The Taylor Davis series is my second series. I finished the Divided Decade Trilogy last summer. (If you missed it, book one–The Candle Star–is free. See my sidebar for links.) When I was writing book two, I swore I’d never write another series again. That’s because it’s so hard to maintain a high level of creativity into a second […]
Lessons From the Couch
I’ve been in recuperation mode for eighteen days now. I think I could have squeaked in my goal of a three week recovery time (a week less than the doc’s minimum–I’m so stubborn, aren’t I?) if I hadn’t sneezed. Yes, I pulled a not-quite-healed stomach muscle and I’ve been back to hobbling this week after […]
Of What Value is Free? (Unmasking an Author Series, #3)
This is the third in a series about author visibility. First I discussed some challenges indies face. Last week I discussed some beneficial and some not-so-beneficial ways to use freebies. This week I want to consider the value (or not) of free. Everybody loves freebies. We try them because there’s no risk involved. We’re not out anything if […]
My Experience with Giveaways (Unmasking an Author Series, #2)
This is the second in a series about author visibility. Last week I discussed some challenges indies face. This week and next I’ll be discussing the use of freebies. “Giveaways are a great way to generate interest and spread the word about your book.” That is what I was told by several veteran indie authors, […]
Challenges Indies Face (Unmasking an Author Series, #1)
Today marks the first of a four part series I’ll be doing on author visibility. The single most crippling obstacle all new authors face is invisibility. No one has ever heard of us before. Our work is untested, unfamiliar. Why would anyone chance good money on a newbie? That highlights the single most advantageous reason, in […]
Sales Equation: Cheap + Bulk = Profit
Last week I argued for the creation of paperbacks even in this digital age. If you do have a paperback available for sale, you can benefit from a sales technique often overlooked by indie authors–bulk sales. But bulk sells at a price lower than what I hope to get for my work, you may be […]
Paperbacks–So Last Century?
Lots of indie authors are getting in on the ebook craze, and why not? It’s affordable, doable, and just so cool to see your novel up on Amazon. But fewer authors, it seems, take the time to create a paperback version of their novel. I’m here to say, you’ve gone through all the trouble of […]
A Front Porch, a Corkboard, and a Stationary Bike
Why do you blog? That’s a good question, one I’ve been asked many times. Sometimes the question translates, Why do you waste your time doing something that I would find more painful than shooting myself in the feet? Other times it means, Everyone blogs. What makes you think you’ve got anything to add to the […]
Slow and Steady Writes the Novel
In my last Friday Freebie, before I vacated for the Smokies, I posted about trimming our writing schedules to avoid burnout. Today it may seem like I’m talking out of the other side of my face: quit procrastinating and write! But I don’t think these two bits of wisdom are contradictory at all. You see, writing, […]
Balance vs. Burnout
“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” That’s pretty sound advice, wouldn’t you agree? After all, it was given by a man with a brilliant mind—the one who drafted the Declaration of Independence, served as president of the United States, instigated the Louisiana Purchase, and sent out the Louis and Clark Expedition. […]