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October 21, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 35 Comments

What if J. K. Rowling had used a Pseudonym? Should Authors Use Different Names for Different Genres?

What if J. K. Rowling had used a Pseudonym? Should Authors Use Different Names for Different Genres?

by Anne R. Allen   This post was originally written in October, 2012. Here’s an update: July 14, 2013. It seems the critically acclaimed detective novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling was written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Here’s an article in the Telegraph with details about the new revelation.  It got great reviews, but […]

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Filed Under: Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Publishing Business, The Writing Life Tagged With: Ann Patchett, Anne Gallagher, author branding, D. G. Sandru, Dean Wesley Smith, J. K. Rowling, Justin Cronin, Mary Sisson, pseudonym, Robynne Rand, The Daily Show, The Passive Voice, Tom Simon, using a pen name

October 14, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 27 Comments

Beware the Seven Deadly Writing Scams

We first ran into Lila Moore’s scam-alerts at The Passive Voice. We visited her new watchdog site, PopularSoda.com and were impressed with all her savvy advice. Indie publishing has generated lots of new money-wasters and scams. Popular Soda adds an indie-focused viewpoint to other author-advocate voices like Writer Beware and Preditors and Editors. Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, the following tips can […]

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Filed Under: Scams and Alerts for Writers, Social Media and Marketing For Writers Tagged With: Alexa Ratings, Author scams, Duolit, First Rights, Lila Moore, paid reviews, PopularSoda.com, Preditors and Editors, RG2E, Social Media, The Passive Voice, Writer Beware, Writing scams

October 7, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 39 Comments

NaNoWriMo—Should You Join in the Silliness? 9 Reasons to Consider it.

NaNoWriMo—Should You Join in the Silliness? 9 Reasons to Consider it.

by Anne R. Allen   First: full disclosure—I’ve never NaNo’ed. I’m a slo-o-o-w writer. My editor despairs. I’ve got a new Camilla Randall mystery due in November (No Place Like Home) which I’ve been working on for a year and haven’t finished yet. (Yes, I’ve been writing, editing and launching six other books and two […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Chris Baty, Delilah S. Dawson, GalleyCat, Glimmer Train, How to barf a book, Josh Swiller, Marissa Meyer, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, Nick Hornby, Office of Letters and Light

September 30, 2012 By Ruth Harris 26 Comments

The Story that Took 50 Years to Write: an Interview with Michael Harris

The Story that Took 50 Years to Write: an Interview with Michael Harris

  Ruth and I are totally jazzed to announce that this blog has been named one of the Top 50 Blogs for Writers by Tribal Messenger Daily. To be up there with Konrath, Kristen Lamb, and Jane Friedman is an amazing honor. Here’s what they said: One stimulating blog, two of the most prolific digital and print authors […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: AndWeWereHungry, how to write memoir, Kristen Lamb, Michael Harris, Nuclear testing, Ruth Harris, The Atomic Times, Top 50 Blogs for Authors, TribalMessengerDaily, Why You Should Write Short Fiction

September 23, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 161 Comments

Top 10 Self-Sabotaging Mistakes of Author-Bloggers

Top 10 Self-Sabotaging Mistakes of Author-Bloggers

by Anne R. Allen   Aspiring writers are told we should all be blogging. If you’re willing to make the commitment, I do think it’s the best way to start building platform and getting your name out there. If you have no Web presence, agents, reviewers and readers are a lot less likely to take […]

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Filed Under: Blogging for Authors, Social Media and Marketing For Writers Tagged With: Anne R. Allen, blogging for authors, CAPTCHA, how to blog, Kristen Lamb, Porter Anderson, Ruth Harris, twitter handles, WIX, your name is your brand

September 9, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 89 Comments

How to Write an Author Bio When You Don’t Feel Like an Author…Yet

How to Write an Author Bio When You Don’t Feel Like an Author…Yet

by Anne R. Allen   Maybe you’ve got a novel finished and you’ve been sending out queries. Lots. And you’re getting rejections. Lots. Or worse, that slow disappointment of no response at all. Or maybe you write short fiction and poetry and you’ve got a bunch of pieces you’ve been sending out to contests and […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Anne R. Allen, Author bio, Central Coast Writers Conference, Christopher Moore, Jeff Carlson, Jill Corcoran., Laurie McLean, Pam Van Hylckama Vleig, query letter, Roxanna Britton, Shirley S. Allen

September 2, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 58 Comments

How to Query a Book Review Blogger—and Combat Paid-Review Mills

by Anne R. Allen   The literary community was shaken this week by an article in the New York Times revealing how many “reader book reviews” are written for hire by book review mills. The most shocking revelation involved John Locke, one of the self-publishing movement’s greatest stars. Locke admitted to buying hundreds of reviews […]

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Filed Under: Blogging for Authors, Self-Publishing, Social Media and Marketing For Writers Tagged With: Amy Riley, Barbara Rogan, Book Reviews, Bookalicious Pam, Chuck Wendig, David Streitfeld, How to query a book blogger, John Locke, Pam Van Hylckama Vleig, Paul Laity, Porter Anderson

August 26, 2012 By Ruth Harris 18 Comments

Jumpstarting Fiction: How to Find Unique, Timely Ideas to Energize Your Creativity

Jumpstarting  Fiction: How to Find Unique, Timely Ideas to Energize Your Creativity

We have a big announcement: Ruth Harris has started her own blog!   No, she’s not going to abandon us over here. Her new blog is a whole ‘nother kettle of fish links. She will be posting a daily collection of links to articles she finds intriguing, unique, or just plain wacky. Fun stuff to […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Blogging, Golden Age of Publishing, Ruth Harris, Ruth Harris’s Blog, Writing ideas, Writing prompts

August 19, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 78 Comments

Should You Eliminate “Was” From Your Writing? Why Sometimes “the Rules” are Wrong.

Should You Eliminate “Was” From Your Writing? Why Sometimes “the Rules” are Wrong.

by Anne R. Allen   No matter how much time and energy we put into querying agents and editors–or learning the ins and outs of self-publishing–it’s all wasted if we don’t have a polished piece of work. One way to make sure your book is the best it can be is to brush up on […]

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Filed Under: Writing Craft Tagged With: Elizabeth S. Craig, grammar lessons, Grammar nerds, Karin Cox, Passive voice, Passive writing, Past perfect tense, squirrels

August 12, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 32 Comments

How a 91-year-old Author’s Debut Mystery Hit the Bestseller List

How a 91-year-old Author’s Debut Mystery Hit the Bestseller List

by Anne R. Allen NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS! Recently, my publisher, MWiDP, relaunched Shirley S. Allen’s cozy mystery, ACADEMIC BODY as an ebook. Sales had slowed for the print version published by Mainly Murder Press in 2010, but Mark Williams saw my ad for the book on this blog, read it and loved […]

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Filed Under: Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Academic Body, Bob Mayer, Catherine Ryan Hyde, cheap ebooks, cozy mysteries, How to Be a Writer in the E-Age, KDP Select, Kindle ebooks, Mark Coker, Shirley S. Allen

August 5, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 31 Comments

Terence Stamp: Actor, Writer, Publisher—His Journey from Academy Award Nomination to Unemployment and Back

Terence Stamp: Actor, Writer, Publisher—His Journey from Academy Award Nomination to Unemployment and Back

  I’m excited and honored to be hosting a superstar today! Terence Stamp is one of my favorite actors of all time. His career has spanned more than four decades, from his Academy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning title role in Billy Budd to his Cannes Film Festival Best Actor award winning role in The Collector to his portrayal of General […]

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Filed Under: Writing Craft Tagged With: Alicia Street, Andrew Loog Oldham, Anne R. Allen, Double Feature, Escargot Books, Rare Stamps, Richard LaPlante, Ruth Harris, Stamp Album, Terence Stamp

July 29, 2012 By Ruth Harris 41 Comments

How To Get Your Book Rejected: A Former Big 6 Editor Gives 5 Tips for Sure-Fire Rejection.

How To Get Your Book Rejected: A Former Big 6 Editor Gives 5 Tips for Sure-Fire Rejection.

  by Ruth Harris Are your Rejection-levels too low? Is publication coming too easily? Did your publisher’s promo/ad campaign turn your book into an overnight blockbuster? Did that mega-million movie deal just fall from the sky into your lap? If the answer is yes, if you feel you are not paying your dues, if you […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business, Writing Craft Tagged With: Academic Body, Betty Jo Stevenson Rides Again, Central Coast Writers Conference, Editing, How to get your book rejected, Park Avenue Series, Ruth Harris, Terence Stamp

July 22, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 46 Comments

Cybermen, The Colorado Tragedy, and the Sociopath in the Comment Thread: Don’t Add to the Crazy

Cybermen, The Colorado Tragedy, and the Sociopath in the Comment Thread: Don’t Add to the Crazy

by Anne R. Allen   We still know nothing of the motives of the demented gunman who perpetrated the horrors at the screening of The Dark Knight Rises on Thursday night—and my heart goes out to the victims of that tragedy. But I think it’s important to note that earlier that day, the Rotten Tomatoes movie review site had […]

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Filed Under: Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Anonymice, Colorado Tragedy, Cybermen, Dave Congalton, Dr. Martha Stout, Dr. Who, Reviews, Rotten Tomatoes Reviews, Sociopath, Terence Stamp, The Dark Knight Rises, The Sociopath Next Door

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writers digest 101 best websites for writers award

Anne R. AllenAnne R. Allen writes funny mysteries and how-to-books for writers. She also writes poetry and short stories on occasion. She’s a contributor to Writer’s Digest and the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market.

Her bestselling Camilla Randall Mystery Series features perennially down-on-her-luck former socialite Camilla Randall—who is a magnet for murder, mayhem and Mr. Wrong, but always solves the mystery in her quirky, but oh-so-polite way.

Ruth Harris NYT best selling authorRuth is a million-copy New York Times bestselling author, Romantic Times award winner, former Big 5 editor, publisher, and news junkie.

Her emotional, entertaining women’s fiction and critically praised novels have sold millions of copies in hard cover, paperback and ebook editions, been translated into 19 languages, sold in 30 countries, and were prominent selections of leading book clubs including the Literary Guild and the Book Of The Month Club.

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