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Calling aspiring novelists: Apply now for the Kobo Writing Life Scholarship to Curtis Brown Creative’s Novel Writing course

June 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

WebApplications are now being accepted for the upcoming Curtis Brown Creative three-month Novel-Writing Course to be taught at their London offices in the UK.

Curtis Brown launched its creative writing school in May 2011 as a way to reach new writers and foster their development as authors. In-depth courses are taught by industry experts including bestselling authors, agents and editors from Curtis Brown.

Award-winning author and experienced tutor Nikita Lalwani will lead weekly evening workshops, teaching sessions and one-to-one tutorials.  Her co-tutor will be Curtis Brown Creative’s Director Anna Davis, herself a literary agent and author of five novels, whose contribution will include a one-to-one meeting with each student to give detailed feedback and an industry perspective on their novel-in-progress.  Anna will also host 5 special visiting speaker sessions, featuring literary agents from both the Curtis Brown and Conville & Walsh agencies paired with leading writers and top publishers.

We are offering one Kobo Writing Life Scholarship, which covers full tuition for the three-month course.

Eligibility criteria for the scholarship are available here .  Applicants will fill out a form and supply the opening 3,000 words of their novel plus a synopsis.  The scholarship will be awarded by the Curtis Brown Creative team to the writer whose material shows the greatest potential.

Only fifteen students will be accepted, so polish up your best work and apply before midnight (GMT – London time) on September 2nd.

The Kobo Writing Life Scholarship is also available for the six-month Novel-Writing course starting in Spring of 2014 (applications not yet open).

Turn your internet connection into a connection to one of the best writing schools in the world!

The Curtis Brown Creative Online Novel-Writing Course, also starting in September, has opened applications now as well (although it’s not part of the KWL Scholarship program).  This is a great opportunity for any writer, anywhere in the world with an internet connection and the will to learn!

Filed Under: The Craft of Writing Tagged With: ,

The Cemetery Dance Publication eBook Line

June 17, 2013 By 5 Comments

by Brian James Freeman

Since 1988, Cemetery Dance Publications has been known around the world for our horror magazine and our line of collectible hardcover books by authors such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Ray Bradbury, Peter Straub, William Peter Blatty, Justin Cronin, Frank Darabont, Joe R. Lansdale, Richard Laymon, and hundreds of others.

As hard as it might be to believe these days, our first experiment with eBooks was actually called “extremely risky” by our friends in New York publishing at the time we tried it: we gave away a free eBook edition of my novella The Painted Darkness to promote the hardcover edition.

Not only did 30,000 readers jump at the chance to read the book for free, but sales of the trade hardcover skyrocketed until it became one of our bestselling titles of all time.

These days, of course, giving away eBook editions for free is so commonplace no one thinks twice about it.

We quickly expanded our efforts in the eBook world by bringing several classic books back to life including The Mountain King 
by Rick Hautala, Wild Horses 
by Brian Hodge, Oblivion by Jay Bonansinga, Development Hell
 by Mick Garris, and Walpuski’s Typewriter 
by Frank Darabont, the first-ever book from the Academy Award-nominated director of The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption.

Probably one of our biggest thrills in those early days was publishing Dark Forces edited 
by Kirby McCauley as an eBook.  Dark Forces is one of the most acclaimed horror anthologies of all time, featuring stories by Stephen King, Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, Joyce Carol Oates, Ramsey Campbell, Charles L. Grant, Richard & Richard Christian Matheson, and more than a dozen other masters of the genre.

In addition to traditional novels and anthologies, we’ve also been extremely interested in publishing other types of eBooks since we can try more experimental projects given the significantly lower upfront cost of a digital edition.

Last year we published thirteen Halloween short stories as individual eBooks, one per day leading up to October 31.  Participating authors included Stewart O’Nan, Simon Clark, Ray Garton, Ed Gorman, Joe R. Lansdale, Graham Masterton, Lisa Morton, and several up-and-coming horror authors.

We’ve also started publishing our award-winning magazine Cemetery Dance in eBook editions, which finally gives anyone anywhere in the world a chance to read our great line-up of fiction and non-fiction for a very affordable price.  For example, just recently we published Cemetery Dance #68, which featured the entire text of “The Glass Floor” by Stephen King, one of his earliest stories that he ever sold for professional rates.

Another more recent addition to our line-up was Fate and The Exorcist: An In-depth Interview with William Peter Blatty, a career-spanning discussion with the New York Times bestselling author of The Exorcist, Legion, and many others.  This 10,000 word interview originally appeared in one of our special editions that often sells for more than $100 on the collectible market, so we wanted to make the interview accessible and affordable to Blatty’s fans all over the world.

That’s maybe the most amazing thing about eBooks: how accessible reading has become to anyone just about anywhere.

Thanks to Kobo, we’re hearing from readers on a daily basis who live in places we never, ever thought our books could or would be read.

Books with a smaller expected readership no longer have to be limited to expensive print editions in one country.  You can turn that work into an eBook, upload to Kobo, and the next day someone on the other side of the planet can be reading the book.  Sometimes you discover the readership for the book was much larger than anyone dared dream possible.  You just had to make the work accessible.

Although Cemetery Dance Publications was founded as a publisher of a print magazine and collectible books, and we still publish them to this day, we can’t wait to see where eBooks take us next.

 

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cemetary danceCemetery Dance Publications is the world’s leading specialty press publisher of horror and dark suspense.  Its flagship magazine, Cemetery Dance, has won every major genre award and is healthier than ever — with a higher newsstand and subscriber circulation than ever before, ever-increasing advertiser support, and a continuing reputation for superb content and design. They’re well-known for publishing the biggest and the brightest stars in the genre, often before they’re discovered by the big New York publishers.

Filed Under: Self-Publishing, The Business of Writing Tagged With:

Kobo Writing Life New Releases – Hot Edition

June 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Here are some new KWL Romance and Erotica titles that are sure to keep your summer nights hot, hot, hot.

Romance

All for You By: Kate PerryAll For You (Laurel Heights series)

By Kate Perry

Anna Godwin likes it spicy.

At least she used to. Somewhere between law school and real life, she lost her sparkle. Now she wears boring business suits to boring dates in her boring life.

The last time Anna remembers feeling that sizzle was with the one man who’s all cayenne and passion: Max Corazao, the one who got away.

Except Max still sees Anna as a woman full of spice. And Anna intends to do whatever she can to be that woman again—with his (unknowing) help…

Redesigned (Off the Subject #2) By: Denise Grover SwankRedesigned (Off the Subject #2)

By Denise Grover Swank

While fashion design major Caroline Hunter may have been born economically unlucky, in college, she’s been lucky in love. Until her senior year at Southern University. She’s gone from a serious long term boyfriend to a string of crappy dates.

Then she meets mathematics grad student Reed Pendergraft.

Reed is everything she’s not looking for. Serious. Headed for a low paying university job. Boring. Caroline spent the first eighteen years of her life wondering where her next meal was coming from. She sure wasn’t getting trapped in that life again with a man living on a professor’s salary.
An encounter with Reed in a club proves she might have pegged him wrong. He brings out a lusty side she never knew she had. But just when she’s about to give in to her hormones, Reed makes a fool out of her.

When she shows up for the first committee meeting for Southern University’s Fall fashion show, a fundraiser for underprivileged kids, Caroline’s horrified to discover the insufferable Reed is the committee chairman.  While she refuses to tolerate his totalitarian rule of the committee, she’s not sure she’ll survive the month with her heart—and her pride—intact. Just when she thinks she has everything figured out, she finds that her entire life has been redesigned, thanks to Reed Pendergraft.

The Arrangement 7 By: H.M. WardThe Arrangement 7

By H. M. Ward

When Avery learns Sean’s dark secret, everything changes. His confession blindsides her. Sean has a shady past, she knew that from the beginning, but this is so much worse than she thought. There’s a dangerous side to Sean. It’s alluring and frightening at the same time. Avery has to decide if love can overcome anything or if she should protect her heart.

Genre: New Adult Romance
This story unfolds over multiple volumes of approx. 20,000 words each.
~The Arrangement Vol 1 – 7 are on sale now.~

Erotica

With His Love (For His Pleasure, Book 16) By: Kelly FavorWith His Love (For His Pleasure, Book 16)

By Kelly Favor

Three different women have gone through a journey of self-discovery and found true love. And now, the journey finally comes to an end, as Book Sixteen, With His Love, brings the curtain down on the For His Pleasure Series.

For the first time, Nicole, Kallie and Scarlett’s viewpoints will all be shown in one book, as we catch up with our favorite characters and see how each of their lives and romances continue to evolve.

Many questions will be answered, shocking events will unfold, and passions will boil over. Read this extra-long finale to find out how everything ends.

With His Love (For His Pleasure, Book 16) is a tale of lust, submission, power and ultimately–a love story for the ages.

Tie Me By: Olivia Cunning Tie Me (One Night With Sole Regret series)

By Olivia Cunning

His heart is tied to his past…
When Sole Regret’s rhythm guitarist, Kellen Jamison, vowed to be faithful to his fiancée and love her forever, he meant it. He never expected to lose her to cancer so early in life. He’s certain he’ll never love again, but destiny has another plan for him.

Her heart is tied to her work…
Grammy-winning classical composer and piano virtuoso, Dawn O’Reilly, is overwhelmed with music-writing deadlines, a fickle muse, and high-expectations. She doesn’t have time to find love, but chance seeks to interfere with her carefully devised plans.

They’re bound to become entangled…
From the instant Kellen hears Dawn’s latest musical composition, his spirits rise. The stirring melody and the remarkable woman responsible for its creation are impossible to resist. His attraction is undeniable; her passion unquenchable. Kellen teaches Dawn there’s freedom in bondage, while her sensuality drives him to unleash his tightly controlled self-restraint. Will the ropes Kellen uses to secure Dawn’s body be the force that binds them together or ultimately sever all ties between them?

Filed Under: Read Like a Writer, Writer Reads Tagged With:

Tips on how to get discovered

June 14, 2013 By 1 Comment

Want to escalate the traffic to your eBooks and increase sales? We know it’s difficult for self-published authors to get the exposure they need for their titles; competing for space against traditional publishers and big name authors.

When it comes to self-publishing, we find that an author’s success often depends on how much time and effort they’re willing to put in on their end.

So we have found 4 ways to market your book on any budget. Kobo Book Hub and Trindie Books are to promote your Kobo eBooks only. But there are also sites, such as BookBub and StoryFinds that allow you to market other eBook distributors as well as Kobo.

 

 kobo book hub

Kobo Book Hub

Price – Free

What You Need to Do – Just fill out the submission form, and your books will be put in the queue for approval.

What You Need to Know – Not all books will be featured; the selection will be made based on perceived quality and available slots. There will be more free books featured than bargains, and more bargains than full-price books. *Bargains are all books priced below $2 (regardless of whether it’s a promotion or not), Full Price are all books priced above that.*

Rules:

  1. The posts will go out once a day per category (for now). Each post contains up to 10 books. If you won’t fit the post one day, you will go first in queue on the next day.
  2. The links in the form MUST WORK. If the Kobo or Cover link is not working, your book will be removed from queue and you must submit again.
  3. They reserve the right not to post a book at their discretion.

 trindie books

Trindie Books

Price –

  • Book of the Day feature – $25
  • Free eBook listing – Free
  • Sidebar ads are also available. Please contact for pricing.
  • Book Giveaway contesting – $25
  • Blog Tours. Please contact for pricing.

What You Need to Do - Just fill out the submission form, and your books will be put in the queue for approval.

What You Need To Know –

  1. They do not guarantee that your book will be posted due to the large number of requests, but they will do their best to schedule it. If they are unable to feature your book, your payment will be refunded.
  2. They reserve the right to refuse any book for any reason.
  3. They may take clips of reviews or author info that are posted on your Kobo listing or other sites (your website, Amazon or Goodreads) to fill out the submission if necessary.

 

bookbub

BookBub

Price – It ranges from $40 to $1200 depending on the price and the genre of the book.

What You Need to Do - Just fill out the submission form, and your books will be put in the queue for approval.

What You Need to Know – BookBub is an “advertorial” newsletter. Although it consists of paid advertisements, only those books the editorial team feels are the best deals for their subscribers are selected to be featured in the email.

Requirements:

  1. BookBub features books that are either free or discounted by at least 50%.
  2. Top quality content
  3. Best deals available
  4. Professional Presentation
  5. They will not feature the same book more than once every 120 days, or once every 90 days if targeting a different category. Nor will we feature the same author more than once every 30 days.
  6. They promote books that are discounted for a limited time, usually not much longer than a week.
  7. They promote full-length works, so we do not typically accept listings for books under 150 pages.
  8. We only feature deals that are available at one or more of the major retailers where BookBub’s members buy eBooks.
  9. They promote books that fit into our member interest categories.
  10. However, please note that even if your deal meets all of these qualifications, that does not guarantee that it will be selected for a listing slot.

 

 

storyfinds

StoryFinds (storyfinds.com/promotions-for-authors)

Price –

  • Free book are free to promote, but they do appreciate donations via PayPal.
  • Daily Special (books on sale or priced for $1 or less) – $15 per book listing
  • Author Spotlight – $50
  • 1st Chapter Spotlight – $40
  • Themed Weeks – $20 per book posting

What You Need to Do – Create an author account and then email the required information to promo@storyfinds.com. You can find all the required material in the link above.

What You Need to Know –

  • Your book must have a professional cover (Storyfinds.com staff reserves the right to make this determination).
  • No erotic material accepted for FREE Reads.
  • When choosing the dates you would like your promotion to run, they would like at least a weeks’ notice before the chosen day.
Filed Under: Self-Promotion, Self-Publishing, The Business of Writing Tagged With:

Happy Fathers’ Day: Good Dads, Bad Dads, and In-Between Dads

June 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Some are good, some are bad, Daddy issues almost always make for interesting reading when you write about them well. Here, in honour of Fathers’ Day, are a few of our favourites, the good, the bad, and the in-between.
Good dads…

 
 Image.ashx Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Robert M. Pirsig
The narrator of this story gives his son Chris both a solid philosophy of life and the best road trip any father and son have ever gone on.
 Image-5.ashx The Tender Bar
J.R. Moehringer
When Pulitzer-prizewinning memoirist J.R. Moehringer was growing up, he desperately wanted a dad. But he finds a whole room full of them when he starts follows his bartender uncle Charlie to work in this incredibly touching book.
Bad dads…

 
 Image-1.ashx Lullabies for Little Criminals
Heather O’Neill
Left to her own devices by her heroin-addicted father Jules, Baby, a dangerously naïve Montreal kid makes her way though the city alone.
 Image-4.ashx A Wolf at the Table
Augustin Burroughs 9781429937658
With his uncanny talent for delivering frank accounts of harrowing experiences, the author of Running with scissors turns his attention towards his enigmatic and terrifying father. 
In-between dads…

 

 In-Between Dads
 Image-2.ashx About a Boy
Nick Hornby
Will, who has spent most of his life free of responsibility, emotional or otherwise, finds himself an unwitting father figure to an eccentric young boy, and manages to grow up as a result.
 Image-3.ashx Shit My Dad Says
Justin Halpern
Plenty of us find our parent’s unique turns of phrase to be funny, but only writer Justin Halpern has created a hit out of his dad’s, and anybody who reads his book is very glad he did. 
Filed Under: Read Like a Writer Tagged With:

Kobo Writing Life New Releases – June 7, 2013

June 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Here are just a few of the amazing eBooks recently published through Kobo Writing Life!

Romance

Sensual Danger (Venice Vampyr #4) By: Tina Folsom

Sensual Danger (Venice Vampyr #4)

by Tina Folsom

Venice, Italy – early 1800s

When vampire Nico purchases a house to further his fellow vampires’ goal of creating a secure compound within Venice, he doesn’t expect to get a headstrong wife in the bargain. He plans to send her to the mainland after their wedding night so he can continue his debauched bachelor life.

But when he meets the unexpectedly beautiful Oriana for the first time, his plans are forgotten. However, Oriana would rather pursue her scientific research than play the submissive wife to her new husband.

When Nico finds out that his wife has secrets that could endanger not only him, but the entire vampire population of Venice, he has to make a choice: get rid of her, or seduce her to join his side. Luckily, seduction is what Nico does best …

Forever You (Forever Trilogy, #2) By: Sandi Lynn

Forever You (Forever Trilogy #2)

by Sandi Lynn

Connor Black’s life consisted of his company and his use of multiple women. There was never going to be love, relationships, or a fairy-tale life. Emotionally dead and damaged, that stemmed from a personal tragedy, Connor Black vowed never to feel any emotion or fall in love with a woman. That was true until Ellery Lane walked into his life by accident and changed his life forever. He begins experiencing feelings and emotions that he never felt before and finds himself being drawn into her world.
You took the journey with Connor and Ellery as their love, courage, and strength were put to the test. You watched their worlds come together through her eyes in Forever Black, and now it’s time to take the journey through his in Forever You.

New Adult Romance

Lost and Found By: Nicole WilliamsLost and Found

By Nicole Williams

There’s complicated. And there’s Rowen Sterling.

After numbing pain for the past five years with boys, alcohol, and all-around apathy, she finds herself on a Greyhound bus to nowhere Montana the summer after she graduates high school. Her mom agreed to front the bill to Rowen’s dream art school only if Rowen proves she can work hard and stay out of trouble at Willow Springs Ranch. Cooking breakfast at the crack of dawn for a couple dozen ranch hands and mucking out horse stalls are the last things in the world Rowen wants to spend her summer doing.

Until Jesse Walker saunters into her life wearing a pair of painted-on jeans, a cowboy hat, and a grin that makes something in her chest she’d thought was frozen go boom-boom. Jesse’s like no one else, and certainly nothing like her. He’s the bright and shiny to her dark and jaded.

Rowen knows there’s no happily-ever-after for the golden boy and the rebel girl—happily-right-now is a stretch—so she tries to forget and ignore the boy who makes her feel things she’s not sure she’s ready to feel. But the more she pushes him away, the closer he seems to get. The more she convinces herself she doesn’t care, the harder she falls.

When her dark secrets refuse to stay locked behind the walls she’s kept up for years, Rowen realizes it’s not just everyone else she needs to be honest with. It’s herself.

Relentlessly Reckless (Addicted To You, Book Six) By: Lucy CovingtonRelentlessly Reckless (Addicted To You #6)

By Lucy Covington

Good girl Lindsay Cramer has her life completely in order, and she keeps her goals on a checklist — obtain scholarship to Ivy League University, finish undergrad, and move on to med school. She’s worked hard to get where she is, and she’s determined not to let anything – or anyone — get in her way.

Until she meets Justin Brown. JB is gorgeous, and the kind of guy who is all wrong for Lindsay — the kind of guy who is all wrong for anyone. He drinks, he fights, and he has a secret past Lindsay’s not so sure she wants to know about.

But when the two of them are together, Lindsay can’t help but lose herself in him. It’s the way his eyes burn when he looks at her. The way his smile makes her dizzy. The way his hands feel on her body. Soon, Lindsay and Justin are completely addicted to each other. But when their dangerous game culminates with Lindsay having to make a shocking choice, will she be able to keep JB in her life? And if so, will she lose everything in the process?

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Thursday's Child By: Monique Martin Thursday’s Child (Out of Time #5)

By Monique Martin

The Crosses — renowned Professor of the Occult Simon and irrepressible Elizabeth — set off on their latest time traveling adventure. Leaving Jack behind to nurse his broken heart, the couple travels to 1852 Natchez, Mississippi to help the next person on grandfather Sebastian’s list, Mary Stewart. There’s just one problem. Little Mary Stewart, just 8 years old, died two days ago.

Mary’s spirit cannot rest until Simon and Elizabeth solve the mystery of both her life and death. But Mary cannot speak, and there are those who are willing to kill to keep the past buried.

Simon and Elizabeth discover first-hand that dark secrets in the Antebellum South hide pasts murkier than the river bottom and twice as dangerous.

Forged in Blood I (The Emperor's Edge Book 6) By: Lindsay Buroker

Forged in Blood I (The Emperor’s Edge #6)

By Lindsay Buroker

The emperor has been ousted from the throne, his bloodline in question, and war is descending on the capital. Forge, the nefarious business coalition that has been manipulating the political situation from the beginning, has the ultimate weapon at its disposal.

If it was difficult for a small team of outlaws—or, as Amaranthe has decided they should now be called, rebels—to make a difference before, it’s a monumental task now. If she’s to return idealistic young Sespian to the throne, earn the exoneration she’s sought for so long, and help her closest ally win the respect of the son who detests him, she’ll have to employ an unprecedented new scheme… preferably without destroying the city—or herself—in the process.

The Emperor’s Edge Series Reading Order:

  • The Emperor’s Edge (Book 1) — ebook available for free!
  • Dark Currents (Book 2)
  • Deadly Games (Book 3)
  • Conspiracy (Book 4)
  • Blood and Betrayal (Book 5)
  • Forged in Blood I (Book 6)
  • Forged in Blood II (Book 7 — the finale!) — Available August 2013

Broken: The Girl in the Box, Book Six By: Robert J. Crane

Broken (The Girl in the Box #6)

By RobertJ. Crane

Sienna Nealon is a broken human being. Her lover is dead, her closest friends have deserted her, and her employers have betrayed her.

From the ashes of her desperation, she must master the metahuman powers at her command and finally tame the souls that share her body for one ultimate purpose – revenge against the ones who destroyed her life.

Also in this Series:

  • Alone (The Girl in the Box #1)
  • Untouched (The Girl in the Box #2)
  • Soulless (The Girl in the Box #3)
  • Family (The Girl in the Box #4)
  • Omega (The Girl in the Box #5)

Young Adult

Flash Virus: Episode Six - Bigfoot's Story By: Steve VernonFlash Virus Episode 6 – Bigfoot’s Story

By Steve Vernon

The end of the world – as seen by a teenager.

Episode Six marks a new season and a WHOLE new direction for the Flash Virus series.

This first episode of the new season is told ENTIRELY from Bigfoot Hanson’s point of view – and you’re going to see this character in a way that you have NEVER seen him before.

Fans of this series are DEFINITELY going to want to pick up this brand new episode.

Erotica

On Her Master's Secret Service, Masters and Mercenaries, Book 4 By: Lexi BlakeOn Her Master’s Service (Masters and Mercenaries #4)

By Lexi Blake

When Eve St. James married Alex McKay, she had her whole life ahead of her. They were the FBI’s golden couple by day, but by night Eve gave herself over to her husband’s world of Dominance and submission filled with pleasures she came to crave.

Worried for her safety, Alex left Eve behind to tackle a dangerous mission. But Alex never suspected that Eve was the real target and her security is destroyed by a madman. By the time he rescues her, his wife has been changed forever.

Unable to heal the damage, Alex and Eve are still trapped together in a cycle of pleasure and misery that even their divorce cannot sever. But when a threat from Eve’s past resurfaces, Alex will stop at nothing to save her life and reclaim her heart.

Filed Under: Promotion/Event Tagged With: ,

My Writing Life: Kristie Cook

June 7, 2013 By 2 Comments

kristie_cook

“I believe that focusing on building readership is the most important thing you can do for the first several years. Don’t worry about profits – they come when you have a loyal fan base.”

In 2009, when Kristie Cook was getting ready to publish the first installment of her highly successful series Soul Savers, she was told that no one wanted to read books about protagonists ages 18 to 25. Fortunately for readers of the now booming new adult genre, she published it anyway, then published three sequels and a Soul Savers novella. The Space Between, the first installment of her new Book of Phoenix series, came out in April. She talks to us about building the success of a series, and persevering through the challenges all writers face.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received as a writer?

The same advice I give others – don’t give up. If writing is truly your passion, you can’t NOT write. So don’t let others discourage you and don’t discourage yourself. Avoid comparing yourself to others because everyone’s journey is different. If this is truly what you want to do, keep writing. Keep going. Don’t ever give up because if you do, you’ll be giving up a piece of yourself.

Do you believe in Writer’s Block?

I believe writers can block themselves. For me, I usually get blocked when I, the author

, try to force the characters to do or say something that’s not natural for them or the story. I *think* it’s right, but then I get stuck on what happens next (even when I have an outline) because the characters won’t move forward until that last scene is fixed. So I have to take a step back and let the characters tell me what really happens in that scene, and then they’re able to move onto the next one. So putting too much “author” into the story blocks the flow.

I think we also block ourselves when we feel unnecessary fear – fear that we’re not talented enough to pull off what we’re trying to do or that we can’t meet a deadline or something of the like. We create this huge monster in our minds that shuts us down. That’s when we have to put our butts in the chair and WRITE. Before long, we’ve forgotten that fear and the words are flowing faster than our fingers can keep up with.

What’s your favourite literary genre? Any guilty pleasures?

I read mostly contemporary fantasy, light sci-fi and dystopian, all with a nice dose of romance. Reading itself is a guilty pleasure for me. It’s a break from reality – an escape from the challenges of life. I use my brain plenty throughout the day so when I sit down with a book, I don’t want to have to think too hard. My favorite books have stories and characters that whisk me away on an adventure.

What made you decide to self-publish?

My Soul Savers Series begins with the main character starting college and I was tol

d there’s no market for a protagonist at that age. “Nobody wants to read about characters who are 18-25 years old,” agents and publishers told me in 2009. Well, I did and I didn’t think I was alone. Add to that the volatile state of the publishing industry with the addition of ebooks and the falling of brick-and-mortar stores, and I saw the opportunity. So my business partner and I started a publishing company and took the risk ourselves. It paid off and now New Adult is the hot genre.

Are there any self-publishing tricks of the trade you’d like to share? What rules of craft or promotion do you live by?

I believe that focusing on building readership is the most important thing you can do for the first several years. Don’t worry about profits – they come when you have a loyal fan base. So don’t be afraid to offer your first book at a bargain price or even free. If readers like your stories and writing style, they’ll buy your other books. Of course, this assumes you have more than one book, which is really the biggest factor. The more titles you have, the more success you’ll achieve. So more than anything, you must WRITE.

Filed Under: My Writing Life, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,
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