Should You Self-Publish or Pursue a Mainstream Publisher?
huffingtonpost.com – Monday March 14, 2016
Over the past month, I have fielded numerous inquiries about book development and promotion, so I figured it would be helpful to share with you my tips for both. In this first installment, I'll focus on the starting point question of whether to self-publish or pursue a mainstream publisher. There is really no right or wrong answer here. Instead, there are pros and cons of each route, along with numerous variables to consider. Here are some of them:
Save dragons, save books! Three authors give tips on children's writing
theguardian.com – Wednesday March 9, 2016
It’s a perennial bugbear among children’s writers that every other writer thinks it’s an easy thing to do when, in fact, children are among the most discerning readers, with an intimate relationship with the on-off switch. Three leading authors will be passing on the tricks of the trade in a Guardian Masterclass on Sunday, 20 March. We asked Philip Ardagh, author of the Eddie Dickens series; How to Train Your Dragon author Cressida Cowell; and Laura Dockrill, author of the Darcy Burdock books, to explain the challenges and the rewards of specialising in literature for young people. They also give some useful tips for anyone hoping to follow them into this most demanding of areas.
For writers: To agent or not to agent?
wnd.com – Wednesday March 9, 2016
Writers who want to be published (or who have already been published) are constantly in a state of turmoil trying to answer the question: Do I need an agent?
Ross MacKenzie's whirlwind guide to writing mystery
theguardian.com – Wednesday March 2, 2016
When I first sat down to write The Nowhere Emporium, I didn’t really think of it as a mystery novel at all. It was just a story I knew I really wanted to tell. It began with the vision of an enchanted shop, a shop that moved around, appearing anywhere, at any time. But I didn’t know why this happened. So I wrote the rest of the book to find out. And as the story developed, I slowly realised that I was writing a mystery book.
50 Writing Tips From My 15 Years As An Author
forbes.com – Wednesday March 23, 2016
One of the questions I’m asked on a daily basis is some form of, “I want to become an author. Can you help?” There are certainly better people to ask than me. But after writing hundreds of articles and nine books in 15 years—both traditionally published and self-published, both non-fiction and fiction, both epic failures and national bestsellers—I do have some thoughts on the matter.
Why Fiction Authors Benefit from Indie Publishing
digitalbookworld.com – Tuesday March 22, 2016
Independent publishing has changed the way authors look at the industry, with many questioning whether it’s worthwhile to play the waiting game and pray for the payoff from a traditional publisher, or instead take their fate into their own hands. There are clearly benefits and pitfalls to either choice. What authors need to seriously consider when they make this decision, though, is whether or not they are willing to put in the time and effort to make it work.
Writing Should Be Fun
huffingtonpost.com – Tuesday March 22, 2016
Yes, writing should be fun, and for most writers - even those writers who complain about writer’s block, and who claim they like having written more than writing, and who say writing is like sitting at a desk until blood comes out of your forehead - writing is fun. They just don’t recognize the fun when it’s happening. That’s because writers are overwhelmingly adults, and fun is what adults get to have when they’re done doing their important adult work.
10 Struggles All Creative Writing Majors Understand
bustle.com – Sunday March 20, 2016
I have a degree in creative writing. And I'm pretty sure they won't refund me if I try to return it. So I have chosen to be proud of my degree. When I tell people that I majored in creative writing, though, I usually get a response that ranges from sympathy to out and out horror. People want to know why my parents allowed me, their only child, to throw away my future on a creative writing degree (but my parents are both professional actors, so they actually think of writing as a very solid and employable career path).
Finally Finish Your Novel With These 10 Writing Apps for iOS
pastemagazine.com – Friday March 18, 2016
The App Store is teeming with great apps for helping you keep short notes on your iPhone or iPad, but it’s not just there for reminding you to pick up milk or to email someone. There are plenty of apps that allow you to write much longer pieces in a convenient format – whether it’s an essay or the start of the next Oscar winning blockbuster. Here are 10 great apps for writing long form pieces on the move.
Selling Your Writing To Boating Magazines
cruisingworld.com – Thursday March 17, 2016
In kindergarten I was tasked with making a shoebox diorama that showed me engaged in my future vocation. The little cardboard me I cut out wasn't playing a professional sport or fighting a fire or walking on the Moon. Instead, Mini Me sat solo in the empty Vans shoebox, in a tiny cardboard chair, behind a tiny cardboard table, in front of a tiny cardboard typewriter. It wasn't a dream I chased very far. At some point growing up I was dissuaded by pragmatism. Having learned that I stood the same chances of becoming a successful writer as my kindergarten classmates did becoming a professional baseball player, I steered clear of ever being caught playing the dreamer.
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