Revise Effectively and Efficiently with a Free Novel Revision Checklist
Are you writing a novel, ready to undertake novel revision or have you written a novel, but a quiet little voice somewhere in your gut tells you that it might not be working quite as well as it could? Maybe you’ve even had good feedback from beta readers, but you still aren’t sure. Or beta readers have flagged issues, but you don’t know how to fix them. You desperately want your novel to be good, and you really don’t want to listen to that little voice that tells you that it needs more work. I know because I’ve been there, too. I also know that when I’ve listened to that voice and looked at the book again with fresh eyes – often with someone else’s eyes – I’ve been really glad I did. That little voice was telling me exactly what I needed to hear; despite the idea raising a groan,…
AIA Publishing releases a gritty mystery/thriller – a highly recommended read.
AIA Publishing just released a new book by Liverpool author Pete Trewin. In it he draws on his background as a keen climber and as a town-planner where he met a number of dodgy and colourful characters. As the editor for AIA Publishing, I was taken by the style of the writing and the down-to-earth nature of the story. I offered him a publishing deal and was delighted when he accepted. I feel it’s a great addition to AIA Publishings titles and I hope we’ll be able to work together again in the future. Though fiction, the characters ring true and the situations they find themselves in, though dramatic, are highly believable. It’s a book I highly recommend. This is Pete Trewin’s third novel. EXCERPTS FRON AMAZON UK REVIEWS ‘Forrest Gump famously said life is like a box of chocolates. This book is more like a bag of licorice all-sorts –…
I never believed in demons until …
Here’s some free fiction, a possible piece for another Prunella Smith Book. Personally I don’t beleieve in demons, not the tangible kind, but I get what my character Prunella Smith is saying here. This is Prunella’s memory of a time before the events in Worlds Within Worlds. I didn’t believe in demons, until I met one. I didn’t recognise it at first, because it hid from me, and even when I did finally manage to look right at it, it didn’t look the way I expected a demon would look. It looked surprisingly like me. Only its eyes were red from crying, and its hair stuck up at all sorts of crazy angles except where it was flat on one side where I lay on it because I couldn’t manage to drag myself out of bed. It had purple shadows beneath its eyes from lack of sleep and a face that…
Audiobook Update
A while ago I did an audiobook publication comparison by undertaking research into different options for publishing and distributing audio books. In the post I said I was planning to use Scribl, but I ended up using Authors Republic because the book I had ready to go How to meditate Easily Effectively & Deeply was non-fiction and Scribl only do fiction, something I didn’t realise at the time I wrote that post. The process with Author’s Republic was quite simple, and I didn’t have any problems uploading the material. You just have to make sure that your files meet their requirements. I’ve sold 26 books in 4 months and earned USD$14.78. I haven’t advertised the book at all and since I sell the ebook at 99c, I don’t think the results are too bad. Yeah, it’s only 57c a book, but for the ebook I get only 35c on Amazon. I…
Where have I been? And is there a book in it?
Regular readers may be wondering why I haven’t posted much for the last few months, or maybe you haven’t noticed. Either way, I feel that some explanation might be in order. The photo might give you an idea. And if you’re a Facebook friend you will have gotten a glimpse. Also my post on Silence is the Black Pit of Despair will explain a lot too. Basically my spiritual teacher has been exposed as someone who has allegedly emotionally, physically and sexually abused some students. Needless to say, it was all a bit of a shock since I, as an ordinary person who never got close to the fellow, had no idea this was going on. I knew he was a bit rough in his ways, and I was never comfortable with the way he treated his workers, but I had no idea of the extent of the behaviour. Scandals…
What makes you stop reading a book?
Why I stop reading Before ebooks Before ebooks, I always finished a book. I suspect the reason was that I’d paid around $25 for the book and because it cost so much, I’d always choose very carefully, so that I was pretty sure that I’d like the book before I read it. I stuck with authors I knew and I found new ones by reading review blogs on line. After the revolution Ebooks changed all that because now I never pay more than USD$3.99 for a book and mostly pay nothing or 99c. I still read reviews and make sure the book sounds like something I’d like even if the book is free, but I am more inclined to take a risk on an unknown author if they’re charging nothing or 99c. I never pay more than 99c for an author I’ve never read before. The only books I pay…
How to Handle Beta Readers’ Feedback
Knowing how to handle beta readers’ feedback can make the process of writing a novel much smoother, and there are pointers that can help. In my previous post on the importance of beta readers in novel writing, I said how important beta readers were for all authors, no matter how experienced they are, but getting feedback can be tough. Good beta readers will tell you what the flaws are in your writing, and that’s not always easy to hear, especially if you expected a few small things, then get a flood of major issues. It’s easy, and natural, to get discouraged when you hear about what isn’t working in your manuscript, so the most important thing you need to remember is that the aim of the feedback is to help you make your book better. How to lessen the sting of feedback Before you read the feedback, remind yourself that:…
The Indie Author Fringe Event on June 3rd
Have you heard about the Indie Author Fringe, organized by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) This is a free, online global conference for authors, run fringe to the major book fairs: London, BEA & Frankfurt Bookfairs, broadcasting 24 sessions of author education over 24 continuous hours, so that authors around the world attend some live sessions, no matter where they’re located. There are also competitions, giveaways and discounts, contributed by sponsors. The folks at ALLi have pulled together some of the top advisors on the indie author scene to bring you the most up-to-date self-publishing education and information available. Here’s the link to the Indie Author Fringe Speaker Page where you can see the speakers and topics they have lined up. This one has lots of topics on selling our books, which is the most difficult part of being an independent author. Visit the event home page for more…
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