Tag Archive for writing

How to Become a Novelist (part 2): Publish a Novel

You’ve written a novel?  CONGRATULATIONS!  So … now what?  Did you make it as gooder as you can get it?  Well then, it’s time to consider sharing it with the world!

But which path should you take to fame and riches?  Let’s start with another fun flow diagram, then I’ll get into the nitty-gritty details.  I think I’ve practically compiled a small book here, so, enjoy!

Publishing Options

 

CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

AT-A-GLANCE COMPARISON

DIGGING INTO TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING

How Do Traditional Publishers Pay Me?

I Want a Six Figure Advance!

You’ve Gotta Fight for your Rights to Party

How Many Books Do I Have to Sell to be “Successful” Traditional Style?

How Do Used Books and Libraries Affect Me?

What about File Sharing?

What’s a “Big 5” vs Small /Indie Press vs Vanity /Subsidy Press?

The Traditional Publishing Process

WHAT IF I TRY THE TRADITIONAL ROUTE AND EVERYONE REJECTS ME?

DIGGING INTO SELF-PUBLISHING

Some Food for Thought Before We Proceed

But Wait, There’s More:

How Does Self-Publishing Pay Me?

How Many Books do I Have to Sell if Self-Published?

The Self-Publishing Process

OKAY, SO CAN I MAKE A LIVING AT THIS WRITING THING EITHER WAY?

SHOULD I GET AN AGENT?

HOW DO I PROMOTE?

As always, please feel free to sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of the page (or send me an email if signup bar not visible) to receive additional tips, as well as exclusive Finn Fancy content.

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How to Become a Novelist (Part 1): Write a Novel

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be posting some info on how to become a novelist.  Here’s the first, an infodumpographic and general Q&A on the first step — write a novel.

Why?  Well, careful scientific studies have revealed that the number one reason for not having a novel published is, in fact, not finishing a novel.  A lot of writers struggle to get past this step, but I hope this information helps.

Infodumpographic

How big is this mountain I must climb? (How long is a novel?)

Are we there yet? (How long does it take to write a novel?)

How many millions will I make from my books and movie deals?

Seems easy enough, you just … Oooo, cat videos!

Don’t Stop Believin

Is a novel like a long short story?

I finished! Now what?

Writing a Novel

 

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Finn Fancy Book Tour Wrap Up

Here finally is a wrap up of my book tour experience for Finn Fancy Necromancy — the good, the awesome, and some lessons learned — not only to say thank you to everyone who helped or attended, but also to maybe help those who are trying to plan their own book tour.  This is way overdue, I know.  And I’ll do a separate post about promotion in general.

Randy at Gatsby Books

Randy at Gatsby Books, LA

I figured I’d talk about how I set up the tour, how I promoted it, then share some pics, and a list of the bookstores.

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Reading Tempest’s Challenge as a Writer

I haven’t weighed in on Tempest’s challenge because others said what I would have said quite well.

But this morning as I read yet another bit of concern over it, I realized that many people who are reacting to it are writers (and many who are reacting negatively are white male writers who fear this is an attack on their writing and/or livelihood), and for writers, there is an obvious solution: treat it as a writing critique.

If someone tells you that there’s something wrong with your story, you should not take it as a condemnation of who you are, it is a critique of the problems in the story.

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Using Your Writing Brainergy Wisely

Brainergy.  It’s not a new agey thing, or a result of midichlorians.  It’s just my word for measuring how fresh and alert and energized my brain is feeling.  And I believe learning to organize your writing schedule around your brainergy is very useful for writers.

Basic Writers Brainergy Chart

Basic Writer’s Brainergy Chart (more below)

Alas, I am not independently wealthy and writing this from my Super Writer Cave hidden beneath stately Henderson Manor.  I have to work full time, and I try to spend quality time with the people (and pets) I like.  I also have myriad other little life distractions.

So people sometimes express surprise at the amount of writing that I get done (not that I’m anywhere near Jay Lake levels or anything).  And it isn’t just the writing, of course, but the fact that I actually find time to finish and polish and submit my writing, and do all the other work that goes with being a writer.

One of the tricks I’ve learned is to not simply make a “To Do” list of things I want to get done, but to schedule them, and more importantly, schedule them smartly.

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Setting Your Goals for the New Year and Beyond

Happy New Year!

Rather than share events from my past year, I thought I’d offer a bit of encouragement and advice to help with the coming year.  While this is aimed primarily at my fellow writers, it also, I think, can be applied to life in general.

This weekend, I encourage you to sit down and do three things:

1) Create a calendar/schedule for your goals and tasks.

2) Create, or update, your list of goals and tasks.

3) BELIEVE and do what makes you happy.

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Finn Fancy ARCs and Cover Reveal

Today was a good day.

A box arrived on my doorstep, and inside was a little piece of a dream come true.  15 pieces, actually, all smelling delicious and booky.

Finn Fancy Anticipancy

Finn Fancy Anticipancy

Finn Fancy Opened

Finn Fancy Happy Face

Finn Fancy Happy Face

Yay Finn Fancy Yay!

Finn Fancy Happy Dancy!

Finn Fancy Love

Reading Finn Fancy

Such a captivating read!

Finn Fancy Cover

The Cover Revealed!

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My Upcoming Readings and Signings – Not Just for Writers of the Future

The point of my readings and signings will not truly be to sell copies of Writers of the Future volume 30 (although that is encouraged), but to celebrate our love of the genre together.

All questions will be answered, many laughs will be had, and many words shared.

And I understand that many folks may have already bought the anthology by the time of the reading, possibly in e-form, or maybe don’t want the anthology for some strange unknowable reason (possibly involving alien probing and the suppression of human emotion through nano technology). If so, bring your copy, or buy something else! I’ll have Other Stuff to sign freely for you if you do.

Let’s share in a celebration of speculative fiction, and support other authors and the bookstore as well (ideally through sale of the anthology which does so much to support new writers, and is also of course a handy way to understand the market if you wish to submit to them; but if you buy any book, that is a good thing in my, er, book).

Perhaps you were wanting to buy awesome fiction from other local authors like: Forged in Fire by J.A. Pitts; or The Age of Ice by J.M. Sidorova; or Hild by Nicola Griffith; or Requiem by Ken Scholes; or The Thousand Names by Django Wexler; or the latest Greywalker Novel by Kat Richardson; or The Creative Fire by Brenda Cooper; or Reflected by Rhiannon Held; or Copper Head by Tina Connolly; or The Book of Joby by Mark Ferrari.

Or you wanted to pick up some mind-expanding goodness, like: Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor; or Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie; or Authority by Jeff Vandermeer; or 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami; or Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson; or We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler, or Cory Doctorow’s latest, Homeland.

Or grab the latest (or first) book in a series you are interested in, be it the Dresden Files or Game of Thrones or Divergent.

Perhaps you prefer the comic stylings of Jim C Hines, John Scalzi, or Terry Pratchett, or the magic realism of Charles de Lint?

Or heck, come in and place pre-orders on books like: Hurricane Fever by Tobias S. Buckell; or The Ultra Thin Man by Patrick Swenson; or Last Plane to Heaven by Jay Lake; or Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka.

But again, of course, the hope is to sell many copies of Writers of the Future Volume 30, officially called by The Critic** “The besterest volume ever.”

Hope to see you there, with (some) book or eReader or receipt in hand*.

*No purchase required to participate as a viewer. Mileage estimated based on in-city reading. See book dealer for additional details.
**That’s me. I’m The Critic. I may be biased, but I’m also completely biased.

See my Schedule page for details on upcoming readings/signings/Q&As.

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Reddit “Ask Me Anything” for Writers of the Future

Want to know what goes on at the Writers and Illustrators of the Future workshop, what the awards ceremony was like, advice on how to succeed as a writer or illustrator, or my favorite flavor of milkshake?

On May 13th the writer and illustrator winners of this past year will be coming together to answer these and any other questions.  This giant question-and-answer period will take the form of an AMA (ask me anything) on the Reddit fantasy forum.

The AMA will be posted here on May 13th: http://www.reddit.com/r/fantasy/

Those participating in the AMA are:

Megan E. O’Keefe (Writer Winner and the AMA organizer) : Website | Twitter | Facebook

Randy Henderson (Writer Winner): Website Twitter

Anaea Lay (Writer Winner): Website Twitter 

Bernardo Mota (Illustrator Winner): Website Facebook

Shauna O’Meara (Writer Winner): Website

Trevor Smith (Illustrator Winner): Website Twitter Facebook

Terry Madden (Writer Winner): Website Twitter Facebook

C. Stuart Hardwick (Writer Winner): Website Twitter Facebook

Cassandre Bolan (Illustrator Winner): Website Twitter Facebook

Liz Colter (Writer Winner): Website Twitter

Oleg Kazantsev (Writer Winner): Facebook

Sarah Webb (Illustrator Winner): Tumblr Portfolio Facebook

Michael Talbot (Illustrator Winner): Facebook YouTube

Paul Eckheart (Writer Winner): Website Twitter Facebook

Leena Likitalo (Writer Winner): Website 

Kirbi Fagan (Illustrator Winner): Website Facebook

Vincent Coviello (Illustrator Winner): Tumblr

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My Writers of the Future Award Speeches

On Sunday, April 13, 2014, I was honored to accept awards from the Writers of the Future contest both as a first place quarterly winner, and then as the Golden Pen grand prize winner. 

I’ll post more about the workshop and the experience itself, but for now, here is a link to the award ceremony.

TRANSCRIPTS of my acceptance speeches (I left out the “ums”) are included below.  

My introduction and speeches begin at 02:07:00 and at 02:46:05.

 

TRANSCRIPT FOR ACCEPTANCE OF AWARD FOR FIRST PLACE:

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