Authors are tasked with marketing their fiction and nonfiction books to a variety of audiences. While being prepared to speak in front of an audience is invaluable, it’s can also be frightening. When it comes to glossophobia, the numbers are clear: Up to 75% of people have mild to severe anxiety when asked to speak in front of a crowd, no matter the size. Fear of “What If” is one of the most powerful experiences someone could face. What if … Read More »

“Hey! I’m working here!” How many times have you yelled that at someone, or wanted to, when they were making noise or had the gall to talk to you while you were writing? But to be fair, how were they supposed to know you were deep in a complex passage of the next great American novel and not browsing social media? (Or were you? Never mind.) The more important questions are: What are you writing? Who are you writing it … Read More »

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 »