Andy Zach's Blog: The Unlikely life of Andy Zach - Posts Tagged "writing"

Hi! Those who remember my last blog post, 3 Media Kit Tips for the New Year, will be delighted to know I’ve got three more hot tips for you!

How hot?

Or maybe,

More Media Kit Tips!

Without wasting more of your time, let’s begin!

Media Kit Tip: The First – Product Info –
First, we must acknowledge our source:

Platform by Michael Hyatt

Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by [Hyatt, Michael]

So what do I mean by product info?

See the rest of the blog here:

https://www.andyzach.net/3-media-kit-...

What is Science Fiction Story Fuel? The fuel is science. I read science and technology all the time. I’ve loved science and technology since elementary school. In this blog post, I share my Science Fiction Story Fuel articles from the last couple of weeks. Let’s begin with:

https://science-andinfo.blogspot.com/...

I grew up reading Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov. Did you know Asimov wrote the Lucky Starr series of YA novels?
https://images.search.yahoo.com/searc...

Science Fiction Story Fuel
Lucky Starr and the Moons of Jupiter cover

The video shows the moon in great detail, rather like Heinlein’s book, Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, which I read in 2nd or 3rd grade.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/searc...
Science Fiction Story Fuel
Have Space Suit–Will Travel cover
Heinlein’s cover art wasn’t too far from the final lunar excursion suit:
https://images.search.yahoo.com/searc...
Science Fiction Story Fuel
The Apollo 11 space suit
The Next Science Fiction Story Fuel Link

More here: https://www.andyzach.net/science-fict...

Do you want to Get 3 Great Writing Tips from Zombie Turkeys Author Andy Zach? They're coming!  But first, have a laugh, courtesy of Andy's favorite, Weird Al Yankovich!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ssa1E...
Get 3 Great Writing Tips - Your First Tip
Have you heard of the Three Act Story Structure? How about the nine plot points? It's foundational to most movies and plays and books. First invented by Aristotle, this article delves into it:
https://www.facebook.com/AndyZachAuth...
There are many variations on this theme, but if you think about it, every story has a beginning, middle, and end. Your story usually climaxes after the middle, or at the end of the second act of the play, and then the results of the action happen.
Intermission in Get 3 Great Writing Tips
Will we be dominated by robots in the future? Comment on this post or drop me a line, after watching this video.
https://www.facebook.com/ScienceChann...
And now on to the next tip.
Get 3 Great Writing Tips - Your Second Tip
Now you've got some idea about story structure, tell me about your favorite characters. Tell me about either characters you've created or your favorite fictional characters of all time. Then tell me what motivated them. Character motivation is what the next tip is all about.

https://www.facebook.com/AndyZachAuth...
Next, a Squirrel of a Different Color
A malabar squirrel from India. Truly a squirrel of a different color. Links to another squirrel.

 
The rest of the post here:
https://www.andyzach.net/get-3-great-...

Zombie Turkeys front cover. Click to get a copy!

Sam Melvin, an underachieving e-reporter from a small town, changes forever when he meets turkeys that won't stay dead. You can shoot 'em, chop 'em, burn 'em—they come back stronger. The undead plague of poultry spreads uncontrollably, rocking the whole country. . .

From Zombie Turkeys' Blurb

So, what happened next? What happened before the publication?

In the beginning . . .

Caterpillar forcibly retired me in October 2015. I didn't want to rust on the pile of retirement, so I decided I would start writing a book. But I needed a topic. I wanted something light and funny.

We got a new turkey fryer and I tested it out. I brought in the fried turkey on a platter and said, "Imagine if this turkey came back to life!" Then someone said, "It'd be a zombie turkey."

A turkey who missed the free book offer. Click to get your free book.

"Eureka! That's it! That's my book! Zombie turkeys! A whole apocalypse of them. It'll be a parody of all zombie books ever written."

My Sixth-Year Anniversary - What Happened Next?

I wrote about 48,000 words in November in the book for NaNoWriMo. Then I finished it in December. Then I edited it: six times over until March. I decided I needed an editor--and got her, Dori Harrell.

Then I decided to learn about publishing. I read about six books. I also took a writing course at my alma mater, Bradley university. Who knew point-of-view was so important?

I created a project plan for self-publishing. Then I decided to publish through Amazon, since it was easier and cheaper.

I went back and forth with my editor about six times. The novel was ready to publish, with 54,000 words.

Oops! I forgot to get a cover illustration! I needed one done and it was July 2016.

The Making of the Zombie Turkeys Cover

Fortunately, I already wrote a blog post about this process. Click the title or here to read it.

A cover draft. Click to see more.

Oh, I forgot. I also worked with my illustrator Sean "Fuzzy" Flanagan on my chapter icons. Read about it here: How we Made Zombie Turkeys Chapter Icons.

My Sixth-Year Anniversary - Format Editing

Text formatting--so simple--NOT! Readers expect books to be formatted a certain way. If you break the rules--like not starting your book on the right-hand page--you look like a rank amateur.

Which I was. But I didn't want to look that way. I only got one chance to make a first impression. So I hired Rik Hall. He's fast. He's experienced. And he made my book in both paperback and ebook formats.

Finally I was ready. I uploaded my file to Amazon and ordered my proof copy. I set my launch date for October 31st, 2016 and ordered fifty paper copies.

My first copy. Click to get yours!

I was ready to launch. What happened next? Read my next blog to find out!