Writing about writing. Mostly.
by Ruth Harris I’ve been published for decades. Random House and Simon & Schuster paid me well to publish my books in hard cover and paperback. My books have sold millions of copies, been translated into 19 languages, and appeared on Amazon and NYTimes bestseller lists. Shouldn’t I know by now wtf I’m doing? Shouldn’t […]
I’m tired of book bloggers getting no respect. by Anne R. Allen The contempt some business people have for bloggers never ceases to amaze me. Every day I get emails demanding I do free work for companies that are obviously solvent enough to hire employees—so why do they imagine it’s okay to demand that bloggers […]
Novellas, novelettes, and serial fiction are no longer “old fashioned.” by Mara Purl Do you know what George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, and H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds have in common? They’re not novels. They’re novellas. Novellas went out of style in […]
Writing scams are like old-time snake-oil elixirs. Beware the smooth-talking charlatan. by Anne R. Allen A couple of months ago I wrote about some of the weird writing scams that have been showing up in my email inbox. A number of my online author friends have since told me they’ve been getting them too. So […]
Fantasy is what keeps writers going… by Ruth Harris Does any of this sound familiar? Fantasy: Oodles of long, uninterrupted stretches of time in which to dream, think, imagine. Reality: Rewriting/revising/editing that *%$& chapter for the umpteenth time. Fantasy: A leisurely afternoon at a baseball game, or at the park, or relaxing in a hammock. […]
Aggression, greed, and paranoia do not enhance your author brand. by Anne R. Allen Recently there’s been a bizarre drama going on in the book world. It’s been given the name #cockygate, because it involves a cocky author who managed to trademark the word “cocky” in a deluded attempt to eliminate the “competition” and “protect” […]
Yes! Traditional publishing is possible after self-publishing. by Eldonna Edwards I’d been writing a novel off-and-on for over a decade when life threw me one of those cosmic curveballs that sent me careening in a totally different direction. Actually, it was more like me running onto the field and catching a curveball between the eyes, […]
Not every first novel is a practice novel. by Anne R. Allen It’s a sad truth that most first novels never see print. Editors call them “practice novels.” They make up a good portion of agents’ slush piles, and if you self-publish, they’re unlikely to sell. On her Bad Girl Comedy blog this week, author […]
First sentences from classic and contemporary literature analyzed. by Ruth Harris No matter what genre you write, your first sentence is a seduction. It can be in the form of an invitation. A declaration. A tease. A promise. A jolt. A shock. You must be shameless and your first sentence must be irresistible. It must […]
Amazon’s paid review crackdown may have punished “over a million” innocent customers. by Anne R. Allen My inbox has been bursting with unsolicited emails for the past few weeks. I must be on a new list of “easy prey” circulating in the the author-scamming community. Several sleazy guys with dodgy language skills have hit me […]
Social media marketing sells books…if you do it right! by Barb Drozdowich Did the title catch your attention? I’m older and the word “Dork” speaks to me. I didn’t grow up with social media in my life. The phone that I talked on was still attached to the wall. A smart phone and communicating electronically […]
Alas, publishing is about the bottom line, not warm fuzzies and gold stars. by Anne R. Allen The biggest obstacle many new writers face in making the leap from beginning writer to professional author is accepting that publishing is a business. Newbie writers have often taken creative writing courses or read books that urge them […]
Saying goodbye to that WIP can be bittersweet.. by Anne R. Allen I’ve recently had discussions with several writers who have been pondering saying goodbye to that WIP they’ve been laboring at for years. All of them wanted to move on for different reasons. All of their reasons were valid. Unfortunately, the writers felt it […]
Anne R Allen’s Blog With Ruth Harris