Karina Sanchez

I’m becoming convinced that that is because most authors don’t really have a good plan and so they blame their failure on being an indie. My strategy is to hunt down successful authors, copy what they did, and then add my on twist to make it even better. I don’t really care what unsuccessful authors have to say.

I’ll try to publish a case study…[Read more]

Okay, wow, thanks for the info. So much of the research I’ve done on indie publishing has come out gloomy and negative, but maybe I just didn’t search deep enough. I’ll definitely keep those books in mind.

I should probably add that what converted me to the idea of self publishing is that it gives me more freedom to do what I just described. I’ll never have to worry about anybody getting in the way of this strategy because I will be the only one who has a say in it.

…plus the royalties are a lot better.

It is not at all as true as it sounds. Intact, most traditional publishers will tell you that you should still have a platform before you even publish with them. But how does one build a platform from scratch?

It’s actually surprisingly simple. While you’re at it, get that other free book on kindle, “reader magnets”. It will explain in very clear…[Read more]

Well Daeus. We forgive you.

Sounds like a really, really helpful book. Thanks for sharing! I would love to self-publish… but so many times I’ve heard that self-publishing is a no-no for an author who doesn’t already have a wide reader platform. Maybe that’s not quite as true as it sounds…

Structure nut is very obliging.

@mas410

I like to write fantasy/action/adventure/scifi/mystery/dystopian/drama/…

Yes! That is so me.

Structure nut has no objections. Structure nut does not care too much about structure. Structure nut loves structure, he does not care about it. Poetry is just saying something in a way that is expressly original, uses words that sound good a…[Read more]

Don’t worry, M.K. @the-happy-bookaholic corrects everyone’s grammar on here. It’s nothing personal. 😛

And that poem— wow. As structure goes, I’m don’t know how it was, because I’m not a structure nut (@Daeus is, if you can get him over here) but the words and the raw emotion touched me very… earnestly. You conveyed so much so briefly— or…[Read more]

Well then Denholm would die of poison and the whole world would crumble in ruin, quite simply. 😛

It’s okay— that almost happened anyway, because they were discovered halfway through the camp and he was very, very badly wounded.

Thanks @Daeus and @writefury— the drink is not important. So I conclude it was a good description as descriptions go, but unnecessary, which cancels that out. 😛

Thanks guys! I’ll make it seem less important. 🙂

@kate-flournoy It all depends on how important the drink is. Whenever an author focuses on any detail, we assume it is important. If it proves to have no value to the story, then we feel let down (unless perhaps the details are on the scenery). You especially need to have a reason for including the “something he could not name” in the taste…[Read more]

Gotcha @Hope. Thanks— you’re right.

Quick question for all of you here— how was the description of the drink? Specifically, did I spend too much time on it?

Well thanks! Would you mind posting one of your poems? Or are they all top secret? 😉

Great. Thanks. I’ll definitely be trying it. 🙂

That’s a good idea. It really won’t hurt. Just write down the major plot points, no more than ten paragraphs, then bullet point each chapter as you write it with 3-4 major plot points. That’s all. Super easy. No time wasted, much saved.

Perhaps you should do a slightly stricter outline for your books.

Hm… yes, more like ‘perhaps you should do an outline for your books.’

Believe me, I’m trying that with the next one. 😛 It can’t hurt to try.

Sloggels! I’m adding that to my dictionary!

Add it to all the other ones why you’re at it.

Whew, that’s more like it. Perhaps you should do a slightly stricter outline for your books.

Ooh… that’s a tough question. My absolute favorite poet of all time is J.R.R. Tolkien. He’s slightly famous, though not necessarily for his poetry. 😛
I love just about every kind of poem there is, though I tend to gravitate to sagas and ballads more than anything else.
As for what kind of poetry I write— well, it’s kinda difficult to…[Read more]

Sloggels! I’m adding that to my dictionary!

It’s a time thing. I realized halfway through the book that I spent waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy too much time with not really important things in the first half, so once I finish writing the thing I’m going back and fixing a lot more stuff than I ever had to fix before.

And I was exaggerating……[Read more]