So you've sent your book off to beta readers and you get some heart-sinking feedback: your story is dull or the reader lost interest partway through. There are many reasons a reader's engagement can falter, but today I'm going to address one I see often: lack of tension. At any given point in your book, there… Continue reading Why is my book boring?
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How I Wrote a One-Page Synopsis
Synopses are hard. Sometimes they feel like a punishment sent by the writing gods to torment miserable authors.I'm not talking about the "back of the book" blurb or the summary you put in a query, but instead that other beast. The dreaded "1 to 2 page synopsis" required by some agents when querying.For those who… Continue reading How I Wrote a One-Page Synopsis
Dreams vs. Goals
It's that time of year again. Everyone is looking forward to 2019 and setting their goals. I've been noticing a pattern of goal-setting that's a recipe for disappointment, so I'm going to speak a little bit about dreams versus goals. Some points in this article can be applied to self-pub goal-setting, but the examples I… Continue reading Dreams vs. Goals
On Book Covers: Part 5
5. Be Unique! (But Not Too Unique) This one goes back to our discussion on genre.You want your cover to convey your book's genre, but you should also push a little bit farther and give those readers a reason to pick your book out of that sea of samey covers. I’ll give a standout cover… Continue reading On Book Covers: Part 5
On Book Covers: Part 4
4. Professionalism This is a pretty nebulous concept. In general, does it look like someone with thoughtfulness and skill designed this cover, or does it look like someone with no previous experience used a “make your cover” template? For those who are designing your own covers on a budget and don’t have access to fancy… Continue reading On Book Covers: Part 4
Amy Avery / Avery Ames 