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Casey Griffin, Author of Playing Her Secret Crush, Must Love Wieners, Beauty and the Wiener, Secrets of a Reluctant Princess, and A Wedding Tail.

Tips For Marketing Your Novel On Amazon – Giveaway

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Jodi McIsaac

Jodi McIsaac

The world of publishing is changing at whiplash speed, and the company setting the pace is Amazon. As the largest bookseller (with 29% of the market) in a world where more books are now bought online than in brick-and-mortor stores, Amazon is a force to be reckoned with. Fortunately for authors who want to sell books (and who doesn’t?), this is a good thing: Amazon is the #1 place where readers go to buy books, and you, the author, can use that to your advantage.

But where to start? There are two easy ways to market your books on Amazon. While these tips apply primarily to self-published authors, who have more control over how their books are presented to the world, traditionally-published authors can work with their publishers to use Amazon to their advantage, and find a new and enthusiastic audience for their work.  [Read more…] about Tips For Marketing Your Novel On Amazon – Giveaway

How To Enter Contests – Guest Post

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Author Devin Berglund

Author Devin Berglund

Hello everyone!  For my post this week, I’m sharing a link to a guest post I did.  Check out the link below.

Sorry I’ve been MIA lately.  I’ve recently bought a new house and decided at the last minute that I couldn’t live with sandy mustard colored walls.  Four days, three people, and nine gallons of paint later, I’m finally done.

Needless to say, I’ve been pressed for time, so this week I’d like invite you to check out my guest post for Devin Berglund.  Check out What To Do When Entering Writing Contests.

Devin Berglund

Devin is a writer, dreamer, wanderer & all-time enjoyer of life. She loves crafting stories that change lives. She recently finished her first book The Mason of Hearts. It is the first in a Fantasy Adventure trilogy. She is also working toward agent representation.

Good luck Devin!

What Writers Can Learn About Tension From Daytime Television

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Photo by Donna Pool

Photo by Donna Pool

Have you ever watched a Soap Opera?  Ever notice how nothing really happens?  I mean, it takes an entire week to make a pot of coffee.  If there’s a shocking revelation, mouths will still be hanging open by the end of the episode.  It seems everyone just stands around talking all the time.  But despite the snail-like pace, it works.   [Read more…] about What Writers Can Learn About Tension From Daytime Television

5 Steps to Writing Realistic Historical Fiction – With Amy Carol Reeves

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Amy Reeves

Amy Carol Reeves

Today, I’m excited to have Amy Carol Reeves, author of the Ripper trilogy, visit to give advice on navigating the waters of writing historical fiction.  Take it away Amy!

While working on the Ripper series, a young adult paranormal mystery series about the Jack the Ripper murders in Victorian London, I learned so much about writing historical fiction. I thought after my many years as a graduate student that the research would be a breeze. After all, I was used to spending much of my time in the dusty bowels of libraries, rare book collections, interlibrary loan departments.

But researching for a novel is much broader and more extensive than researching for a scholarly paper where the scope is always smaller. For instance, rather than researching something very specific, like gender roles in Wuthering Heights, suddenly, I had to find in one sitting, information about carriages, food, pistols, poisons, and hospitals in Victorian London.

Here are 5 things I’ve learned through my experiences: [Read more…] about 5 Steps to Writing Realistic Historical Fiction – With Amy Carol Reeves

Fairytale Retelling Winner!

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marissa meyerCongratulations to Madison for winning free copies of Marissa Meyer’s Cinder and Scarlet, a modern-day fairytale.  There were a lot of great tips and feedback from followers which you can check out in the comments section of Seven Tips To Make An Old Story New – Advice From Marissa Meyer.

Here’s what Madison had to say: [Read more…] about Fairytale Retelling Winner!

Seven Tips To Make An Old Story New – Advice From Marissa Meyer

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cinderSome say, there are no stories left untold, that all original ideas are already taken, and that all new novels are just old stories regurgitated.  If that’s true, then what would be the point of buying new books?  Whatever the reason for recurring themes or ideas, writers are always finding ways to break the boundaries.

But what about using past stories to our advantage?  Lately, there has been an influx of novels hitting the shelves that retell an old story in a new way.

I’ve recently discovered The Lunar Chronicles (Yeah, I know.  I’m a little late to the party).  Growing up, I loved the story of Cinderella, so when I picked up Marissa Meyer’s novel, Cinder, I thought she had some pretty big slippers to fill (heh, see what I did there?).

Here’s what Marissa Meyer has to say about re-creating old stories: [Read more…] about Seven Tips To Make An Old Story New – Advice From Marissa Meyer

Five Tips For Novel Revision – The BIG Picture

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Photo by Christo de Klerk (cc)

Photo by Christo de Klerk (cc)

When it comes to revision, think BIG.

Big mistakes, big changes.  Forget about the finicky word alterations or improving sentence structure.  If you sweat the small stuff at this stage, you’ll lose sight of the bigger picture… and you’ll also lose your mind.  Not to mention, if you’ve still got big changes happening, why waste your time on the details that won’t matter if you end up cutting the chapter entirely?

So what should we focus on when revising? [Read more…] about Five Tips For Novel Revision – The BIG Picture

Four Easy Steps To Start Revising Your Novel

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Photo by Victor Bezrukov (cc)

Photo by Victor Bezrukov (cc)

Revision…

Even the mere mention of it will make you want to pull out your hair, can bring the most seasoned writers to their knees, and makes small puppies cry.  Okay, maybe not the last one.  But you get my drift.

No one looks forward to revising, but hopefully the following tips can help make the process a little easier. [Read more…] about Four Easy Steps To Start Revising Your Novel