One thing I struggled with when I was a newer writer was, “What should I write?” I liked a lot of things: science fiction, military sci-fi, science fantasy, steampunk, space opera, contemporary fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, some romance, some horror, some action, some thriller/suspense, even some erotica. Ideas in all these genres bombarded my brain with “Write This Now!” demands. And as a newer writer, I figured I’d dabble in each until I either found something that grabbed me and … Read More »

Now that in-person social gatherings are coming back, I’m looking forward to being able to hold launch parties for my upcoming releases again. Previously, I’ve given two launch parties, for my novels Vicious Circle and Threadbare, both of which went well, so I thought I’d write about what I did to make them successful. Budgets and resources will vary, and I understand that, but hopefully you’ll find some ideas you can take away and make work for you. The idea … Read More »

They say every author should have an “elevator pitch” ready. The theory is that you run into your dream agent or publisher, or your all-time favorite author, on an elevator. You have just as much time as it takes to get to the lobby to pitch your book. What do you say? How do you summarize in a few sentences the passion you’ve poured into your book over many years? Although the elevator scenario is not very likely, it’s a … Read More »

  When I was writing my first book, a romance with suspenseful elements, I was shocked when my beta readers told me what I’d actually written was an inspirational romance. By having my characters pray, lean on their faith, and talk with God, I was writing “inspirational”? I asked myself, “Don’t most people do that? Doesn’t everyone pray for the sick and cry out to God when in anguish? That’s normal, right?” So how did my book fall into a … Read More »

There are a hundred and one different sites on the web where authors can give away an ebook. They can use services like InstaFreebie, forums like MobileRead, or blogging platforms like BookLikes. I was just revising a list post on this topic when I was reminded of one option that almost never makes this type of list. Their own website. An author’s website is both the most common place for an author to give away an ebook and the most … Read More »

Online events are more popular than ever before. Whether it is a book launch, live reading, writing workshop, or even an entire conference, marketing is essential for maximizing your audience, and thus maximizing your success. So how do you get people to come to your event, and even better, spend money there? Here are five tried-and-true marketing strategies that will help make your event a big win. Strategy One: Identify Your Audience This may sound basic, but you’d be surprised … Read More »