So you’ve written a book. You think it’s pretty good, send out queries to agents and small presses. Get rejection after rejection. “Not right for us.” “Don’t know where to place it on the shelf.” “Too much like someone’s work we already represent.” Yada, yada, yada. I finally got an agent, but she couldn’t sell my books. I wrote a couple of erotic romances that were accepted by good online erotic publishers of the time, 2010, then decided to self-publish with Amazon the four suspense novels I’d accumulated from my previous years of writing. They made it easy and gave a good percentage. I was not sorry. Those first few years I sold a lot of books, got half dozen BookBub ads, gave a bunch away, which jump-started sales.  There are a few things writers MUST do if you intend to self-publish your books.       1. Write a good book (Duh!)       2. Hire a good editor                 ...

All month we've shared our favorite hacks and gadgets, and I admit I've watched closely to see if any grabbed my particular interest. I've tried a few gadgets and apps in the past few years, but none have held my attention for very long. As the days of March passed, I realized that next to my laptop, the one gadget I use most is my Kindle Fire. Of course, I use it for the obvious reason - to buy ebooks! My most recent acquisition was this book by Becky Clark. It's an engaging and helpful read, and I'll probably review it here soon. Eight Weeks to a Complete Novel I don't just read ebooks from Amazon though. I soon discovered the Overdrive collection at my library, so now do most of my reading and research by checking out e-Library books. I love their format, and the fact that I can read online or download to the Kindle. And I can make recommendations for the library to add new books, including the latest from my blog team. Recently the library added Ann ...

You’ve written a story, and want to share it on Amazon, so the whole world will see it. Before doing so, you need to make sure everything is up to speed. There's lots of ground to cover, but here are a smattering of helpful hints to get you rolling. Do a title page with your book's name, then skip down a few lines and add your author name. Speaking of titles - Don’t choose one that’s been around the block. Readers get confused easily, and if someone recommends a title, the reader might go to the wrong book, instead of yours. Do single space your document. Do indent the first line of your paragraphs, instead of tabbing. Do make page breaks for each chapter and number the chapters. Don’t repeat certain words, especially unusual ones that readers will remember. Do use a Thesaurus or Google to find synonyms. Don’t begin every sentence the same way. Vary the structure. Don’t tell the reader too much backstory. Sprinkle it in a little at a time. Don’t let the cat out of the ...

This morning I was struck by how birds readily adapt to change. In lieu of what at one time was their normal venue, they're now in the habit of perching on wires. Not only that, they've built nests in the fixtures on our patio, they sit on top of shovels and broom handles, and today I found some sitting on the branches I'd placed in a bin, due to a windstorm. The birds flew off before I could show them to you, but note what they left behind on the shovel. Birds adapt, and authors can and do. Countless have taken the plunge and are self-publishing, either all or some of their books, in e-book and/or print format. Some, myself included, have either hired illustrators for covers, or even created their own book covers, through such resources as Amazon Cover Creator.  Many readers have also adapted, and use e-readers, instead of, or as well as print books. I like both, but lean toward reading from my Kindle most of the time. Promotions also have changed. Before, booksignings...

Contemplating my mortality and being obsessively organized, I have given considerable thought to what happens when I die. Having dealt with our parents’ deaths has reinforced the need to think about the logistics of dismantling the detritus of a lifetime. There are special matters that must be addressed upon a writer’s death. If you are a traditionally published writer, you have a contract with a publisher and an agent. In the digital age and with self-publishing, the list is a little longer. 1) How will your outstanding royalties be paid? Are they paid into a business account or a personal account? Will that account be closed? If the payments are direct deposited, the executor of your will must change the bank account information for payments. If the account belongs to a corporation that will remain intact, the payments can continue as is. 2) Who will you give access? If you self-publish, make certain you leave instructions as well as your sign-on and passwords fo...

This post was first published here on November 27, 2013. Prior to the invention of the Internet, writers holed up in their attics, alone and palely scribbling, fantasizing about an elusive publishing contract. They spent sunny afternoons deep in the bowels of libraries flipping through the card catalog and paging through thick reference books. Scribes developed callouses on their fingers. They sported perpetual ink stains from writing draft after draft on paper they wadded and tossed in bins. They longed for someone, anyone, to talk to about their passion. They were isolated introverts with impossible dreams, often in desperate need of a critique group or at least someone to help with plot snags or elusive titles. Then some smarty pants invented the electric typewriter, which led to the personal computer, which led to the Internet. Writers were able to research from the comfort of their living rooms while still in their bathrobes. They could draft and revise a hundred ti...

… and Other Life Lessons . Today we talk to Jodi Carmichael, the newest author at Little Pickle Press about her first publication, a middle grade novel about a young boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. Dani:   Jodi, how did you come to write Spaghetti? Jodi: It’s a funny story. I was asleep and Connor, the 8-year-old main character in Spaghetti , woke me up chatting about his day. He wouldn’t stop talking until I typed out everything he had to say. It was like I was channeling him. It was the single coolest experience I’ve had as a writer. Dani: Did you submit it to various publishers? Jodi: Only to a few. Connor feels like my third child and holds a special place in my heart, so I was careful about which publisher I contacted. Plus receiving rejections on his story felt more personal, like my own child was being rejected. Dani: What were your expectations around getting the book published? Jodi: I’d read a lot about how greatly publishing has changed over ...

By Dani Greer, Chief Red Pencil When I first heard about Peg Brantley’s new novel, The Missings , I wanted to know the Gore Meter Rating. Most of you know my weak heart can’t handle much more than a good cozy mystery when it comes to spine-tingling reads. It turns out the first chapter was about as gory as it got. The thrill level was definitely alive and well in this fast-paced novel though. But what thrilled me most of all is something we don’t see all that often in a plot-driven read: great character development. All of us feel fear, but I recently read in Psychology Today that we are born with only a few, such as fear of falling and fear of starvation. That means humans have acquired a lot of other fears through learned behavior. Some of the most common ones include fear of insects; fear of water or fire; fear of public speaking; fear of rejection; fear of nuclear war; fear of success or failure. In The Missings , Brantley plays on common fears many of us ha...