Steven M. Moore's Blog, page 82
July 24, 2018
Too good to be true…
If you happen to read the NY Times Book Review, you might notice a full page ad with lots of thumbnail cover images from various print-on-demand outfits (PODs)—iUniverse, Author House, Xlibris, etc. If you’re thinking about publishing your first book, you might say, “Geez, I should choose one of these PODs—they advertise in the NY Times Book Review.” Yes, they’ll do that for your book too. What’s in your wallet? In other words, get ready to take out a second mortgage if you’re lucky enough to...
July 19, 2018
The eightfold way revisited, part two…
[I wrote this quite a while ago and have repeated it a few times in this blog. It made the rounds on other blogs somewhere in the past. Why does this zombie rise again out of its grave to persecute you, dear reader? Because I still think it’s good advice about what NOT to do when writing a novel, so I’ve updated that advice a bit and repeated it here yet again. If you’ve been a fan of this blog for a long time, and you’re tired of seeing this, just skip today’s post.]
(5) Don’t dwell on minu...
July 17, 2018
The eightfold way revisited, part one…
[I wrote this quite a while ago and have repeated it a few times in this blog. It made the rounds on other blogs somewhere in the past. Why does this zombie rise again out of its grave to persecute you, dear reader? Because I still think it’s good advice about what NOT to do when writing a novel, so I’ve updated that advice a bit and repeated it here yet again. If you’ve been a fan of this blog for a long time, and you’re tired of seeing this, just skip today’s post.]
The media once was fixat...
July 12, 2018
Mini-Reviews of Books #32…
Best of Our Spies. Alex Gerlis, author. (Studio 28, 2012) Most everyone knows the Nazis were fooled into believing the D-Day invasion would occur at Pas de Calais, not Normandy. When the Normandy invasion began, many Nazi forces weren’t there to counter the Allies’ attack. This book is a fictional account about how that occurred.
Not quite as interesting as the author’s Vienna Spies, this is still a gripping and gruesome spy story. Like the best historical fiction, it’s hard to tell fact from...
July 10, 2018
Cover art…
First, whether you’re traditionally or indie published, let’s revisit some general advice: (1) Write your story, give it your best edit, and send it to beta-readers, in order to produce a manuscript (MS) that you can do something more with. (2) Leave the rest to the pros: final edits, cover art, and marketing. If you’re indie, that means NEVER be 100% DIY; if you’re going the traditional route, your publisher will take care of everything except s/he won’t help much with marketing.
That doesn’...
July 5, 2018
More about titles…
I want to expand a wee bit on what I’ve said about titles in this blog (much of that is contained in my little course “Writing Fiction,” a PDF available as a free download—see the webpage “Free Stuff & Contests” for other free PDFs and download instructions). In particular, I want to discuss series titles v. book titles and how they should shake hands if possible (big caveat there). I’ll use my own oeuvre for examples (both good and bad) because I know it best, and I know what thoughts I had...
July 4, 2018
Happy Fourth of July!
It’s not just a time for burgers and beer; it’s a time to remember what’s made America a shining beacon for freedom-loving people everywhere, a light to shine upon the darkness for those escaping war, famine, and natural disasters and those who want a better life; and it’s a time to be with our families and friends and those we have welcomed to our shores in celebrating our independence. Help make America sane again! And please, drive carefully and drink responsibly.
July 3, 2018
Writing what you want to write…
Even if you’re creative and want to write your own stories, there are plenty of people who throw up roadblocks—sometimes not intentionally, but irksome all the same. Many “writing coaches” will tell you to “know your market” or “write to sell.” I’m sorry. I don’t ever recommend that advice. You should write what you want to write, what you can be passionate about. That’s why including themes in fiction to make plots more interesting are so important to me, for example. As a reader, I don’t re...
June 28, 2018
Don’t trust tech!
We all know how Facebook contributed, unknowingly or otherwise, to elect Trump and support BREXIT. If not intentionally, then their business model needs serious fixing; if intentionally, someone needs to go to jail! Other social media sites, email services, and web browsers are also guilty of sharing our personal information with anyone who will pay them money.
How does this affect authors? Why should we be concerned? Because nowadays social media and email are valuable tools in many ways, we...
June 27, 2018
News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #161…
Summer reading. Whether on the beach, at a mountain campsite or cabin, or at home on the porch, summer is the time to catch up on your reading. With so many good books and good authors to choose from, what are you waiting for?
The Great Spring Thaw Sale is almost over. Summer has started, after all, although sometimes it doesn’t look like it. For your summer reading, check out the ebooks still on sale at my Smashword’s author page. Have a great summer!
Love-hate relationship with the NY Times...
