When I look back at my childhood and evaluate what ignited the first spark of interest in writing mystery/suspense fiction, Hardy Boys books come to mind. In fact, for quite a while, those hardcover books were practically an obsession for me. They are so closely connected to the biggest joys of my childhood that I can’t even look at one without a lump forming in my throat. During the seventies I found them at Toys “R” Us and our Hudson’s department store for $2.50 each. I’d save up my allowance from weeding the garden and study the list of books inside the back cover, wanting to buy just the right one. I was never disappointed. I remember lying on my back at one end of our pop-up camper, engrossed in the latest caper. There I’d read for hours. Lost in another world. Trying to guess what the ending might be.…
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See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5. #6: Once my novel is accepted, my publisher will take care of the rest. The “rest” as in . . . what exactly? The printing? Yes, you don’t need to worry about that. The editing? For the most part, though you will be involved in final edits of some kind. Perhaps even a revision. And of course you’ll have a last look before the printing. The marketing? No, not all of it. This truth was one of the biggest surprises for me. After my first novel was accepted, I was amazed by how much I was expected to do myself. Once upon a time, authors could (for the most part) write their books and not worry too much about marketing. Those days are long past, especially after this nasty economy walloped the publishing world across the side of the head. Publishers must work extra…
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A month or so ago, I had a one-hour phone consultation with Thomas Umstattd at Authormedia.com. This site offers Web guidance for authors and provides a number of fee-based services to make the most of one’s Web presence. Tom asked a lot of questions and talked through my author website and my marketing strategy (or lack thereof). What I learned wasn’t all that surprising. I’m not doing nearly enough online to promote myself as an author. He said my website didn’t even rank on Alexa.com (I had no idea what that was). I checked this morning, and now I rank. Now that I’m informed, I’m taking steps to improve. Because other authors (or really anyone trying to do online marketing) may be in the same boat, I’m happy to pass on some important things I learned (Authormedia.com didn’t pay me to say any of this). 1. Purchase the Domain for Your…
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See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. #5: If a publisher accepts my novel for publication, I’ll be rich. Ha! Don’t quit your day job just yet. This is one of the most ridiculous myths of all, and it’s fueled by those glossy back covers of New York Times-best-selling authors in their expensive clothes and watches, hair perfectly coifed, wrinkles air-brushed away. For whatever reason, this image propagates in the general public, including newbies who don’t know better, the notion that anyone who publishes a novel must get paid a lot of money. The fact is, most published novelists aren’t rich—not even close. Once in a while, we hear about a struggling author like J. K. Rowling suddenly making it big. But those stories are definitely not the norm. The Reality Most published novelists I’ve gotten to know online (because I know few up here in the woods) continue the rat race…
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