Books for Children and Young Adults
The variety of books aimed at children and young adults is astounding: Pop-up picture books, cardboard and cloth and plastic books, and puzzle-piece books for wee ones. Stories designated for…
Genres
Literary Fiction, Humour, Drama, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Erotica, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Paranormal...the list of genres is large and growing. Niche genres have evolved to include Steampunk…
Audiobooks
There is some controversy over audiobooks. Certainly, those who are visually impaired can benefit from audiobooks. But what of the rest of us? A friend of mine actually became an…
Publishing is a gamble
The sheer volume of titles on retailers' and publishers' sites, as well as in brick-and-mortar stores, is an indication of the difficulties inherent in trying to get books before readers. …
More Editing
I freely admit that I could wish that I had more education and experience in life. Both would make writing and editing easier. Turns of phrase, vocabulary, and correct literary…
What readers want
The advertising industry created the slogan "Give me something new!" But is that truly what people want? There is another maxim that crosses many industries: "Give them what they expect."…
The Stakes
In every story, there must be something at stake. This is especially true for thrillers and suspense novels, but it actually applies to all in some way. For example, in…
There’s action and then there’s…action
Once upon a time, sex in fiction was rare. Nowadays, most Romance stories, and many others, contain at least a hint of sex, before and/or after the wedding. The quantity…
Digital Art
Put simply, GIMP is a free design software similar to Photoshop. (Whether they have the same features I could not tell you, never having used Photoshop.) I have begun to…
Book Covers Part Two
As Derek Murphy of creativindie.com tells all independent authors (and I highly recommend his books, courses, and articles), covers serve but one purpose: to draw the eye of the potential…