Listmania – why is it important? by Rosanne Dingli

Author Rosanne Dingli.  Photo Credit Jill Beaver
Author Rosanne Dingli. Photo Credit Jill Beaver

Amazon is the mecca for readers of all kinds, and it is fast becoming one of the world’s most innovative publishers. So it has turned itself into a place for authors and readers to interface. Few others do it so successfully and with such apparent ease. The facilities Amazon offers make it the online traffic cop for books. It’s where people look first for direction. If a book is not on Amazon, it’s virtually invisible. Whether or not people make actual purchases there, it’s where they go to seek books. One way they look for the next thing to read is on Listmania!

In an age where the sheer quantity of available reading material can be overwhelming, readers like recommendations of different kinds. Listamania! is where lots are to be found. Recommendations in list form are rather special, because they group books by certain criteria. They can save time, they can prevent confusion and disappointment, and they can introduce a reader to new books and authors, sometimes in unusual combinations. Continue reading “Listmania – why is it important? by Rosanne Dingli”

Book Signing Basics Part One

Lust for Danger at B. DaltonA first time author asked about book signings. Here is my input/advice:

Honestly? Book signings are a pain in the ass. That’s only because they’re a lot of work and preparation for a usually small return on investment. They are a necessity, nonetheless.

Don’t be discouraged if only a couple of people show up and you don’t sell any books. That’s normal for a first book. And to add insult to injury, the most commonly asked questions (depending on if you’re in a mall or stand-alone book store) will be A) where are the Harry Potter books? and B) where is the restroom or food court. Be prepared for that and DO NOT take it personally. It’s no reflection on you whatsoever. It takes time to build a following where people will actually want to be where you are… Continue reading “Book Signing Basics Part One”

Learn to Navigate If You Want to Gaze at the Stars by Mark Cantrell

Author Mark Cantrell

REMEMBER the days of innocence. That was such a carefree time, when the words poured forth untroubled by matters of craft and technique.

The learning needed was steep. The fertile mind of the new writer, however, was too star-struck by the first emergence of the creative cosmos to notice the incline rising rocky underfoot.

Too engrossed to consider where a turn might lead to a grassier path, the emergent writer follows their star oblivious to the hazards ahead. Continue reading “Learn to Navigate If You Want to Gaze at the Stars by Mark Cantrell”

Ed’s Casual Friday: Everyone is a (one) Star.

Bad ReviewAs I’m sure many of my fellow writers have noticed at the various and sundry virtual watering holes around which we are wont to gather, one of the more common posts (right after “Buy my book!”) goes something like “I just got an awful review!” usually expressed with varying degrees of “How could this have possibly happened?”

How could it not have happened? My advice on such occasions is always to pick one of your favorite books of all time, something you think of as an absolute, perfect gem. Then go to any review site and page through the one-star reviews, of which there will likely be hundreds. Continue reading “Ed’s Casual Friday: Everyone is a (one) Star.”