So, your work in progress takes place in the 1800s … or maybe it’s a contemporary story, but one that is set in a region of the country you’re unfamiliar with. You know you’ve got a lot of research to do to make your story accurate and credible, but where do you begin?
Are you in the process of writing your book? Or do you have a publishing contract in hand? No matter the answer, you can begin developing your marketing plan right now. But there’s so much that goes into marketing it’s overwhelming and time consuming. How do you make it more manageable?
Another year is drawing closed. Seems like only yesterday that I realized my dream of becoming a writer, yet it’s been over 12 years since the dream became reality. In 2002 Focus on the Family hired me as a junior copywriter. And even though I was now working as a writer, I struggled to think…
I’m excited to have award-winning author Elaine Marie Cooper with us today, and I have a surprise for you at the end. Be sure to keep reading. Elaine is the author of 5 books. Her most recent historical fiction, Fields of the Fatherless, has won 3 awards: 2014 Selah Award, YA Fiction; 2014 Next Generation…
Marketing. Most writers dread it. Because, after all, we’d rather be writing. But gone are the days when the publisher handled ALL the marketing of a book for their authors. And the truth of it is, even in the “old days” traditional publishers didn’t allocate equal marketing dollars to every book. Whether you are traditionally…
As discussed in “6 Steps to Story Development,” a story needs conflict. In fact, without it you have no story. So let’s take a closer look and see how you can make sure you’re developing the conflict in your story. James Scott Bell, in his book Conflict & Suspense, defines conflict this way: “a clash between…
Do you have a book releasing soon, or one already on the market? Doing local radio station interviews is a good way to get the word out about your book. These local interviews also help you break into the public speaking arena on a more comfortable level. You’ll gain experience and practice that will help…
When you get right down to it the major goal of the fiction writer is to keep the reader reading. And like the performer who spins plates at the top of a stick, writers must spin several plates too—characters and character arc, plot and plot development, conflict, dialog, show vs. tell, and pacing. If we focus…