Roz Morris's Blog, page 52

Three paradoxes of writing life

Yesterday I spoke at the New Generation Publishing selfpub summit, and the discussions threw up some interesting paradoxes that writers encounter. 1 We must produce, but never rush. Unless we’re writing only for the satisfaction of filling a document, we need an output mentality. We set schedules, aim to present work to critiquers, editors and […]

Print options and free books: two of my own rules I’m breaking this year…

In my last post I talked about publishing options in a changing world. Well, this year I’m reversing a couple of my own fervently held policies. So today I confess. (I’m an indie. I reserve the right to change my mind.) Change #1 Putting print editions on IngramSpark If you’re self-publishing, one of the main […]

Solo self-publish, seek a book deal, something in the middle? Advice for the 2016 writer

Last year I wrote a round-up of the advice I’d give on publishing options. A year on, would I say the same? In some cases yes, in some no… The sales problem This time last year a main concern was how indies were feeling the pinch with dwindling sales. Did we think it could get […]

The slow-burn writer … What takes literary authors so long?

You could split the writing blogoverse into two camps. There are those who streak through books, racking up a few releases a year. And there are those who incubate a manuscript for many, many moons. (I’m talking about experienced writers here, not those on the beginning curve.) This is on my mind after Joanna Penn’s […]

Vow of silence: how much do you talk about your novel in progress?

If you’ve hung around here for a while, you might have spotted that I’m writing my third novel and it’s called Ever Rest. Assuming you give two hoots about it, or even just one, you’ll have noticed that’s about all I give away. I’ve mentioned Ever Rest in posts where I talk about a writing […]

Voice of experience: 5 things that established authors would tell new writers

A few weeks ago, a bunch of authors gathered for Books Are My Bag day at Barton’s bookshop in Leatherhead, Surrey. Inevitably, some customers asked for advice on writing and publishing. These were the five MFDs (most frequent discussions). 1 You are not alone. This realisation marked an important threshold. The moment we all found […]

‘Music has informed everything I’ve written’ – The Undercover Soundtrack, Iain Maloney

I’d like to bet that many readers of this blog went through a teenage phase where they wrote lyrics. Or is it just me? Well, it’s also my guest this week. He says the lyrics phase was superseded when the urge to create narrative took over, but music remains central to his creative life. It […]

Should you write under a pseudonym? Pros, cons and practicalities in a digital world

Should you use a pen name? Why might you? What problems might it cause? I rounded up a quiver of authors with noms-de-plume and asked them to answer some practical questions. First of all, why? An author name is a brand, of course, and traditional publishing has a long history of strategic pseudonymery. Names or […]

Ghostwriting 101, why I write and a brief blog hiatus

I’m sneaking away from the internet for a brief period so there won’t be any posts for a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, as if by magic timing, a couple of guest posts are setting sail. First there’s a swift guide to becoming a ghostwriter. Debbie Young, chief blogatrix at the Alliance of Independent Authors, asked […]

‘An earworm of the heart’ – The Undercover Soundtrack, Katharine Grant

My guest this week says she would like to be able to play the piano to concert standard, but since she can’t, she uses words as her instrument of enthrallment. Pianos are central to the plot of her latest novel, a historical romance in which four nouveau riche fathers attempt to marry off their daughters […]