This morning I read a nifty blog post by Hugh Howey*
entitled What Is A Book Worth.
I have been mulling over it all day. A book can be a brief
escape or a lifeline. It can mean the key to passing a grade or a library fine.
Some stories resonate so deeply you must have them in every form available.
Some stories only last in the memory a few hours.
Hugh was exploring the moment when the book crosses over and
it becomes something you must have as a high end artifact. Bring back
personally bound books of beauty.
This week Kris Rusch has been exploring what I.P. means to
her. She has a great post on this. Too often she sees writers squandering their
IP as they don’t even know what they have until its gone. If you have no idea
what I.P. is, Read The Blog Post!
Ricardo Fayet of Reedsy was Joanna Penn’s guest this week on
her podcast. Joanna asked Ricardo about the top 5 mistakes he sees Indie Authors making all the time. This is a full and frank discussion about attitude
and execution.
Barnes and Nobel have thrown in the towel over the Nook platform. Nate Hoffelder of The Digital Reader explains where they went wrong
and what it means for Authors who sell on the Nook platform. (Again there is
that scary thought... is the whole company going down the tubes.)
Bookfunnel have done a crazy thing that has some authors
cheering... They have extended their service to hosting shops for authors. Book
funnel is a great service that takes the hassle out of delivering ARC’s and
Book Prizes.
The Independent Book Publishers Association have pulled out
of Book Expo America- The biggest book fair. Among their reasons, they feel they get no value for money from it. They feel B.E.A is increasingly fixated on
the Big 5 traditional publishers. (What big 5? Amazon, Random Penguin,
Hachette, Harper Collins...)
Will they start up their own fair?
(This week I have been watching NZ’s own Indie publishers
doing an Expo style road trip to all our big cities just to gather booksellers
together for wine, nibbles, goodie bags and the chance to view the latest
catalogue offerings for Christmas.)
This week I was struck by two little articles dealing with
imposter syndrome. I think every writer suffers from this. I definitely do.
Usually when I’ve finished editing and doubt my own skills in telling a story.
You are not alone- Neil Gaiman suffers from it... and so does Nathan Bransford.
Seven offensive mistakes that well intentioned writers do.
Once you start reading these... the ghosts of past books rises up before your
eyes... Note To Self: Be Better!
In The Craft Section,
How many words in a novel- Reedsy- Bookmark
10 Key scenes for framing your novel-C S Lakin- Bookmark Print out!
How to write a scene-and Writing scene transitions- Now
Novel - Bookmark
Writing sad scenes- Ryan Casey
7 character non negotiables- Novel Rocket
Chris Fox has a great video on the one big mistake authors make when writing to the market.
In The Marketing Section,
How to become a best seller-Bookbub case study and How to get on the USA today Bestseller list- Writelife
Advanced marketing skills – Kevin Tumlinson- Bookmark
Sending cold emails- Copyhacker- Bookmark
To Finish,
Do you ever think about your writing process? How do you
trick the muse into turning on just when you want it? Ruth Harris has written a fantastic blog post on writing process. This is where bite sized goals really
work!
Pat Olsen also has a great post on focus... especially when
you are in a busy household. She has some tips to help. Between them you will
feel that you can conquer anything!
Maureen
@craicer
* Kia Ora Hugh, Welcome to New Zealand!
