Let's welcome Storm Grant to the Lair!
Things I wish I’d known
An interview question that pops up a lot, and that I still read with interest is: What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
It’s not that I’m such a raving success, but I have been around the ol’ publishing block a time or two. I’ve seen huge changes in the industry even in the few years I’ve been publishing. When you’re starting out, you will be continually told three “absolute musts.”
- Write what you know.
- Don’t write to market.
- Write the best book you can.
1. Write what you know.
Stormy says, bullcrap! If we only write what we know, we wouldn’t have Tarzan, Captain Kirk, or Buffy. Because I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Edgar Rice Burroughs was not raised by apes, Gene Rodenberry never boldly went, and maybe high school was hell for Joss Whedon, but probably not literally. There’s nothing you can’t research, or as I like to say: You’re a fiction writer. Make sh*t up!
Every time someone asks me how I researched gay sex, I say, “Well, I have slept with men.”
2. Don’t write to market.
Again, Stormy says, bullcrap! You should definitely write to market. Do you really want to spend weeks, months, even years writing a book that won’t sell? Most writers at any given time have a dozen ideas squirming around their brains. Keep an eye on the marketplace, then pick the idea that is most saleable.
If you’re writing for traditional publishers, you may want to avoid the trends since by the time your book comes out two years later, the trend will be over. But if you’re with an epublisher, or self-publishing—grab that bandwagon and jump right on. My last full length novel was contracted in October, edited, given cover art and published in all the appropriate formats by December. Take that, New York!
3. Write the best book you can.
Stormy says: Yes, this one’s true. Write the best book you can. Then put it away for at least two weeks before you start round one of editing.
Those of us who’ve cut our teeth on fanfiction may have grown accustomed to a kinder, gentler audience. Not so when there’s money involved. Agents and editors won’t buy mediocre or unsellable novels; reviewers and purchasers will post bad reviews.
So write the best, most creative, most marketable novel you can.
Best of luck! Because you still need a boatload of luck.
Okay... Your favorite time.... Giveaway Time!!!!
This will be the rule for all Giveaways this week...
All Giveaways will end Saturday, December 24th at Midnight....
The winners will all be picked and announced....
Tuesday, December 27th!
Now time for the Giveaway!
The giveaway is ~ Choice of Shift Happens, Gym Dandy, or Tart & Soul...
What do I want from you.....
Well, you have to leave your email address ~ A MUST.
You have to be a follower of this blog ~ A MUST (I am checking!)
You must leave a comment or question ~ A MUST!
Good Luck!
Oh and don't forget.........
The Giveaway for Riptide:
From October 1 to December 31, Riptde authors and editors will set sail on a massive
Grand Opening blog tour!
We're gearing up for three months of games, prizes, interviews, chats, and scavenger hunts, and we'd love to have you along! At each stop along the tour, we'll be giving away great prizes - tons of books from our authors' backlists, swag by the boatload, gift ceritficates to All Romance Ebooks, and entries into the Grand Prize drawings for a Nook, a Kindle, and an iPad.
Go check it out!!!
And remember... Keep it Dirty, Smutty & Hussy!
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