In this ever changing world, it is easy to want to sit back and watch others sink or swim. Have you ever been with a group and you all want to do something that appears fun, exciting, thrilling—like jumping off a rock ledge into a lake on a hot summer day? There is a moment when everyone dares everyone else to “go first”. Finally, the bravest (or maybe just the craziest) runs and jumps in! Often new options of social media feel this way. There was a time when Youtube, Vimeo, LinkedIN, Facebook, GooglePlus, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or Periscope…
Category: Writing Business
This is our archive pageRuining Your Book At The Last Minute
Hello from novelist Gail Gaymer Martin. Once again I’m here to share some information with you about the art and craft of good fiction writing. Earlier this year I read an article written by Agent Erin Buterbaugh on Chip MacGregor’s Blog. The article talked about what happens when you don’t understand how to end a novel successfully. I’ve written numerous articles on the final act of a novel, Act III (you’ll find more info on writing the last quarter of the book on my website under Plotting, but Erin made reference to the denouement, a French word meaning the last…
Tips from the Pros: Leann Harris
Greetings from Sarah Sundin in California! Since I’m heading to Texas for the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference (ACFW) in Dallas next week, it’s only appropriate to interview Texan Leann Harris. Leann is a prolific writer, with twenty-one published romance, suspense, and romantic suspense novels published. Leann, how did you get into writing? I taught deaf high school students math and science until I had my first child. After the birth of my second child, I started to write. I had stories running around in my head and my husband brought home a TI personal computer and thus my writing…
Getting More Blog Readers
Marketing Ideas From Cheri Cowell Many of us have found blogging a wonderful way to express ourselves, test ideas, and connect to readers. So we invest time, post our blogs and wait…we wait for someone to read the words we’ve woven into masterpieces. However, there is a better way than simply ‘waiting and hoping’ for someone to stumble upon your site. Here are a few ideas to craft a Blog Reader Drive so those posts will have the impact upon the world you always prayed it would have.
Transform
Bob Hostetler here, offering another prayer for writers: Lord Jesus, you turned a meager lunch into a banquet for thousands, a common lake trout into an ATM, a brash fisherman into a water-walker, a skeptical Thomas into a staunch devotee, and a grisly death into death’s defeat. Please turn my faulty thoughts and flailing words into something worth reading. Amen.
Stories, Parables & Movie Scripts Basic screenplay writing excerpted from HOW TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD (WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL) Part V The Premise
A great story goes somewhere. It tells us something. That something is a premise. A poor story wanders about, gets lost and bores an audience. In a baseball game, the team with the most runs wins. You watch the game to see if the team that you like can get the most runs and win the game. Imagine how boring baseball would be if there was nothing to win: if “games” were like practice sessions where players just hit and fielded balls without a clear purpose. No one would want to pay to watch. A premise says, “To win, I…
Getting Heard Above the Noise
Take it from me. When researching the topic of marketing for fiction, it seems there are about as many “experts” out in cyberspace and our local bookstore as there are writers of fiction. Each one believes they have the formula for success. Yet, when you check their sales numbers on Amazon or CBD (if they are Christian-based), their sales are often not very good. What does that say to you and me? What it tells me is that selling books is a lot like creating a product. Some become household names, like Kleenex and Ford. Some were mistakes that found…
BACK-TO-SCHOOL BOOK MARKETING
Back-to-school is a great time to market books. If you write for adults, you may think this is not true. After all, many families are spending their money on school supplies and new clothes for the kids – right? Here are some ways to market your books during this transition period. Consider Your Audience Children are making a transition into new routines for the school year. Now is a great time for them to start with a new devotional. I posted about that here. Many kids will also be reading books of their choosing for school assignments and free reading…
What to Do When Nothing’s Happening
Hi! Virelle Kidder here from sunny Florida! Have you hit a fallow period in your writing? Doesn’t everybody once in awhile? Maybe you just left a big conference with no book contracts, not even a nibble, and everyone but you is glowing with good news. Instead of thinking your career is over and burying your grief in chocolate or ice cream, consider this a brief writing holiday and try a new strategy.
Was I too daring with my attire at the ICRS this year?
Hola from Janet Perez Eckles…Igniting Your Passion to Overcome Like most of you, I ponder, reflect, evaluate and pray and pray some more before heading to any writer’s conference or event. I did the same before this past AWSA and ICRS events in Orlando. This year the decision was easier. I figured that since they were being held in my hometown, hotel expenses would be eliminated. And I could even host some dear friends in our home.
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