A friend of mine recently told me she has started writing in a whole new genre. It definitely wasn’t a career change I would have expected. Her previous books have been long, complex stories written in an elegant, almost literary style. Now she has decided to write in a genre that is much lighter and…
Color, Fashion or Book Covers? While contemplating colors and images for the cover of a thriller I’m final editing, I couldn’t help but make the connection between fashion and book covers. Following are samples of best-selling and editor picks on Amazon in the Thriller genre: Red is of course, “look at me” or danger ahead,…
Creative Endurance. David Yoon suggests creative endurance can be cultivated. “Grit is not a personality trait or a special skill. It’s not even all that special. Anyone can have grit because grit is simply a set of good habits.” Some excellent suggestions here. Getting Unstuck. Love these tips from Janice Hardy for how to get…
Very early in my career, when I was visiting there for my class reunion, I held a booksigning at a bookstore in my hometown in Iowa. There were few interested customers. The store manager, obviously thinking to cheer me up, told me a story about how author Robert James Waller had held a booksigning there…
This will be my last post where I have any pretense of “insider” information on the publishing business, as I have retired from my library fiction acquisition job and will no longer have access to the latest articles in publishing journals. But for now, here are some thoughts on books and publishing based on recent…