I'M WORKING on how to go about helping other writers build an active, engaged Twitter following, and I have some ideas, but I need to test them out. You busy? That's fine—you don't have to do anything for now except raise your hand (which you can do with a comment here or with a reply … Continue reading I Want to Investigate You
Are You Trying to Build an Audience?
ON TWITTER yesterday I asked whether or not people are actively trying to build their following. The responses varied from yes to no to a handful of people who mistook my meaning and said, “I'm here for engagement. I don't care about the numbers.” Engagement is what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about implementing … Continue reading Are You Trying to Build an Audience?
Why Hire Me to Read Your Manuscript
THE REAL question is why should you pay anyone to read your manuscript? One answer is obvious: every writer needs an editor. You're so close to your story that you become blind to its faults and errors. A plot hole or a fatal inconsistency can make or break a book, as can too many grammatical … Continue reading Why Hire Me to Read Your Manuscript
So I Read Your Book
WHAT A dreadful arrangement of words. What horrors spawn in the heart by the sound of them, conceived in light of this ambiguous and ominous news: "So . . . I read your book." It's like news of a coming snowstorm. Exciting but uncertain. You hoped you were on your way to a book deal … Continue reading So I Read Your Book
How to Twitter Effectively: Vol. 1
THIS IS the start of a new series I'm doing here on my bloggy blog in which I'll be offering tips on how to build your following and increase engagement. I've learned a lot about Twitter since I joined last month, and I want to share what I know with newcomers to the writing community … Continue reading How to Twitter Effectively: Vol. 1
Mock Query Letter
Dear Ms. Literary Agent, Janie Character has lived her entire life imprisoned in the pages of a novel. The only thing that can set her free is the imagination of an avid reader, but there's just one problem: Janie isn't real. She needs a reader's mind to exist at all, and, confined to the page, … Continue reading Mock Query Letter
Pie for a Follow, John Scalzi?
THREE DAYS ago, on my birthday, New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author John Scalzi agreed to follow me on Twitter, under one condition: I had to agree to bake a pie. It's called a Schadenfreude Pie, invented by John himself and to be eaten, according to him, "while you are reveling in the horrible misfortunes … Continue reading Pie for a Follow, John Scalzi?
