R.L. Herron's Blog, page 7
June 15, 2017
What Do All Good Writers Have in Common?
All the best, most creative and colorful writers on the planet do two special things, every single day of their lives. They Write Growing and improving as a writer takes practice. Lots and lots of practice. The kind that only comes from writing daily. It also involves soliciting and incorporating feedback you can trust, from […]
May 30, 2017
Why Do You Pick Up a Book in the First Place?
If you’re like most people, you pick up a book because the cover or title looks interesting. The next thing you do is read the back blurb, or if you’re online, the excerpt. What is it? Or, better yet, what should it be? Basically, the back blurb is a sales pitch. There are a lot […]
May 13, 2017
Author Interview: T.W. Dittmer
Today I’m re-interviewing a fellow Michigan writer, T.W. Dittmer, the author of the interesting novel, The Valley Walker, about his new effort, Five Toed Tigress. T.W. Dittmer, Indie Author. Welcome to “Painting With Light,” Tim. Thanks for having me, Ron. I enjoyed […]
May 4, 2017
Your Platform Provides Vital Support
Indie fiction authors sometimes say this platform-building stuff doesn’t work. But the truth is, after your network of family and friends has been tapped out, if you aren’t continuously putting your book in front of new readers, nobody is going to see it. A writer’s life isn’t a cakewalk at the best of times. But […]
March 29, 2017
Have You Built Your Author Platform?
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay Ever had trouble getting someone’s attention in a particularly noisy public place? If you’re an indie author trying to promote your book, you’re going to find yourself in the midst of that noisy place. Even with a fabulous story, the competition for notice is fierce, and that’s exactly what it’s like […]
March 18, 2017
What’s a Writers’ Platform Again?
Photo by Christian Betrand, courtesy Shutterstock About ten years ago, the publishing industry starting tossing out the word “platform” like confetti during a rock concert. Major publishers started expecting authors to have an existing platform, because they were far easier to promote. Soon everyone, including indie authors, used the new “platform” buzz word, but few […]
February 21, 2017
What Does Your Indie-Author Platform Look Like?
Most indie authors seem to know they need a social media platform to talk about their work. Assuming you do, what does yours look like? If your answer is “Blogs” That can be a good thing, if you have information to share. Just be sure you do. I find writing these blog articles, sharing what […]
February 6, 2017
When Are You Too Old to Write?
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay Ask anyone if they’d like to go back to their youth and there are some who would jump at the chance. However, I think most would emphatically decline … and a few might actually shudder. Why? Despite our glorification of it, youth is often a time full of worries: school; career; […]
January 17, 2017
Do You Make Your Characters Believable?
Characterization is something I’ve talked about before. I think strong characters are absolutely essential to good stories. If you want readers to believe in your stories, it’s important for each Gentle Reader to believe in your characters. Why? Think of it this way: the characters in your stories don’t exist at all until you describe […]
January 10, 2017
Indie Publishing Milestone?
Perhaps you don’t realize it (I know I didn’t), but the year 2017 marks a special milestone for the book industry. Amazon released the Kindle, its first e-reader, on November 19, 2007. It sold for US$399 … and sold out in five-and-a-half hours. As recently as ten years ago, it was a print-centric world. Print […]
