Where do you get your ideas? That’s a common question asked of novelists. With literally thousands of new books released each year, it can seem overwhelming to create a new story idea that will capture people’s attention – so just how do you do it? At the heart of every story idea is a question: […]
Behind the Scenes: Author Kim Vandel Wants to Be a Superhero
I’m old enough to remember the days before the Internet made cartoons available anytime you wanted them. For me, Saturday wasn’t just a break from school. It was the one day of the week dedicated to cartoons. It was my chance to watch the Justice League defend mankind from the nefarious schemes of villains like […]
How does a novelist get started?
1. Don’t be a lone wolf. Get with other writers, show them their stuff, help them evaluate theirs. Ask them to brainstorm with you; writers all love brainstorming. A writers’ conference can be a place to make these connections, or a writers’ organization. While it’s great to find people writing in your genre, it’s not […]
Writers, how to find your audience
Agent Chip MacGregor says, “Go find your audience and stand in front of them.” It’s great advice for anyone wanting to sell anything. I’ve got something to add: don’t just stand in front of them, but convince them that your item is what everybody else wants, activating what marketers call social proof. As in, “Everybody […]
Behind the Scenes: Creating Alison, by Johnnie Alexander
My name is Alison Schuyler, a fitting name for me and my forebears. It’s Dutch, like my ancestors, and has the connotation of hiding and of shelter. This paragraph, written in a blank book one sunny afternoon, was my introduction to the heroine of my World War II novel, Where Treasure Hides. Alison wasn’t totally […]
Author marketing: what’s your brand?
Branding is the core of marketing. We want “folks out there” to recognize our brand and associate it with certain things. Readers in our core audience will see and respond positively to the brand. Readers not in the core audience may respond negatively. But wouldn’t it be nice if they all recognized it? Branding can […]
Behind the Scenes: When Truth Becomes Fiction by Christy Distler
“Wow. You always did have a wild imagination.” That was a friend’s (not unkind) response when I explained the plot of the novel I’d just finished: the physical, emotional, and spiritual journey of a young woman who learns, at age twenty-five, that she was adopted at birth and goes in search of her birth family. […]
The Slush Pile – Murky Waters or Treasure Trove?
The phrase “slush pile” generally doesn’t paint a pretty picture in the minds of either authors or agents and editors. For authors, being in the slush pile means a long wait on the good side, and never hearing anything on the bad side. For agents and editors, the slush pile means long hours of work […]
Do authors need author websites?
What’s an author website for? Do you really need one? Do you need one if you aren’t published yet? Here’s what an author website is for: engaging potential readers. Yes, you really need an author website, and you need it as soon as you can do it–that is, as soon as you can identify who […]
Ask your friends for marketing help
Marketing tip for today: Writers, today we’re going to ask you to consider who you may know, or who your family may know, who could help you market your book. Maybe there’s someone in your circle of friends and acquaintances who is in the media. A radio DJ? A regular blogger? An editor? What if […]