Be real: Don’t let your story crash and burn

Be real: Don’t let your story crash and burn

Authenticity is a popular word and concept in marketing, whether you’re trying to build rapport with a potential employer or with potential clients. Authenticity also refers to being real which translates into versimilitude. I write about realism in fiction a...

And … crickets

I’m big on basic good manners. It’s something my mother drilled into me, reinforced in my youth by teachers who did not hesitate to correct me when I veered from the path of polite behavior or speech. Therefore, you may understand why ghosting infuriates...
What self-publishing really means

What self-publishing really means

“What are the steps to getting my book published?” I frequently see this question or some variation of it posted in the writing forums in which I participate. For those writers who are finishing up their manuscripts and eager to launch their stories upon...
Don’t fall for it!

Don’t fall for it!

One of the job sites/freelance platforms to which I subscribe sent me an alert for a gig that sounds right up my alley: freelance fiction prose writer (forbidden romance, new adult romance) with an estimated salary of $1,250 to $1,300 per month. Whoo hoo! That sounds...

Marketing begins before the book is published

Marketing is a crucial part of author success, at least on a commercial basis. When aspiring authors inquire about the publishing process, marketing is often the last thing on their minds. They’re too focused on actually producing a book. I understand that,...

The business of romance

Lust in the City 2023 was held Saturday, November 4, at the Comstock Inn & Conference Center in Owosso, Michigan. This second iteration of the event first held last year in East Lansing showed great improvement over the 2022 event, although it wasn’t without...