Author: Lynne Cantwell

Lynne Cantwell grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan. She worked as a broadcast journalist for many years; she has written for CNN, the late lamented Mutual/NBC Radio News, and a bunch of radio and TV news outlets you have probably never heard of, including a defunct wire service called Zapnews. But she began as a fantasy writer (in the second grade), and is back at it today. She currently lives near Washington, DC. Learn more about Lynne at her blog and at her Amazon author page.

BAM! Publish: A Vanity Press?

#PublishingFoul Logo Indies UnlimitedIt’s a common dream among first-time authors: you walk into your favorite local bookstore and there’s Your Book, sitting on the shelf for everyone to see – and buy. Alas, it’s unlikely to happen if you’re an indie author. If it happens at all, it will require a lot of hard work and persuasive energy on your part, as well as a store manager who’s willing to take a chance on an unknown author.

Books-A-Million, the second-largest bookstore chain in the United States, has developed a route for indies to get their books onto store shelves – but there’s a catch. Continue reading “BAM! Publish: A Vanity Press?”

LynneQuisition: Shoshanna Evers, SelfPubBookCovers.com

Interviews by Lynne CantwellWe all know that the first thing a prospective reader will see is the cover of your book, so you want it to look both enticing and professional. A lot of authors buy pre-made covers, but you run the risk of your cover being all matchy-matchy with someone else’s.

Trad-pubbed author Shoshanna Evers, now writing as Shoshanna Gabriel, recognized that pitfall when she went indie, so she created SelfPubBookCovers.com. Shoshanna has agreed to take a seat in the comfy chair and tell us about her site.

Shoshanna, how would an author find a cover on your site, and how much can they expect to pay? Continue reading “LynneQuisition: Shoshanna Evers, SelfPubBookCovers.com”

Smartphone Apps for Writers: Covers by Wattpad

wattpadOne of the neat things about posting your work at Wattpad is that you get to add your own cover art – which, if you’re like me, is a complete afterthought. But Wattpad has come to the rescue with an app that allows you to create a cover for your story while you’re on the go. (Wattpad also has an app that allows you to write a story on your phone or tablet. I can delve into that in a later post, if there’s any interest.)

I have an iPhone, so I found Wattpad Covers in the Apple App Store. There is also a version for Android. I had trouble getting into the app on my iPad, so I’m going to show you what it looks like on the iPhone – and I’ll tell you right now that it does a perfectly adequate job of whomping up a quick cover for your story. Continue reading “Smartphone Apps for Writers: Covers by Wattpad”

How to Come Up with a Great Book Title

ereader-best-titleLife just isn’t fair. It’s hard enough to write a book, but then you have to come up with a title for it, too.

Not long ago, as we minions reclined around the gruel pot, we got into a discussion about how we come up with titles for our books. (We were asked for our input for an article about story title secrets at ridethepen.com, which started this conversation.) As it turns out, we use a range of techniques, from market research to gut feelings to serendipity. Continue reading “How to Come Up with a Great Book Title”