If you follow the world of self-publishing and KDP, you’re aware that Amazon recently released a serialized platform called Vella. By the time this blog article posts, my first episode should be live. However, Amazon has provided little information on the platform, even for contributors. There’s also scant information in cyberspace about Vella’s user demographics,…
No matter how dedicated, disciplined, or in love with our stories we may be, there comes a point when we drift away from our daily habit of writing. How do we make ourselves return? And what is it about stepping off our writerly path that makes it so hard to step back on? About six…
There’s something about traveling that sharpens my writing perspective. In a new place, my thoughts feel unbound, sniffing out every possibility like a dog that’s slipped its collar. In these moments I find unexpected clarity about nearly every aspect of my life, from careers to relationships to plot lines, and from realizations ranging from the…
My father and mother planted me in the middle of the dense woods in the Adirondack foothills. My childhood was spent staring up into maples, birches, oaks, firs, and even some plucky apple trees that had scrambled onto our land from nearby orchards. I grew up believing that trees embodied wisdom and that likewise, leaves…
We authors can be overwhelmed when deciding how much money we should spend, and where, in order to get customers to spend money on our book. Let’s be candid. Most new and independent authors set aside idealistic expectations of initial profit and focus on exposure, ratings, reviews, and the ability to quickly turn these aspects…