Once Bitten . . . You Stop Sticking Your Hand in the Cage

[image: pet the cat]In her blog today author Lia London tells a harrowing tale of lies, betrayal, fraud — that wasn’t her latest book, it was her previous publishing efforts.

In a Facebook group I’m part of, someone asked for recommendations for a web designer. I dropped my name on the list, already 100 posts long.

The “where should I host my site?” question is asked often, garnering the same list of responses each time: “GoDaddy!” “Anywhere but GoDaddy!” “HostThingy” “ThingHost” “HostHost” “Hostess Cupcakes” “Charlottezweb” (because I’ll never skip an opportunity to promote Jason’s marvelous hosting, even if it gets lost in the crowd.)

We’re re-watching Longmire from the beginning, hoping the long-awaited 4th season will start the night after we finish the cliffhanger of season 3. In last night’s episode Walt tells Henry the reason he’s pulling fingerprints from a car’s steering wheel instead of having one of his deputies do it: “If you want something done right, you do it yourself.”

Rather than debate the debatable truth of the statement, let’s talk about why we believe that.

… more … “Once Bitten . . . You Stop Sticking Your Hand in the Cage”

Snare Your Readers with Open Loops

[image: Scheherazade]Much that is popular doesn’t pass muster with me. Music, books, food, travel, clothing: if it’s trendy, I’m probably not there. Not because I dislike being trendy; far from it. I love being the center of attention, being one of the cool kids, as much as (or more than) most. My tastes don’t seem to line up with popular. Probably plays a role in why I’m not.

What’s popular in all those categories is what sells. In each, there are lessons I can learn. We can eschew the package and order a la carte.

Over at the Writer’s Village, writer and coach John Yeoman hosted Anthony Metivier’s article 13 Reasons Why I Love James Patterson – And You Should Too. Metivier comes at Patterson from all angles. Number eight is a writing lesson I’ve been seeing without learning for ages.

… more … “Snare Your Readers with Open Loops”

Another Structure: Shawn Coyne’s Story Grid

As a story structure geek, I’ve been thrilled to learn from Larry Brooks over at Storyfix.

And just as thrilled to discover the work of Shawn Coyne, by way of Steven Pressfield’s site.

An acquisitions editor for a million years, Shawn knows what it takes for a book to succeed. He knows what makes a story work, which is, as Larry keeps saying, the bare minimum, the ante, for this game. And he’s teaching it, a bit at a time, at StoryGrid.com.

The image below is the story grid for Silence of the Lambs which, though I have not indulged in either book or movie, is a classic example of story done right, according to Shawn.

… more … “Another Structure: Shawn Coyne’s Story Grid”

Chandleresque (Guest Post at Lilac Reviews)

More than one person has generously compared my book A Long, Hard Look to Raymond Chandler.

One person asked why, and posted my answer at her review website.

Give it a read. Comment. (Let’s make others think I have a huge audience of loyal supporters, eh?)

Lilac Reviews

Catherine, Caffeinated: Self-Printed 3.0

[image: selfprintedsplashbadge]Catherine Ryan Howard taught me how to do a Goodreads giveaway, among other things. Wanna know what she can teach you? Here’s a single Q&A with Catherine, and down below, the scoop on the latest edition of her book Self-Printed: The Sane Person’s Guide to Self-Publishing.

I asked: Is there any specific data on the ROI for freebies? I’m curious about data like “100 copies given away results in 13 reviews and 3 copies sold” or some such nonsense. Separated by fiction and nonfiction. Also, what’s your opinion on whether such data would have any practical value?

… more … “Catherine, Caffeinated: Self-Printed 3.0”

Author Entrepreneur: Eight Essentials to Make Writing Pay the Bills by Pat Fitzpatrick

[image: Pat Fitzpatrick] Pat Fitzpatrick(Somehow this draft never got posted. Even though the linked article is 2 months old, it is excellent, well worth your time.

8 practical tips on making the transition from working for a living to writing for a living. Yes, that’s a joke. The article is not. Pat Fitzpatrick guest writing on Joanna Penn’s blog.

Why Do You Write?

[image: A Long, Hard Look – a Chandleresque cozy]Pressfield nails it again. Today’s post is about finding why, about asking yourself why you write, what you expect to happen.

And it’s about letting go of the stuff you simply cannot control.

He suggests asking yourself these questions:

  • Was this a worthy effort?
  • Did it call upon you to give more than you believed you had in you?
  • Did you conduct yourself honorably in the enterprise?
  • Did you give it all you had?
  • Did you succeed according to your own standards, the measures that only you know and only you can define?

I intend to market A Long, Hard Look as well as I can.

I intend to accept whatever level of commercial success it achieves, because I can answer “yes” to those 5 questions, and that’s what matters.

What Should I Know Before Hiring a Freelance Editor? (Amanda Shofner)

[image: change” width=”162″ height=”300″ class=”alignright size-medium wp-image-3747]At my presentation at the Roseville, California library I was asked, as I am often asked, how to find a good editor. I found some good advice from Amanda Shofner.

This list of the questions she answers is not enough. Go ahead and read the article.

  1. Know the type of editing you need
  2. Learn what the editor is all about
  3. Determine the genres they edit
  4. Ask whether they offer sample edits
  5. Realize that editors will make changes… but it doesn’t mean you’re a terrible writer