Story
The Reader’s Voice
The reader’s voice has increasing impact on a book’s fate. Agents and editors admit they keep a watchful eye on reader reviews at Amazon and Goodreads, looking for that surge in popularity that suggests a potential winner, and hoping they can acquire that property in time to develop, package, and sell it. This growing influence … Continue reading The Reader’s Voice
My Five Goals for a Conference
Two days after the convention is the minimum time I need to evaluate the experience, to let it soak in. There is an overload of information that needs to settle, like rainwater on dry soil, to begin the growth process. I need the time to separate my emotional high from the true value gained, the grain … Continue reading My Five Goals for a Conference
How I Write
If you write books, sooner or later you will be asked how you came to write them, in essence why have you written what you have written the way you have written it? I have been asked such questions. I have even been asked, “Do you use a formula or something?” Well, yes. The genesis of … Continue reading How I Write
R Lawson Gamble 