Storytellersunplugged

John B. Rosenman Many of the readers of this site already know the following fact.  Still, it bears repeating: in the world of fiction, Romance Rules! As Leigh Michaels states in “Studying the Romance Novel,” “Romance novels are the best-selling segment of the paperback fiction market in North America.”  They “account for well over 50 percent of mass-market paperback fiction sold in the United States.”  In addition, “more than a third of all fiction sold in the United States (including mass-market paper, trade ... Read More

It's a book. Or more precisely, it's a pair of books. They're titled Ink and Steel and Hell and Earth, and I've been working on them--one way or another--since the very beginning of 2003. This is what they look like: Pretty, aren't they? They're about Christopher Marlowe and Will Shakespeare and faeries and queens and devils and spies and swordfights and blackest enchantments, and I bet if you read them you would really like them a lot-- --You know what? Reboot. Forget that. I ... Read More

I got to thinking about the library-related advice in my last post and realized that it was inevitably going to be incomplete because I'm not a librarian. So, I thought I would do a short interview with Greg Fisher of the The Cleveland Heights/University Heights Public Library; Greg also runs ...With Intent to Commit Horror, which provides readers with horror reading lists by author, series and subject. My questions are in bold; his answers are below, and as you can see, he has ... Read More

Steve:   To be perfectly frank, the very phrase puts knots in my stomach.  No wonder I'm not terribly talented at it.  Part of it's the way I was raised--anything even hinting at a brag was frowned upon.  My discomfort multiplies, however, due to the issue of persona.  We all have them, a face we present to the world.  (Our avatar, in techno-geek terms.)  The healthy thing, I suppose, is to keep it as close to your "real" self as possible.    Writers have a ... Read More

I was doing a reading at a Barnes & Noble last night and one of the readers there was complaining that she had had a hard time finding my books. Oh, they were in the store, all right, but where? She tried Mystery and Sci-fi/Fantasy with no luck. Finally she asked for help and the clerk took her to Fiction and Literature. That’s because THERE IS NO HORROR SECTION at Barnes & Noble. And there’s barely ... Read More

Or: I Didn’t Know I Was a Dark Fantasy Series Paperback Writer Until They Told Me Or: In The End You Actually Do Have To Write the Damn Thing By Justine Musk 1 My agent called me up the other day. “I just got off the phone with Jessica,” she said. Jessica is my editor. “You know how Roc was waiting for the pre-sale numbers to see whether or not they’d want another book?” For the folk out there who ... Read More

Just to recap, last month I detailed my first two suggestions for promoting your book: Write the best book you can.  Don't get stuck with a bad cover.If you've got those two things taken care of, you're well on your way to having a successful book! Now, let's take a look at a few other foundation elements necessary for effective book promotion.The things I'm discussing this month are mainly of concern to authors and editors with small-press books. So, if ... Read More

When people think about doing book promotions, they often think of an author going on a book tour. Doing a book signing or sitting at an author's table at a convention or book store means you get to talk to a lot of new people and (hopefully) get your books into the hands of new readers who've been impressed by your approachability and charm. This can be a lot of fun, especially if you're an extrovert who gets energized by ... Read More

There have always been those who would cheat if but given an opportunity to do so. No sooner had the bright light of writing been born as a means of communication, than forgery, which was especially profitable at a time of widespread public illiteracy, came along as its dark and unwanted sibling. The combination eventually led to the birth of forensic document examination. As the latter improved, so did the forgers' skills. Some forgers developed amazing skills. Many, however, were not as ... Read More

by Bill LindbladMost authors know writing, but all too few of them know about books.This is counterintuitive; it is reasonable to assume that authors are knowledgable about books. But after visiting the homes of some authors, and exchanging mailings with many more, I've learned that it simply isn't so.Authors are familiar with what is contained within the books, but rarely with the containers.This is important because those containers, if properly maintained, can become a source of revenue in the future, whether for ... Read More