Self-Publishing Series Part One | Preparing for Book Launch

This is the first in a series of posts in which WB Welch and I will be chronicling our self-publishing journey for our upcoming post-apocalyptic trilogy The Last Zombie Series. The purpose of this post is to show other self-published authors exactly what we’re doing to prepare for our book launch, our efforts to build … Continue reading Self-Publishing Series Part One | Preparing for Book Launch →

Children’s Book Christmas Gift Recommendation | THE DREAMER by Micah Chaim Thomas

If you're looking for a children's book to gift to a little one for Christmas, I recommend The Dreamer by Micah Chaim Thomas. With beautiful illustrations to accompany its poem, The Dreamer will take your child on a sleepy adventure through a dream that evolves from page to page as they imagine being a frog, … Continue reading Children’s Book Christmas Gift Recommendation | THE DREAMER by Micah Chaim Thomas →

Looking for Story Inspiration and Overcoming Writer’s Block

The ever-elusive story idea. What’s gonna hit? What’s worth exploring? For some, story ideas flow like a never-ending stream, while for others, new ideas are as hard to come by as toilet paper in a pandemic. I’ve occasionally found myself on both sides of this coin and am here to share some tips on how … Continue reading Looking for Story Inspiration and Overcoming Writer’s Block →

PitMad Tips and Strategies | Twitter Pitch Events

With the last PitMad of 2020 coming up on December 3rd, I thought I’d share my latest tips, tricks, strategies, magic spells, and general thoughts on how to get results for this and other Twitter pitch events--and things you can take away from PitMad even if you don’t get that coveted agent like. [Want to … Continue reading PitMad Tips and Strategies | Twitter Pitch Events →

A Penguin Eats a Boy Named Simon | Also, Free Stuff

Well, it looks like the Big Five might soon be the Big Four. I woke up to the not-so-awesome news that I’m sure you’ve heard about already: Penguin Random House is slated to acquire Simon & Schuster. Rather, its parent company Bertelsmann, which bought S&S for $2.2 billion. As far as I know, there's no … Continue reading A Penguin Eats a Boy Named Simon | Also, Free Stuff →

2021 Market Trends in Book Publishing | My Unqualified Speculation

IT GOES without saying that this has been a tumultuous, tragic, and terrifying year, and to writers hoping for a publishing contract, or book lovers looking for their ravenous thirst to be quenched, it begs the question: What will publishing trends look like in 2021? Will it be a year of rom-coms, slapstick comedy, and … Continue reading 2021 Market Trends in Book Publishing | My Unqualified Speculation →

Casting Paperback Comedian | Guest Post by E.C. Flickinger

Who should play the lead in the movie version of Paperback Comedian? You’ve probably thought about casting the perfect person for your favorite book, maybe even for something you’ve written. Yeah, it’s a bit daunting. THE BEST at their craft have a special presence, a gravity. We admire them instinctually. We choose to orbit their … Continue reading Casting Paperback Comedian | Guest Post by E.C. Flickinger →

How We Accidentally Wrote a Book for Our Times | JJ Blacklocke

HOW WE ACCIDENTALLY WROTE A BOOK FOR OUR TIMES by JJ Blacklocke AN ADVENTURE In 2016, two best friends traveled to New York City for a pair of adventures: to see HAMILTON on Broadway and to sit down together and plot out a science fiction series. Four and a half years later, we can watch … Continue reading How We Accidentally Wrote a Book for Our Times | JJ Blacklocke →

Inciting Incident vs. Call to Adventure | A Clarification

I WANT to talk about the difference between the inciting incident and the call to adventure in a novel. Recently there’s been a lot of discussion on ye olde Twitter about whether or not you should start your story in the midst of action and how long you should hold off before introducing the inciting … Continue reading Inciting Incident vs. Call to Adventure | A Clarification →