As writer and reader I've noticed few authors write in more than one genre. I wondered why. An author of a crime mystery series, I decided to try another category of writing. In so doing, I think I may have learned the answer to my question. It is not about ability so much as expectations, … Continue reading Changing Genre Midstream
self-publishing
The Frustrations of Formatting
It is not my purpose here to talk about the technical aspects of formatting a self-published book. Experts abound, and I am eternally grateful for that fact. When I become immersed in the swamp of details or flummoxed by the idiot-syncrasies of Microsoft Word, I head for the chat rooms. This article is meant as … Continue reading The Frustrations of Formatting
Ten Truths About Publishing
A great benefit to membership in Sisters In Crime is their newsletter. Within it are links to newsworthy blogs, columns, and other great sources. Usually, the selected articles are of great interest to writers, perhaps less so to indie publishers. Not this time. Several pieces in the April newsletter discussed self-publishing. In one particular article, Daniel … Continue reading Ten Truths About Publishing
The Sky Is Falling
Several respected bloggers have begun to back away from self publishing books. They have crunched numbers, which most recently suggest an increase in the percentage of traditionally published books along with a decrease in self published Ebooks this past year. There is a rise in hybrid publishers (authors who do both) and an increase in … Continue reading The Sky Is Falling
Five Best Marketing Approaches for Self-Published Writers
IndieRecon (an independent publishing on-line conference) recently presented an interview with Mark Coker of Smashword. The topic, among other things; new marketing approaches for self publishing authors. He had five central thoughts: 1. Write a good, no, a great book 2. Forget Social Media - it won’t help 3. Write a lot of great … Continue reading Five Best Marketing Approaches for Self-Published Writers
The New Editing Conundrum
Like most writers, I am excited about the advances in digital publishing. In past columns I have detailed the many advantages we currently experience and those we anticipate in the future. There are, however, some less delightful aspects of the new Indie Publishing revolution, as I have discovered recently. This article is not about those … Continue reading The New Editing Conundrum
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
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
R Lawson Gamble 