Plans for April

March was a very full, fairly productive month. It saw the semi-final review of my next book, Knights of Aralia Book II: Evil Rising (slated to go on pre-order sometime this month), as well as the continuation of my several translation projects.

April looks to have great prospects. In addition to continuing the above projects, I shall be resuming my rough draft of the third Sauragia novel for the first time in earnest since last year, typing up another completed manuscript, and perhaps picking up the threads of another ambitious project from a couple years back. And of course, I hope to put a little more attention into this weblog, which I neglected somewhat last month. So much to do; so little time!

Spring Reading Sale!

Happy first day of spring, all! In an attempt to clear out some older stock, Ash Tree Media has decided to host a spring reading sale from now through April 1st. During this period, all my e-books will be 50% OFF with select retailers! In addition, all print books bought directly through this or my publisher’s site will also be 50% OFF, including signed editions! So what are you waiting for? Take a look at my Books page and see if you can make some new additions to your bookshelf today!

Marketing Matters: Book Reviews

Book reviews are one of many marketing tools available to authors and publishers. A glowing review from a recognized source can really work wonders for your book’s reputation, while a well-circulated negative review can just about ruin your chances of success. But regardless of whether a review is positive, negative, or somewhere in between, there are several ways you as an author can utilize them to maximum benefit.Continue reading “Marketing Matters: Book Reviews”

Plans for March

February was a very full month, and though I did not quite finish all I had hoped due to some unavoidable delays, I nevertheless did finish some and got very close to the rest. I cannot complain in the least.

March could prove a very hectic month indeed as I work towards other goals as well as writing and publishing. I have some manuscripts to look over, another to type up, and more work on my translations to do. In addition, I may finally see fit to resume my rough drafting of new material after two months of producing nothing new save for a couple more magazine articles. So, with this in mind, I carry on, and hope it proves a productive month for you all as well as for myself. At the very least, we’ve got 3 more days to work with than last month.

Writing Readable Nonfiction

Writing nonfiction is an art form unto itself, as I mentioned in a previous post on the subject, However, while that post was concerned primarily with the fundamentals of writing nonfiction, this one is concerned with another important aspect: making sure that the nonfiction you write is actually readable.Continue reading “Writing Readable Nonfiction”

Writing Professionally

The business side of things is an aspect that many creative types like to ignore or minimize as much as possible. And this is fine if you just want to write as a sideline or a hobby and aren’t at all interested in making a full-time career of it. But what if writing as a profession is your goal? How do you make a creative career your mainstay when the market is so crowded and highly subjective?

In truth, there is no easy way to go about it, and there is no magic formula to becoming an overnight bestseller. But there are nevertheless many things you as the independent creative writer (or creative anything, for that matter) can do to give yourself a bit of an edge over the less business-minded competition.

Continue reading “Writing Professionally”

Translating Your Work

One way to potentially expand your audience is to offer your work in more than one language. This is especially true if you have extensive distribution networks in countries and regions where a given foreign language predominates. I made a post on translating some time ago, but the emphasis of this post is how to go about having your own work translated, and what to do once you’ve got it.Continue reading “Translating Your Work”

Plans for February

January was a pretty good month. Though not every goal was met, progress was nevertheless made across all fronts.

For February, things should continue apace. I would like to continue my translation work, make some much-needed additions and corrections to this year’s Knights of Aralia books, and resume work on my long overdue rough draft of Sauragia 3! Some illustrating may also take place, though if other plans of mine come to fruition, I may not have much time for it.

How to Look Professional as a Self-Published Author

Self-publishing still has quite a stigma attached to it, and not without reason. After all, it can be done by anyone who has the means and the time to put his or her work out there with a relative minimum of technical skill required. Hence, self-published books can and often do still turn out looking half-finished, and with all kinds of obvious formatting errors that would send the staunchest of professional typesetters into apoplectic fits.

So, how can these many potential pitfalls be avoided in your own self-publishing endeavor, should you decide to pursue that route? And how can you overcome the stigma of being self-published so that your books might have a shot at becoming true successes? Well, I shall do my best to answer these questions and more in this week’s post.Continue reading “How to Look Professional as a Self-Published Author”