It’s been a difficult week for us all, and continues to be so–nowhere more so this morning than in Boston. In reaction I’ve tried to “Keep calm and carry on” by doing normal things and moving forward with projects. I’ve been able to push the line forward a little in some areas: with this blog, with my gardens, and with the new novel. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘novel writing’
Maintain an Even Strain
Posted in Culture, Writing, tagged blogging, creative writing, novel writing, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 19 Apr 2013| 3 Comments »
Overthink Much?
Posted in Writing, tagged blogging, creative writing, editing, novel writing, novels, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 16 Apr 2013| 12 Comments »
Is there anything more desperate than an unpublished writer?
I’ve been participating in some of the writers’ group discussions over on LinkedIn and I swear, never have I seen so many people trying to augur the entrails of the publishing world, never have I read so many vaunted “rules” of writing, and never have I heard so much illogical “advice.” Never.
And yet, I understand it. I understand it all. (more…)
No More Blah-Blah-Blah
Posted in Writing, tagged creative writing, novel writing, novels, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 10 Apr 2013| 5 Comments »
So…that went well…
The Free Book Promotion for Unraveling Time was a rousing success. Over 1100 copies were downloaded. I hope you all got your free edition. (If you missed it, I’ve modified the regular price and you can now get a copy for only 99¢.)
The downside? Well, first off, Italy and I are no longer on speaking terms (no copies to the .it site), and then, obviously, it’s over, so the book is no longer on the Top Ten. Thus…back to obscurity. The promotion begat some interesting conversations about the value and future of e-books (or, to be more precise, the value and future of hardcopy books), the value and methodology of this kind of promotion, and other topics that I’ll cover in future.
Now, though, it’s time to shift gears. I need to quit screwing around. No more blah-blah-blah (if you get that classic TV reference, let me know) and lots more “On, you huskies!”
Yes, it’s time to start writing.
The Art of History
Posted in Books, Writing, tagged book review, books, creative writing, gabriel garcia marquez, love in the time of cholera, marquez review, novel writing, novels, Writing, writing tips on 09 Apr 2013| 4 Comments »
As part of my preparation for my next book, I’m reading and analyzing authors who exhibit a particular style. So far, it’s been Alice Hoffmann and Julio Cortazar. Now, it’s Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
The book I chose was Love in the Time of Cholera, and several things immediately set it apart from other books I’ve read in recent years. (more…)
Free Free Free
Posted in Books, Writing, tagged amazon, book promotion, books, creative writing, ebooks, free book, free kindle book, Kindle, novel writing, novels, publishing, self-publishing, Unraveling Time, Writing, writing tips on 08 Apr 2013| Leave a Comment »
I’ll admit it. I got nothing done this weekend. I was positively glued to my iPad, pulling up the growing stats on my promotion for Unraveling Time, watching the numbers click upward hour by hour, day by day.
It was fascinating, and it totally exceeded my expectations.
(And in case you missed it, no worries; it’s still available for free, thru midnight tomorrow. Don’t be left out. Go claim yours!)
So, instead of something pithy and/or insightful, let’s talk about the progress so far.
Secondary Effects
Posted in Books, Writing, tagged amazon, book promotions, creative writing, ebooks, free books, Kindle, novel writing, novels, publishing, self-publishing, writing techniques, writing tips on 06 Apr 2013| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday’s promotional campaign–offering Unraveling Time free of charge for an entire weekend– came under the heading of “It couldn’t hurt.” I thought it might get my book in front of a couple of new readers. It did, but it did more than that. There are secondary effects.
Unraveling Time is a time-travel/historical/adventure/romance (yep…it is) and as such, I listed it in two sub-sub-genres: Historical fantasy and Time Travel Romance (didn’t know there was a Time Travel Romance sub-sub-genre, did you?) Well, this morning, due to the free copies that people have downloaded, Unraveling Time is in the Top Ten for its genres. Now, I grant you, those are rather specific sub-sub-genres, but here’s the thing. At Amazon, there are people who subscribe to the RSS feed of top sellers in those genres. There is even an RSS feed for top free books in those genres. And that, my friends, is targeting your demographic.
Of course, it’s a free promotion, and I’m not making a dime off it, but as folks in another business say: The first taste is free.
Already, I’ve had emails from people thanking me for the free book, telling me that they’ve started reading it already and are enjoying it, and one email from a brand-new reader just to tell me that she really loved a line from the book (“…and the sand
beneath him that smelled of ancient anger.”)
I can’t tell you how big my grin was when I read that.
So, if you some friend or colleague or even just a blogger like me says, Here’s a book for free, go get it. Even if you don’t read it, you’ll help that person’s book reach new readers and that is, essentially, what most of us are striving for.
k
Hard-Boiled Writing
Posted in Writing, tagged blogging, books, cooking, creative writing, hard boiled egg, novel writing, perfect hard boiled egg, Writing, writing techniques, writing tips on 03 Apr 2013| 2 Comments »
There are some things I cannot do and will never be able to do. I will execute a perfect entrechat huit. I will never date Morena Baccarin. I will never be the conductor of a world-famous symphonic orchestra. I will never eat balut. The items on this list are there due to my physical limitations, my not having enough talent or time to achieve the goal, or my strong desire to not ever do such a stupid thing. (You can figure out which goes with which.)
There are other things I cannot do and should be able to do. These are things that are not beyond my physical capabilities or mental acumen. These are things I want to do but simply, at this point in time, cannot.
Like cooking the perfect hard-boiled egg. (more…)
Kurt R.A. Giambastiani 