I'm sure you've heard the advice to make sure you get as many reviews as you possibly can, especially on Amazon. You've probably also been told to “ask for a review”. You may even be following the playbook of giving away free copies of your book “in exchange for an honest review”. Sending out advance copies so that your advance readers can all post their reviews within the first 24 hours. All fine, right? Unfortunately, no. If you're following this strategy, you could come up against Amazon's TOS. Worst case, those lovely five-star reviews you worked so hard to get people to leave could simply be deleted in one go. Amazon requires reviewers to declare if they have been compensated for the review. This includes receiving the book for free (i.e, “a free product”). When you-the-author use the words “in exchange for an honest review” you're indicating to the reviewer that this is indeed an exchange and that there is an expectation of a review. Thus, they have...

It may seem unfair to judge a book by its cover, but the unfortunate truth is that most potential readers will do just that. Many an author’s fortunes have hinged on whether their book cover managed to convince the right readers to take a chance on it. In this post, we’ll walk you through the essential elements of an effective cover design to help you create a cover that will have your book flying off of store shelves — and so that you can spend less time on marketing . Why your book cover matters Cast your mind back to the last time you visited a library or a bookstore, and consider how many books you browsed. In just a few minutes, you may have skimmed the spines and covers of  dozens, if not hundreds, of books. In such a competitive market, you need to do everything you can as an author to make your book stand out from the crowd — and that begins with the cover design .  Thinking about the books you picked up, what about the cover drew you to them? Whether it was intriguing...

Watch this video on YouTube Forget wrangling the old “flawed character turned good” trope - there is a much easier way to develop a character arc that makes sense to your readers, and makes for much more likeable characters! In this video I share a tip for developing a key piece of the puzzle of your novel planning such that, if you find this piece and you place this piece first, the rest of the pieces will slot into place so easily and beautifully and you'll just love this. Set up your character’s Wants in opposition to their Needs. This allows for a beautiful plot integration where the character is trying to do something and the plot is working against them trying to force them to eventually work out what they need and how they have to actually let go of their wants. The character’s wants should be very understandable and relatable. Readers or viewers are going to root for that character to get what they want because it's sensible, it makes sense, and then gradually thro...

  Craft a more effective story by using your characters' emotional beats in your plot - in this video I'll show you how using examples from Harry Potter and Stranger Things. Previous videos in this series:  1 Story structure overview   2 Catalyst examples   Make planning (and writing) your novel easy. Grab The Novel Approach Planning Worksheet for just $9 (AU).   Jump on the waiting list for The Novel Approach Ultimate Accountability membership .    ===== Music: https://www.purple-planet.com ===== ===== Fair Use: Stills and clips of copyrighted material is used for commentary and educational purposes. ===== Emotional arc timeline examples This video goes through:  - Recap and explanation of the three-act structure re-drawn as an emotional timeline: 00:50.0 - SPOILER ALERT: Examples of emotional timelines from:  Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Starts at: 01:35.0 -- Ends at: 03:35.0  Stranger Things Season 1 (Mike) Starts at: 03...

This video provides a recap and explanation of Catalysts in relation to a three-act structure, and then goes through examples of plot catalysts from:  Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (SPOILERS) Stranger Things Season 1 (The Will Byers plot thread) (SPOILERS) Mad Max Fury Road (Furiosa's arc) (SPOILERS) Nyad (SPOILERS) Need help?  Make planning (and writing) your novel easy.  Grab The Novel Approach Planning Worksheet  for just $9 (AU).  Visit my free Facebook group  The Novel Approach for Aspiring Authors . Or get direct advice from me when you join one of my Novel Planning Intensives. You’ll work on your plan before and/or during the session. Every participant will get a chance to ask for advice on any part of their story where they are feeling stuck, or ask questions in general. Observer tickets are also available. Observers will get to see an overview of the Blueprint and how it works, but will leave the call before participants begin sharing. I...

Are you torn between the possibility of writing a bestselling genre series and the desire to create something wholly original? On one hand, you could follow an established formula, giving readers exactly what they want, or you could take the risk of writing something you feel is new and exciting and trying to find an agent who’ll take it on, or realising you’ll have to self-publish it and find an audience for it after the fact.  Finding the perfect balance is a challenge many writers face. By visualizing plot points as a framework, you can create a story that resonates with readers, while drawing unique characters each with their own individual journey that keeps your work fresh and exciting. Need help?  Make planning (and writing) your novel easy.  Grab The Novel Approach Planning Worksheet  for just $9 (AU).  Or join my free Facebook group  The Novel Approach for Aspiring Authors . I’m also running a Novel Planning Intensive every Wednesday in May. You’...

  Sometimes life (and death) gets in the way. Don’t lose your great idea just because you didn’t capture it somehow. Even pantsers love my Planning Blueprint because it makes it super simple to plan out as much or as little as you like while leaving room to grow your story organically. Or use it AFTER you’ve written to work out any revision issues.  Need help?  Make planning (and writing) your novel easy. Grab The Novel Approach Planning Worksheet for just $9 (AU).  Or join my free Facebook group The Novel Approach for Aspiring Authors . I’m also running a Novel Planning Intensive every Wednesday in May. You’ll work on your plan before and/or during the session. Every participant will get a chance to ask for advice on any part of their story where they are feeling stuck, or ask questions in general. Observer tickets are also available. Observers will get to see an overview of the Blueprint and how it works, but will leave the call before participants begin sharing. ...

Does genre matter as much as it used to?  What if your idea seems to fit every genre? Or none of them? Will it really benefit you to choose your genre before you start writing? Why not just write what you what to write and decide on a genre when you’re done? In the not very distant past, genre was vitally important: not only did it dictate where in the bookstore your book would be shelved, it was also often a factor in whether your submission was read by an agent in the first place. Sending an epic fantasy to an agency that only handled mysteries and thrillers was nothing but a waste of paper. You had to nail your genre (out of only a handful of choices), ensure your story slotted perfectly into that genre, and then select the right representative for it.  With indie publishing? That narrow stricture has, somewhat, fallen away. You’re free to test a variety of different genres and subgenres (and there is now a huge list to choose from) and let your sales figures and reviews ...

When the horrendous terms of Amazon’s Audible platform were revealed, many indie authors turned to Findaway Voices to distribute their audiobooks instead. But the industry is now scrambling in alarm following the 2022 acquisition of Findaway Voices by Spotify, who, within two years, have managed to make Amazon look like a perfect saint in comparison. (Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch.) Although Spotify backed down (slightly) thanks to the overwhelming backlash following their initial announcement, which included the line about waiving the right to object to derogatory use of one’s work, their previous history of issues in the music industry along with their apparent lack of understanding of the independent book publishing industry is deeply concerning. The original paragraph in the new Spotify terms that sparked outrage. This clause has since been redrafted.   As part of their backpedaling, Spotify published a list of FAQ in direct response to concerns voiced over so...

Google's Gmail team, along with Yahoo and Microsoft (Outlook and Hotmail), has begun the process of cracking down on junk mail of all kinds - not just spam, phishing, and virus-ridden pests, but also mail that is chronically ignored by recipients. As from this month (February 2024) the extended date of April 2024, there will be a number of requirements that need to be met before any bulk mail you send out will even be delivered.  Google announced  this change to email delivery conditions late last year, but, before we all panic, let's go through what you need to know if you’re planning on sending messages to your mailing list this year. Firstly, though you may see some sources reassuring you that this applies only to marketers sending more than 5000 messages per day per domain, you still need to take this seriously even if your mailing list is smaller than that. The 5000 emails criteria is only what Google has stated so far; the other major players (Yahoo and Mic...

Ask any author how they come up with their ideas, and the reflexive response is likely to be, “It just comes to me.” That’s not helpful, however, if you’re having to ask yourself that question because your idea-well has temporarily run dry. It can easily happen at the start of a new year when you’ve made the decision to begin something new, or write a sequel to last year’s novel, or you just want to enter a writing competition. Often our brains are terrible teases, serving up numerous ideas that are completely “wrong” in the moment – wrong genre, wrong book series, wrong historical period, wrong age group... Discovering how your mind works, how the spark of a story begins to flicker into existence for you, will allow you to light the flames of your creativity whenever you like, and fan them in the direction you need them to go. Browse through the 24 sources of inspiration listed below and see which of these resonate with you, and whether there are a few unexpected options you’d like ...

  Many of our team members have been dealing with personal issues and challenges this year, so we are taking a break until 2024. See you in the new year! Painting "Decadente" by Ramon Casas, 1899

Have you ever found writing difficult in times of worldwide chaos? I doubt any of us is old enough to have been putting serious pencil to paper during World War II. I am among BRP's eldest contributors, and my first attempts at childish poetry came at the very end of that war (or perhaps shortly after it was over). On the heels of WW2 came the Korean Police Action followed by the civil war in Viet Nam that eventually involved military personnel from other countries. And along came Iraq and Afghanistan wars. While none of the more recent military actions reached the magnitude of the Second World War, all have impacted people around the globe. Then Covid-19 rode into the world with 2020 and introduced a global pandemic that has infected more than 767 million people and snuffed out 6,935,889 million lives as of 6 a.m. on May 31, 2023, according to WHO. While this huge death toll pales compared to the deaths of an estimated 75 - 200 million people in Western Eurasia and North Africa du...