Writing 101: Focus on Your Local Market

I think every author dreams of being an international success, crossing oceans like J.K Rowling, becoming a household name like Stephen King. But before you can make it big, you have to start small. You have to focus on your local market.

Hometown Hero

For most, fame and fortune does not come overnight. As an author, you have to win readers over one at a time. When you throw your book into an ocean made up of books, yours can become lost. So try putting it in a pond instead.

Indie News: Are eBooks Making Us Dumber?

The ebook boom has touched us all, and the indie author more than most, but is all this change really a good thing? According to one study, maybe not. In fact, ebooks could be fundamentally changing the way we read.

eReading

A recent study of students showed both the good and bad side of ebooks. Students who were given ebooks wanted to read more than those who received print books, but the students who used ereaders comprehended less than those who used paper. It's because, one expert says, the device itself is a distraction from reading.

Your attention may be diverted from what you're reading if you're holding a device that can also shop, play movies and give you instant access to hundreds of other books. So is more information and wider availability in books really such a good thing, or does it only mean that books will have even more trouble standing out from the pack?

Books on Film: Precious

I only watched the film Precious once, because it was just so powerful I could never face it again. It's a gut-wrenching look at the life of an underprivileged girl, but before it made Gabourey Sidibe famous it was a book called Push.

The Book

Push was the debut novel for Sapphire, and she wasn't messing around. The novel focuses on Claireece Precious Jones, 16, who has the deck stacked against her. She's obese, she's illiterate, and it shows. The novel is written in her voice, so at the beginning it can be difficult to read. Saying the words out loud,exactly as they are spelled, helps.

Writing 101: Consistency

When it comes to any type of writing, there's one thing all writers have to be: consistent. With very few exceptions, I post my writing tips to this blog Monday through Thursday, week after week. I do this because I'm consistent. Now I'm going to tell you why you've got to be consistent, too. 

Consistent, Not Boring 

Now, I'm not suggesting that you do things the same way every day or that you write the same book over and over again. When I say be consistent with your writing, I mean it only in very specific ways. 

Writing 101: Serial Comma

I don't often wax poetic about the finer points of punctuation (or even, really, address them), because everywhere I look people are still using 's to pluralize words so I don't much see the point in it. However, the serial comma question keeps coming up again and again. So how are indie authors supposed to address it in their books? 

Once, and for All

Serial commas are the kind of thing that only writers would ever think about. Most people don't even notice whether or not they're using them. Are you...or do you only think you're using serial commas? 

If you list specific items such as books, ereaders, and tablets, you might be using a serial comma. I just did, in fact. 

Writing 101: Manuals of Style

So I'm cruising around the Goodreads forums the other day when I saw a post where someone was asking about a specific book, wanted to know if anyone had read it. I read a lot of books, so I decided to check it out. And then I saw the book cover...and shuddered. Yes, I recognized that book. No, I didn't respond to the forum -- because frankly, there just wasn't enough time. 

You see, the poster in question was asking about The Chicago Manual of Style. And there's just no reason for me to discuss that book with indie authors...because indie authors don't need it. You don't need that manual of style, or really any other, and I'm going to tell you why.

Writing 101: Taking Yourself Too Seriously

Admit it: have you ever teared up over a bad review? Have you ever lashed out on Twitter, yelled at a beta reader or had a total meltdown in the forums? If you're letting the criticism get to you, it's possible that you're taking yourself too seriously.

Everybody Loves a Clown? 

As an author, you pour a lot of really personal stuff and a ton of emotion into every page. You sweat and cry and pace and wonder and edit, edit, edit until your eyes become blurry.  Then you present your darling creation to the world...and the world promptly rips it apart. 

Indie News: Newspaper Content Brings Indie Books into the Limelight

Ever dreamed of having your self-published book reviewed by an authoritative newspaper? The Guardian is giving indies that chance.

Spotlight on the Self-Published

Working with Legend Times, The Guardian will review self-published authors in the newspaper as part of a contest for indie authors. 

You have the option of submitting one novel a year to the contest, which is held monthly. Judges include members of the Andrew Lownie Literary Agency, Lauren Parsons of Legend Press and authors Polly Courtney and Stuart Evers. The winning novel of the month will be reviewed.

The first entries for the contest began on April 8.