Tag: how to sell more books

Gatekeepers & Good Books: Trophy Fishing in a Literary Tsunami

Without gatekeepers, we may have hit a point where self-publishing could start doing irreparable harm to our industry. A ‘bad book’ from 1999 is not the same creature as the ‘bad book’ of 2019.

Fiction Addiction: How Great Storytellers Put the “Meth” into “Method”

When your fiction is crafted properly, readers will beg for your book to end…and then be depressed when it finally does.

Bad People Make Better Stories: Crafting the Perfect ‘Unlikable’ Character

Bad people make better stories. Why? Because I cannot say this enough, ‘Fiction is about one thing and one thing only—PROBLEMS.’ Who better to create a lot of problems than damaged, broken, unlikable, foolish and possibly even unredeemable human beings? ***I use the term ‘human beings’ for all characters because aliens, otherworldly beings, and any …

Continue reading

5 Newbie Mistakes that Will KILL a Perfectly Good Story

We all make mistakes, especially when learning anything new. Writing is not immune to process. Contrary to popular belief, writing great stories is HARD. It takes time, devotion, training, mentorship, blood, sacrifice and the willingness to make a ton of mistakes. This means countless hours and probably years of practice (which also means writing a …

Continue reading

Flawed Characters vs. “Too Dumb to Live”: What’s the Difference?

Which is more important? Plot or character? Anyone currently doing NaNoWriMo is all, “WORDS! ONLY WORDS MATTER NOW! Get off my case, Blogger Chick. I’ll figure out plot and character later.” *awkward silence* To write great fiction, we need both. Plot and characters work together. One arc drives the other much like one cog serves …

Continue reading