Mystery and Suspense… with a touch of romance
It's hot here in Texas. Triple digit hot. We were blessed to be able to enjoy a few days of afternoon rain showers earlier in the month, but they have parted. And with the heat, the Sarahan dust has returned. It's the dog days of summer. I've heard about the dog days since I was... Continue Reading →
I hate having to attend early morning meetings. It's not the meeting, per se, but the fact I have to be at work an hour earlier than usual. I don't wake up any earlier but I miss the time I have in the mornings to collect my thoughts. That seems to throw my entire day... Continue Reading →
Facebook is taunting me this week with memories of past vacations. I took the above photo five years ago on a trip to Big Bend National Park from inside the Chisos Mountain Lodge. We were having breakfast on our last morning there. That day we drove all the way from Big Bend (near the Mexico... Continue Reading →
Lots of changes the past few years in the world of Indie Publishing. P. H. Solomon shares some thoughts today at Story Empire.
Making choices self-publishing choices can feel like throwing darts blindfolded. With all the changes to publishing in the last decade or so it gets even more confusing. For instance, now there are opportunities with hybrid publishers which can open more doors for authors and leave them more perplexed than ever.
When indie-publishing really took off, the options were traditional publishing or self-publishing either through a vanity publisher or using Createspace and other such options. Now, Ingram and other distributors offer the opportunity for availability in their catalogs but that doesn’t get you to bookstore shelves. True distribution to bookstores is usually not available for indie authors even if you choose to make the book returnable and offer the standard 55% wholesale discount. Looking at it that way, making a book non-returnable and only offering 30% discount is much more profitable and allows authors to price print books competitively.
And then…
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Hello everyone! The first Friday of each month, Story Empire offers a fiction prompt. Staci Troilo had this month's prompt and I decided to participate. My story is based on the word, telescope. To see the full prompt, click here. And now, here is my story: Erin Daniels watched the full moon rise over the... Continue Reading →
Staci Troilo writes about word count length for various genres. Check out her post today at Story Empire.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Ciao, SEers. Yep, I went the cheesy-route in the title. Hopefully Elizabeth Barrett Browning doesn’t mind me manipulating her masterpiece.
It’s February, the month of love. (If you subscribe to that, which I kind of don’t. I’m a romantic, so I think love is important all the time.)
Anyway, today I want to talk about word counts in fiction. Specifically, definitions of categories, ranges of words, and genre norms.
Word counts are important for both publishing and contest submissions. But breaking things down into categories is always easier than speaking in great yet nebulous generalities. So that’s what publishers did. When people talk about types of fiction, these are the categories and an estimated range of word counts assigned to them.
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Hi Everyone! Most of you know that I’m a part of Story Empire along with five other authors. Today, we have a special announcement!
Good morning, SE Readers. Joan here today with an extra post this week. Back in November, John Howell nominated Story Empire for an award on the Postive Writer website.
The winners were announced last week. Drum roll, please…
Story Empire was named as one of the top fifty writing blogs of 2018! Needless to say, the six of us are super excited about the award. But we know that we wouldn’t have been named if it hadn’t been for our readers.
Many of you went to the site and voted for us. So this award isn’t about Story Empire, but it’s about you. We strive to bring relevant and helpful content each week. Topics that will help you in your writing journey.
So, on behalf of Mae, Staci, Harmony, P. H. and Craig, I want to say, “thank you.” And take a moment to visit Positive Writer to see the…
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Ever feel like scrambled eggs when it comes to social media? Think you’re spending all your time there rather than writing? Mae Clair shares some wise words on the subject today at Story Empire.
Happy Monday, SEers! It’s a new week and a new subject. Lately, friends, family, and I have been discussing social media. Even co-workers. I’ve come to realize many people have a love/hate relationship with social media, or at least some of the platforms, and the bulk of activity that takes place there.
I’m not here to debate the merits of social media, rather to offer some suggestions on how to best use it as an author. As writers, we need to have a social media presence. The world exists online, therefore it’s a necessity we’re there too. Obviously, there are tons of social media outlets available, but when does your message become diluted?
In the world of advertising—regardless the nature of your product or service—the goal is to achieve Top of Mind Awareness. TOMA is the golden standard everyone hopes to attain.
If I say “dandruff shampoo” you’ll probably think…
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As someone who has just published a “middle child” book, I can relate to this post. Check out Mae Clair’s thoughts on the middle book of a series.
If you’re a middle child, you’re most likely the peacekeeper of the family with a penchant for loyalty. Your older sibling tends to be an over-achiever who assumes leadership positions, and your younger sibling is the creative one who can be on the manipulative side. Does any of this sound familiar?
These are traits psychologists have attributed to birth order. You’ve probably also heard of Middle Child Syndrome, a philosophy that children who fall in the middle of the birth order can often be resentful of their place in life and their siblings. Anyone remember Jan from the Brady Bunch, wailing “Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!” (Visualize the foot-stomping that goes with this). Middles sometimes feel like the odd one out.
But, because of their birth order, middles are often more inclined to be independent, empathetic, and become skilled negotiators able to bring about compromise.
So why am I talking about birth…
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