Word Magic
You’re writing fiction and you’re aware that your idea trumps everything. If you doubt this, check the bestseller lists. Readers decide in seconds whether or not they want to read your novel, based on your title, cover and blurb. Extra points if your idea is controversial and/ or shocking. Novels like The Exorcist were shocking in their day. Writing fiction: … Read more
A reader messaged me: “Although I’ve published four novels, I don’t have a mailing list. I realize I need one… Will writing serial fiction help to build my list?” Serials are sometimes conflated with series fiction, so let’s look at what defines “serial” fiction first. What is “serial” fiction? Serials are ongoing stories, published in installments. In Charles Dickens’ day, … Read more
Are you a new fiction author? You may be concerned about choosing a genre for your fiction. And rightfully so. I’ve coached authors who went from zero sales to 100 sales a day when they switched genres. Let’s start with what “genre” means: essentially, it’s a style, or category, of art, music, or literature. You may be wondering why that’s … Read more
The self-publishing author told me: “I hate book marketing. At least if I get a publisher, I can forget about that. I just want to write…” Experience is always the best teacher, so I swallowed hard and suppressed my giggles, then responded calmly: “Yes… most authors prefer writing to marketing.” Why do authors (whether self-publishing or not) hate marketing? My … Read more
Wondering about writing short stories? I often recommend short fiction to new authors, but established authors can benefit too. Amazon even has an entire category devoted to short ebooks—more on that in a moment. A few days back, an author told me: “Yes, but bestselling authors don’t publish very short books!” Well… Many bestselling authors know the value of short … Read more