Joe Konrath hosted Barry Eisler on his blog recently for this article: A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing: Eisler on Digital Denial. Joe’s comments are at the bottom of the article, and they’re worth reading too. It’s reassuring to me that formerly traditionally published authors are now choosing to publish their own work. Yes, the barriers to entry are lower, and yes, that means less-than-impressive works reach readers. But it also means that authors have many more choices, and many more opportunities to shape their own careers. Generally, I believe choice and options are beneficial, and for far too long, authors have […]
writing
47 posts
I’ve been asked several times how my stories move from idea to polished story. Every author’s writing process is a little different. Often, every book’s process is different! However, the overall process tends to follow the same patterns, even if the details differ from book to book. Inspiration and Pre-writing A story can be inspired by nearly anything. Generally, my stories start with a scene. Sometimes it’s a conversation between characters, or a critical decision being made, or even just an impression. I’ll write out the scene, and no matter how it turns out, I’ll have questions. Who are these characters? […]
A Cold Wind is in final formatting for publication next week. I’m really excited about the book – I’ve had some great reactions from my early readers. The story is special to me, and I hope you love it as much as I do. I’m also working on Book3 in the Erdemen Honor series, as yet untitled. Please check out the Kickstarter project here. The rewards include options for ebooks and signed paperback versions of all three books – The King’s Sword, A Cold Wind, and Book3 when it’s finished – as well as three short stories set in the same […]
A new novel idea struck me a couple days ago and I’ve been working on it nearly non-stop. It’s in a different world than my other books. Comments are welcome. *** She glanced around at before trying the door tentatively. If he was here, it was dangerous. Even if he wasn’t… well, it was still dangerous. There was no sound from inside, and she took a deep breath before pulling her tools from her pocket. She inserted the thin metal lockpick and manipulated it carefully. She’d practiced on her own door at home, but she wasn’t very good at it […]
Every writer needs beta readers. But sometimes, finding the right beta readers can be a challenge. The best critiquers and beta readers catch the vision of the story you want to tell and help you tell it better, rather than fundamentally changing the idea. There are a few critical steps to identifying the right beta readers for your work and using them well. 1 – Know what you need from the beta readers. When you show a piece of writing to someone, it’s best to know what kind of response you’re looking for. If you need encouragement, show it to […]
UPDATED July 10, 2015 – Since this was written back in November 2012, a few features on Amazon and Goodreads have changed or disappeared. I’ve updated the list below to be more current. First, let’s be clear: you shouldn’t support indie authors because they’re indie. You don’t owe authors anything, whether they’re indie or traditionally published (or both!). Forgoing the traditional publishing route is a business decision for authors that is complicated for a number of reasons – royalties, marketing support, time-to-publication, local vs. international distribution, and creative control, among many other considerations. But none of that should influence whether […]
This is a really interesting article on the tension between traditionally published authors and indie authors. Link here. I chose to self-publish for a variety of reasons. My first book, The King’s Sword, was rejected by a number of agents before I decided to self-publish. While I’m sure it’s not perfect (what book is? We all have things we can improve in our writing, and I hope I continue to grow as a writer throughout my life.), I believed it was worth sharing. The comments I got from beta readers ranged from fangirl squeals (literally) to “Wow, I’ve never seen […]