Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
Publishing scams target babes in the woods by Anne R. Allen I hear about new publishing scams all the time. Sometimes scammers approach me personally, but more often I hear a sad tale of woe from some newbie who has fallen for the latest con. This week I realized that almost all the victims of […]
by Ruth Harris No. Non. Nein. Nyet. No effin way. And, in case you haven’t suffered enough: لا (That’s Arabic for “not right for us.”) And it’s not just you. If you’re a writer, you will be rejected. And you will be dissed. Period. Comes with the territory. (Sorry about that.) Kathryn Stockett ’s The Help (on the New York Times bestseller list for over 100 weeks, with sales of several million […]
by Anne R. Allen. Recently I’ve been seeing a bunch of ads for writing contests in my Facebook feed. Plus I’ve been getting unsolicited mass emails advertising similar competitions. Some of them look pretty legit, but I couldn’t help asking myself why. If it’s such a great contest, why do they need to use spam […]
by Anne R. Allen A lot of writers are talking about quitting Twitter and Facebook (and FB’s subsidiary, Instagram) because social media has become a “cesspool.” I hear you. Politicians, celebrities, and their mindless minions use social media to trash-talk and stir up negativity and chaos. Plus scammers and sadistic trolls lie in wait to […]
by Anne R. Allen In a much-shared article titled “Why Your Memoir Won’t Sell,” former Writer’s Digest editor Jane Friedman listed the things that will trigger an agent or publisher to reject a memoir by a non-celebrity. A lot of people working on memoirs have been pretty discouraged by it. But you don’t have to […]
The elusive Author Superfan, and the epidemic of braggy-beggy newsletters. by Anne R. Allen I keep reading about them. People swear they exist. But I’ve never met one. Or even seen its elusive footprint. No, I’m not talking about Bigfoot. I’m talking about the author Superfan. Lots of publishing experts I respect are saying we […]
Winning writing contests can build your self-esteem and raise your profile. By C. Hope Clark, Founder of Funds for Writers. Writing contests sound simple enough. You enter and hope you win. Winners, however, take contests more earnestly, using them as a serious tool in their career. Contests represent opportunity, measure, and hope. FundsforWriters.com treats writing […]
by Anne R. Allen These days, an author’s online presence is of vital importance to a career, whether we’re published or planning to publish. Whether we’re indie, hybrid, or trad-pubbed, it’s not only essential to be easy to find online, but we need to keep a professional presence and guard our author brand and reputation. […]
Publishing predictions: Laurie McLean’s annual look into her crystal ball. By Laurie McLean, Founding Partner of Fuse Literary Agency The last year has seen a maturation of many of the trends that were sparked by the revolution in publishing that began a decade ago. Indie publishing. Social media marketing. The birth of Author-preneurs. Smart phones […]
Hollywood loves High Concept. by Anne R. Allen Here it is! My first “High Concept” novel. At least it’s a close to High Concept as I’m likely to write. I have to admit I’ve been a little terrified somebody might come out with a book with the same title or plot before my slow-writer self […]
Win #NaNoWriMo? Time to celebrate! Especially if it’s your first novel. by Anne R. Allen. Did you win #NaNo? Is it a first novel? Congratulations!!! Only about 3% of people who start novels actually finish, so you’re a major winner right there. You’ve done something spectacular. So break out the bubbly and savor the moment! […]
New Book Marketing: how today’s author launches a book. By Melodie Campbell New Book!! Gak – I have a new book coming out January 29. The Goddaughter Does Vegas is number 6 in an award-winning series (Derringer and Arthur Ellis – yay!) Because of that, I do have some expectation of sales from previous readers of […]
by Anne R. Allen We live in a speed-obsessed civilization. Whatever it is we crave—cars, trains, electronics, food, dates—we want them ever-faster-and-furiouser. In fact, much of the developed world seems to be engaged some turbocharged drag race of the soul, hurtling our frenzied selves from cradle to grave, terrified of slowing for even a […]
