Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published
Today’s Friday Feature Author Interview is with Rachel Skatvold, author of the Riley Family Legacy novella series. Thank you, Rachel for allowing me to interview you and sharing your experiences with my readers.
What made you decide on novella length for your series? [Read more…] about Indie Publishing: Author Rachel Skatvold’s Perspective
How much thought do you give to point of view (POV) as you begin a new story?
The best POV for your story is not always the protagonist or even the antagonist. Consider how different the book To Kill a Mockingbird would have been if told from Atticus’ POV. Or Gone with the Wind from Ashley’s POV.
To help you experiment, here’s a writing exercise.
[Read more…] about Discover How Point of View Impacts Your Story
This past Saturday I discovered a website offering my newest ebook, Carried by Grace, for free.
What a shock! Piracy of my ebooks is something I never expected.
It’s bad enough getting robbed at home (a 4-time occurrence for me, ugh), but now people are attempting to rob me online. Hackers and thieves—I dare not get started on that topic.
This particular site offered quite a number of other ebooks for free download. Though I can’t say for sure, I suspect I was not his/her only victim.
I immediately looked for [Read more…] about Piracy of Your Ebooks
Please welcome Robin Tidwell to this month’s Friday Feature Author Interview. Robin writes books in the dystopian genre, a genre that has grown a great deal in popularity in recent years.
Her journey to publication also led her down the road to becoming a publisher herself. Robin will be available all day to respond to your comments, so if you have a question be sure to post it in the comments. [Read more…] about Author Turned Publisher
Comma, semicolon or colon, which one should I use?
Have I mixed past and present tense verbs in my story?
Do my subjects and verbs agree?
Do I have misplaced modifiers?
Aaahhh. English grammar can be infuriating and confusing. But a manuscript riddled with incorrect grammar is a sure-fire trip to File 13. What do you do to fix it? [Read more…] about 7 Ways to Overcome Trouble with Grammar
Precise verbs are important to every great book, be it fiction or non-fiction. In fact, where preciseness is concerned I can say that about nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and . . . Okay, all parts of speech.
During the draft process, you are focused on getting the ideas out of your head and into the computer. Don’t stop to struggle over a word choice during your draft. Hone in on your word choices when you start the revision.
Today, let’s take a look at 3 myths about choosing synonyms. [Read more…] about The Myth of Synonyms
I’m visiting today with author Linda Rooks who writes books for adults and children. Linda has a lot to share, so we’ll dive right in.
Linda, give us a bit of background on yourself.
My writing journey began when I was in 6th grade. My teacher gave a writing assignment to the class. She liked what I wrote, had me read it to the class, and everyone laughed at the right places. I also read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott that year and loved it. I identified with Jo’s love of writing. At the end of the school year, when my teacher wrote in my autograph book that one day I would be a famous author, it clinched my life goal of wanting to be a writer.
My actual writing career didn’t begin until [Read more…] about Linda Rooks’ Perseverance Leads to Success
You spend time reading a blog post because the topic strikes a chord. You’re right there experiencing exactly what the blogger is talking about. You leave a comment along with a question that probes deeper into the topic.
The next day you visit the blog to see if anyone has replied to your question. But astoundingly enough, you discover your comment has been removed.
I’ve been reading other blogs and leaving comments for a long time. Sometimes the blogger replies, sometimes not. That doesn’t bother me, but this past week, the above scenario happened to me.
I left a comment with a legitimate question about the post topic. While I hoped for a reply, I was prepared not to receive one. I got worse than no reply. My comment was removed. And it wasn’t just mine; ALL comments were removed. (Tweet this.)
I’m livid. I feel a bit like I’ve been stabbed in the back. The topic of the post struck deep and was about a subject with which I am presently deeply struggling. Further, this blogger’s action makes me question the authenticity of the blogger’s commitment to the Christian principles the blog touts.
I realize this blogger may have a good reason for removing the comments; however, if that blogger prefers not to have comments on his/her blog, then why allow them to begin with?
Don’t alienate your readers by removing their honest comments from your blog. Instead, deactivate comments from your blog or for that particular post.
A large part of marketing is building relationships. What kind of relationships can you build if you never respond to or remove your readers’ comments?
Engaging with commenters creates relationship. They become potential buyers.
Certainly not all comments require an answer, and some comments are self-promotional spam. But what about those who resonate with the topic and ask a sincere question?
What’s your take? Has this ever happened to you? How did it make you feel about that blog/blogger?
The blogger in this case has lost my business.
(Did you miss my guest post on Book Marketing Tools.com? Visit here: “Are You Forgetting this Vital Step in Your Book Marketing Plan?”)