Month: July 2014
Reverse Psychology…
Reverse Psychology: It was common practice to tell an aspiring author to write the way they would want to read what was written. This was done in an effort to try to keep the writer focused on craft as they wrote. Using the most prominent tool they had; which was reading up until the point of them completing a novel. It was a prescription for proper presentation of words to the reader.
You tell an aspiring author that today. You may see a novel that appears to have been written in shorthand. We might have to reverse the psychology; and teach our children how to read again. Before we teach them how to write.
BadAppleCru
Indie and I Love It
It is every author’s dream to get THAT lucrative book deal and an agent who never sleeps. Along with that book deal comes the media blitz, the tours, and resources you cannot imagine—all working for you. When you hit that point, you know you have arrived.
I am cool with a grandiose arrival, but damn, the journey that I am taking right now, I wouldn’t trade for the world.
Oh, don’t get me wrong. I want all of those things I mentioned before, but I want those things when I no longer need the money. You see, with those things, you have to split every dime you make. Yes, that agent who never sleeps wants her share. The publisher wants their share. The media consultant wants their share, and selling a million books becomes necessary to pay all of those people. You no longer care if what you have written is formulaic or if it is even good. You just want to stay on top.
I am an indie author and I started from the bottom.
I am still kind of there, but it’s cool, and let me tell you why.
I have made a name for myself by the sheer sweat of my brow. I tell the stories I want to tell and I tell them the way my heart says they should flow. I have hired editors who understand my voice and my storytelling style. I hired a cover designer to evoke a certain feel on the covers that tell the reader, when your turn the page, you will understand those people on the jacket.
Each and every word in the story is carefully selected.
Each funny line is taken from my soul.
Each chapter moves your forward in the characters journey, taking you along with them until the last word.
When the reader is done, it is a story that has touched them. Some may feel adamantly opposed to the heroine and believe her to be stupid. But a woman who has been in her shoes, understands. Others may view the hero as a man on a mission. A man they want to come into their lives. Yet in the end, the story has stayed with them.
Every copy that I sell moves me one step closer.
Each review I earn touched one more reader.
I am not there yet, but I am proud of my journey.
In 54 Days, I sat at #2 on the Amazon top 100. A week later I fell to #3 seated behind a New York Times bestselling author contracted to Harlequin. I am still sitting in the top 100 with the same number of reviews.
For an indie author, that is pretty darn good. One hundred reviews in 54 days? I am okay with that. I am an indie author and I am proud.
I am working my dream job. Come with me on the journey and read my words.
Thursday in Savannah, available on Amazon.com and online retailers.
CREATING A MAP FOR YOUR FANTASY NOVEL
I need a map of my character’s ranch
An ongoing trend for fiction and fantasy novels is having a map for the reader to follow along with, just after the title page in the book. It is also very helpful for the author and the development of their fictional world.
When I first started writing my young adult fantasy novel, MER, I was like “A map seems way too difficult.” But I REALLY wanted one. And despite my inhibitions, I dove in head first. Hell or high-water I was going to have a map for my book, even if it meant handing my two-year-old a paper and crayons, and calling the scribbles my map. (Hey that’s not such a bead idea! Hahaha!)
I’m going to talk a little about my experience with creating my map for MER, soon to be released in late December, along with other methods of either creating or obtaining your map. And don’t…
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Olivia Gaines Author 
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