A simple way to help little-known writers

You should see my list of books to buy. It has hundreds of titles on it. I am always, always, always on the search for new writers to fall in love with. Sometimes, I just read a blurb about a new book and I put it on my list until my next binge buy. I love — Read More

Publishing Journey: Self-promotion (AKA @#%^!)

When I first envisioned a life as a writer, the Internet was not invented yet. So, I assumed promotion and marketing would be limited to a glamorous book tour. Oh, little did I know… These days, with Facebook and Twitter and Tumblr (I’m still not sure what that is, though I have an account) and — Read More

Publishing Journey: The Author Website

Back in the day, before the Internet, all a writer had to worry about was–brace yourself–WRITING. These days, it’s not that way. Writing should always be priority but, if you get a book deal, you will see that a big chunk of your time can (and probably should) be spent on marketing and–ugh–self-promotion. I don’t think writers — Read More

Publishing Journey: Going Hollywood

These are the 2 most common questions I’ve been asked by people in regards to my upcoming book: 1. Do you get to design the cover? 2. Will it be a movie? As for #1, I sincerely hope I don’t design the cover because I can barely draw a stick figure. Furthermore, I have no — Read More

Publishing Journey: Impatience

There is one word NOBODY will ever use to describe me: Patient. I don’t even aspire to be more patient because it seems like striving for something impossible, like wishing I was shorter (which I do, occasionally, because I’m 5’11” and gangly as all hell). My brain moves really, really fast, and my expectations move at that — Read More

Publishing Journey: The Book Tour

Back in my early twenties, when I first started daydreaming of being a published author, part of my vision was the book tour. After all, as a voracious reader and writer myself, I considered book reading events to be akin to seeing a favorite band perform, up close and personal. When my sister lived in — Read More

24 Things No One Tells You About Book Publishing

I loved this BuzzFeed list (by Curtis Sittenfeld) so much that I had to include it here, along with my thoughts. 1. When it comes to fellow writers, don’t buy into the narcissism of small differences. In all their neurotic, competitive, smart, funny glory, other writers are your friends. <— It’s really true. Writers get — Read More

The pressures of fame (yes, this is a Harper Lee post)

It’s been impossible to ignore all the hype about Harper Lee’s follow-up to To Kill a Mockingbird. Even if you’re not a reader, you’ve heard about it. And, if you are a reader (or a writer), you’re probably foaming at the mouth to get your hands on it. I haven’t said much on the subject — Read More