Ron C. Nieto's Blog, page 3

Publishing roadmap

I wanted to let you know that I’ve just updated the “What’s next” page, with some hints into future projects. Check out what’s in the pipelines for this upcoming year and let me know what you think!

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Best cover ever… right?

Hey everyone!

So I just got word that Shattered Silence cover has been selected by Ind’Tale Magazine to compete as best cover of the month (October). That’s pure awesome! The cover was designed by Create Imaginations and this is proof that they did an outstanding job.

But as usual, if we’re to make the best of it, then I need your help: go and vote for it!

To be able to vote in the simple poll, you need to be a registered user (ouch, I know) but it is a simple process, it’s free, and it’ll get y...

NaNoWriMo: Dos, Don’ts and Whys

So November is right around the corner and this post should have been up before the weekend instead of right after, but what can I say. Life’s hectic and there’s still time, so here’s my two-cent contribution.

Why should you join?
It creates a routine.

If all you ever want to write is the story of your life, you have all the time and this is probably not very important. But if you want to make writing your living, or your side-job, or even your semi-professional hobby, you need to get into a rou...

How to market your novel

Some of us were innocent enough to believe that writing was the hardest part… It isn’t. You have to get your work out there. You have to face the Marketing Monster and—this is the tricky par—you have to win. I thought today I would share my marketing roadtrip, insights and tips. Perhaps you can learn from what I share (or even better, have some advice to add to the list).

Let’s start by what I believe is

The ultimate marketing boost

Cue my inner Loki Fangirl!

And wouldn’t you rather he be proud?

U...

The path to success is an elusive quarry

I’m going to share an anecdote from my summer days. Bear with me, because while I admit that I wanted to share it, there’s something to be learned from it!

Our story begins with a starting point (a train station), a clear destination in mind (a pretty palace) and a mistake (getting down from the train two stops too early). The plot goes as follows:

We got down in the village of Postdam, near Berlin, because that’s where the map said the palace was. In a stroke of brilliancy, none of us though t...

Writing touching scenes: is it so hard?

I was taking a walk through a park with a friend the other day and I saw a guy warming up for figure skating. This is nothing unusual—if you live in any big city, you’ll be familiar with people who gather in parks or other open spaces to show off their moves and practice skating, break-dancing or even martial arts.

If it’s such an everyday thing, it begs the question: why did I stop to stare open-mouthed, forgot about my speech mid-sentence, and kept thinking about him for the next few days?

It...

Quoting myself #4

“It’s always been you, Alice. Before I was in love with you, I was in love with the idea of you. And before that, I learned to fall in love with your memory.”

Shattered Silence

Quoting Myself #3

He wasn’t hungry. He would hunt regardless.

Faery Nights

Writing for selling

Would you rather sell what sells, or sell something and make it sell?.

That’s a question I’ve seen asked time and again, in some way, shape or form (usually less convoluted than mine), and I thought I should try to give my answer.

First, let me say that in my humble opinion there’s nothing wrong with writing something that trends. Sometimes what trends happens to be what you naturally write, and sometimes the sheer input of a particular genre or plotline coming at you from every angle is what y...

I have a Plan (capital P, yes)

Sometimes, people need to take a step back and put some order in life. That’s what I’ve been doing this summer: I finally got through my thick skull that plans are important and that I had better make one—and stick to it.

It’s been an important revelation, particularly these days when I’m juggling three separate jobs and feel like no matter what I do, I won’t make it in time. My trip the last year or so has felt too much like floundering and not at all like swimming. It might be understandable...