Category: Uncategorized

by Jodie Renner, freelance editor, @JodieRennerEd

Style Blunders in Fiction

No, I’m not talking about the fashion police coming after you. I’m talking about those little errors and bad habits that creep into your manuscript, weaken your message, and add up to an overall feeling of amateurish writing. The good news is that, unlike the more critical creative flow of ideas for plot and characters, these little bad habits are easy to correct, resulting in a much more polished, compelling manuscript.

1. Take out wishy-washy qualifiers like quite, sort of, almost, kind of, a bit, pretty, somewhat, rather, usually, basically, generally, probably, mostly, really, etc. Forget “He was quite brave,” or “She was pretty intelligent” or “It was almost scary.” These qualifiers dilute your message, reduce the impact, and make the imagery weaker. Take them out. Even very is to be avoided—it’s like you’re saying the word after it needs reinforcing. “She was beautiful” packs more punch than “She was very beautiful.”

2. Show us, don’t tell us how your characters are feeling. Avoid statements like, “He found that funny,” or “The little girl felt sad.” Show these emotions by their actions, words, and body language: “Eyes downcast, shoulders slumped, head down, she refused to answer as she pushed her food around the plate.”

3. Avoid colorless, overused verbs like walked, ran, went, saw, talked, ate, did, got, put, took. Get out your thesaurus (or use the MS Word one. Hint: look up the present tense: walk, run, eat, say, etc.) to find more expressive, powerful verbs instead, like crept, loped, stumbled, stomped, glimpsed, noticed, observed, witnessed, spied, grunted, whimpered, devoured, consumed, gobbled, wolfed, munched, or bolted.

4. Avoid –ing verbs wherever possible. Use -ed verbs instead—they’re stronger and more immediate. “He was racing” is weaker than “He raced.” “They searched the house” is more immediate than “They were searching the house.” Rewrite -ing verbs whenever you can, and you’ll strengthen your writing and increase its power.

5. Keep adverbs to a minimum. Instead of propping up a boring, anemic verb with an adverb, look for strong, descriptive, powerful verbs. Instead of “He walked slowly” go for “He plodded” or “He trudged” or “He dawdled.” Instead of “She ate hungrily” say “She devoured the bag of chips,” or “She wolfed down the pizza.” Instead of “They talked quickly,” say “They babbled.”

6. Use adjectives sparingly and consciously. Instead of stringing a bunch of adjectives in front of an ordinary, overused noun, find a more precise, expressive noun to show rather than tell. Overuse of adjectives can also turn your writing into “purple prose”—melodramatic, overly “flowery” writing.

7. Dialogue tags – Stick with the basic he said and she said­ (or asked) wherever possible, rather than “he emphasized” or “she reiterated” or “Mark uttered,” etc. These phrases stand out, so they take the reader out of the story, whereas “said” is almost invisible. However, I like dialogue tags that describe how something is said, as in he shouted, she murmured, he grumbled, she whispered. You can often eliminate the dialogue tag altogether and just use an action beat instead: He picked up the phone. “That’s it. I’m calling the cops.”

8. Describe the stimulus, then the response: When writing an action scene, make sure your sentence structure mimics the order of the actions. The reader pictures the actions in the order that she reads them, so it’s confusing to read about the reaction before finding out what caused it. So describe the action first, then the reaction: Instead of “He yelled when the dog bit him,” write: “The dog bit him and he yelled.”

9. Avoid the passive voice: For greater impact, when describing an action, start with the doer, then describe what he did, rather than the other way around. Use the more direct active voice wherever possible. Instead of “The house was taped off by the police,” write “The police taped off the house.” Also, avoid empty phrases like “There is”, “There was,” “It’s,” “It was.” Jump right in with what you’re actually talking about.

10. Avoid negative constructions wherever possible – they can be confusing to the reader. Instead of “I didn’t disagree with him,” say “I agreed with him.”

11. Avoid frequent repetition of the same word or forms of the same word. If you’ve already used a certain noun or verb in a paragraph or section, go to your thesaurus to find a different way to express that idea when you mention it again. Also, avoid repetition of the same imagery. Whether you’re describing the setting, the weather, or the hero or heroine, vary your wording.

12. Avoid formal sentences and pretentious language. Rather than impressing your readers, ornate, fancy words can just end up alienating them. As Jessica Page Morrell says, “if a reader is constantly consulting a dictionary when reading your prose, you’re dragging him from the story.[…] Simple words are close to our hearts and easily understood…. simpler words are unpretentious, yet contain power and grace….Pompous words are alienating, boring, and outdated.”

Copyright © Jodie Renner, June 2012

Resources: Thanks, But This Isn’t For Us, by Jessica Page Morrell; Manuscript Makeover, by Elizabeth Lyon; How NOT to Write a Novel, by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman.

Jodie Renner is a freelance editor specializing in thrillers, romantic suspense, mysteries, and other crime fiction, as well as mainstream, YA and historical fiction. For more info on Jodie’s editing services, please visit her website.

Image: Flickr—Peter Kaminski

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Thanks so much for posting today, Jodie!

Just a reminder…Hart Johnson and I have releases tomorrow (Tuesday, the 5th). If you’d like to participate in a fun, easy blog-hop, sign up here.

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific is a compilation of all the writing links I shared the previous week.

The links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 16,000 free articles on writing-related topics. Sign up for our free newsletter for monthly writing tips and interviews with top contributors to the WKB & the chance to win “The Emotion Thesaurus.”

It’s almost here! Tuesday is the release day for my latest book and for my friend, Hart Johnson’s debut!

Don’t’ forget the new release blogfest that she and I are hosting on June 5th—find more information and sign up here. The best entries get signed copies of our new releases.

Have a great week!

3 Things Writers Should Look For In A Smartphone: http://bit.ly/Lovauf @bbgeeks

8 Things You Might Not Know About the New York Times Bestseller List: http://bit.ly/Lovedx @YAHighway

5 problem openings: http://bit.ly/Lovk4S @writersdigest

Untraditional Outline Techniques: http://bit.ly/LovrNO @DIYMFA

Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make at a Crime Scene: http://bit.ly/LovEk9 @novelrocket

4 tips for writing the middle grade novel: http://bit.ly/LovRDH @writerscoach

4 Ways to Immediately Improve Your Book Marketing Efforts: http://bit.ly/LovWHD @JaneFriedman

How writers can make a better 1st impression: http://bit.ly/Low0Hf @writeangleblog

Noun/Verb Agreement with “Number”: http://bit.ly/Low9dW @writing_tips

Crime fiction novels where characters make repeat appearances: http://bit.ly/L8pO5S @mkinberg

Pricing and markets: agency and libraries: http://bit.ly/Ks1WZR @Publisherswkly

Converting Backstory into Character: http://bit.ly/LoxDEZ @theresastevens

5 Ways To Connect With Other Writers: http://bit.ly/LscxCa @thecreativepenn

The importance of detail to our stories: http://bit.ly/KcdkdQ

Editing Clauses in Publishing Contracts: http://bit.ly/LscRkl @victoriastrauss @PassiveVoiceBlg

The “Brutal” 2000-Word Day: http://bit.ly/LscXs8 @KristineRusch

4 Editing & Proofreading Techniques: http://bit.ly/Lsd330 @writersdigest

Make Quality Connections for Your Writing Career: http://bit.ly/KcdJgB @krissybrady

Novel length and pricing: http://bit.ly/KUwd6e @sarahahoyt

6 Ways to Defend Your Blog Copyright: http://bit.ly/KUwjdZ @rondoylewrites

The power of surprise in fiction writing: http://bit.ly/KUwo1n @nickdaws

A writer with Twitter tips: http://bit.ly/KUwshz @dirtywhitecandy

Why Self-Conscious Writers Are Doomed: http://bit.ly/KUwtC2 @KMWeiland

Tips for selling your books on Amazon: http://bit.ly/KPOPyz @cathryanhoward

Pricing Books and Ebooks: http://bit.ly/KPOU5k @JAKonrath

Tips for spring cleaning your writing: http://bit.ly/K3qGuj @ChynnaLaird

2nd Book Syndrome–how putting one book behind you can unleash a brand new world: http://bit.ly/KPPmQV @JoWyton

Yes, E-mail Still Works for Book Marketing: http://bit.ly/KPPqjE @JaneFriedman

Covering our bases as writers: http://bit.ly/KPPtvY

7 Tips for Turning Your Blog into a Book: http://bit.ly/K3rIGu @BrianKlems @NinaAmir

Odd writerly habits: http://bit.ly/KPPPCH @DavidBCoe

Writers shouldn’t pay for interviews: http://bit.ly/KPPTSU @BryanThomasS

The 20 Best Poems for Kids: http://bit.ly/JQg6B0 @robertleebrewer

Are all YA Mysteries Genre Busters? http://bit.ly/JQg8sB @LauraPauling

A romance writer’s process for finding the perfect cover for her self-pubbed book: http://bit.ly/JQgwHB @sdwriter

Turning Pain into Fiction: http://bit.ly/JQgyiB @icypop

Tips for book signings: http://bit.ly/JQgK1l @KatieGanshert

Writing Dangers: Shiny New Idea Syndrome: http://bit.ly/JQgPSH @Ava_Jae

7 reasons you need an editor: http://bit.ly/JQgWxP @serbaughman

A Word Aspiring Writers Don’t Use Enough: http://bit.ly/JQgYWe @krissybrady

Confusion Is Not the Same As Mystery: http://bit.ly/JQh68g @Kid_Lit

Tips for Introducing Characters in a Scene: http://bit.ly/MTr5Qt @Janice_Hardy

Demystifying Dialogue: Perfect Your Punctuation: http://bit.ly/MTyz61 @DIYMFA

Writing Characters Worth Reading: http://bit.ly/MTyDTk @mooderino

All About Advances: http://bit.ly/MTyFdW @rachellegardner

6 Tips For Marketing Your Book On Reader Communities: http://bit.ly/MTyL5j @PYOEbooks

Cut words? Or add words? http://bit.ly/MTyPC3 @juliettewade

10 publishing blunders to avoid: http://bit.ly/MTyW0j @mybookshepherd

How Much Interaction Should Authors Have With Readers? http://bit.ly/MTyXl2 @JodyHedlund

The Google Alert: An Author’s Friend? Or Frenemy? http://bit.ly/MTz5Rj @blurbisaverb @mmitchmoore

3 tips for assessing self-pub companies: http://bit.ly/MTzbbD @curiosityquills

10 Reasons You Should Attend a Writing Conference: http://bit.ly/MTzcMX @cherylrwrites

Are all web browsers created equal? http://bit.ly/MTzMdq @jentalty

The scariest question: “Why should I care about this story?” http://bit.ly/MTzPWR @juliettewade

5 habits that make 1 writer more creative: http://bit.ly/MTzT8Z @CatsEyeWriter

Write like the Buddha: http://bit.ly/MTzZ0b @carleenbrice

Flesh it out (how 1 writer adds to her word count): http://bit.ly/MTA7Nq @SashaWhite

Tips for winning a writing competition: http://bit.ly/MTAaZs

Starving Artist Vs. Slimy Marketer: How to Strike a Balance: http://bit.ly/MTAeIA @JaneFriedman

4 Ways to Take Your Character from Typical to Terrific: http://bit.ly/MTABD6

Inexpensive Ideas For Writing Retreats: http://bit.ly/MTAGql

Why the emotion in your story is failing: http://bit.ly/MTAMhJ @fuelyourwriting

10 Tips for Writing a Great Author Bio: http://bit.ly/MTAUhj @LaurenClark_Bks

You’ll Look Like a Spammer If… http://bit.ly/MTBBHi @JamiGold

Your story’s central question: http://bit.ly/MTBHPk

True Marketing Power for Authors: Looking in a New Direction: http://bit.ly/MTBOdI @rileymagnus

The Better Book Titles site: http://bit.ly/MTC2RV @rebeccaschinsky

An Agent’s Secrets to Selling Your First Novel: http://bit.ly/MTCfo8 @writersdigest

Hunger Games — The Stealth Power of Sequencing: http://bit.ly/MTCFuR @storyfix

Are run-ons okay nowadays? http://bit.ly/MTCO1g @theresastevens

10 Tips for Attending a Writers’ Conference: http://bit.ly/MTCQX0 @AnnieNeugebauer

Amazon Select: Is exclusivity worth it? http://bit.ly/MTCSy0 @woodwardkaren

Experiencing Story From the Inside—Feel Your Stories: http://bit.ly/MTCYWG @noveleditor

The publication process? http://bit.ly/K1k6Fh @fuelyourwriting

Demystifying Dialogue: Perfect Your Punctuation: http://bit.ly/MTyz61 @DIYMFA

How Much Interaction Should Authors Have With Readers? http://bit.ly/MTyXl2 @JodyHedlund

Writing Characters Worth Reading: http://bit.ly/MTyDTk @mooderino

7 Tips for Turning Your Blog into a Book: http://bit.ly/K3rIGu @BrianKlems @NinaAmir

4 Editing & Proofreading Techniques: http://bit.ly/Lsd330 @writersdigest

5 Ways To Connect With Other Writers: http://bit.ly/LscxCa @thecreativepenn

Literary Devices: Foreshadowing: http://bit.ly/KATrIJ @fantasyfaction @amyjrosedavis

Protagonist Hook: Unique Job and Lifestyle: http://bit.ly/KATgxa @Howtowriteshop

Story structure–fitting in prologues or epilogues, flashbacks, etc.: http://bit.ly/L8CwP4 @KMWeiland

Tips for expanding time in our stories: http://bit.ly/MvtxMP @margielawson

Mentioning an MFA in your query: http://bit.ly/IU295g @nicolamorgan

7 ways to become a more confident writer: http://bit.ly/LXFt7d

The Human Structure of Song and Narrative: http://bit.ly/L58Xiz @JulieWuAuthor

The editing process at a publishing house: http://bit.ly/L5a0yS @rachellegardner

Why Novelists Should Write Flash: http://bit.ly/L5aiWo @kcraftwriter

The Pros and Cons of Pen-Names for Authors: http://bit.ly/L5auVJ @nickdaws

Amazon v newspaper: which is the more valuable review? http://bit.ly/L5aK7f @guardianbooks

Predictable plot in romance: http://bit.ly/L5b7yw @glencstrathy

10 writing myths and 10 things about being a writer: http://bit.ly/L5boS9 @writersdigest

Family Manuscripts Found: Now What? http://bit.ly/L5bZ6h @catewoods

Is Science Fiction dying? http://bit.ly/L5c223 @graywave

Personal Narrative for Writers and Characters: http://bit.ly/L5c9KZ @ajackwriting

Listen to constructive criticism: http://bit.ly/L5cf5f @nicolamorgan

Publication Standards–Fragmented Present: http://bit.ly/L5cKfB and a Standard Future: http://bit.ly/L5cI7A @nickd

For literary inspiration follow @AdviceToWriters. Jon Winokur dispenses writerly wisdom of the ages.

A useful resource for describing settings, emotions, shapes, textures, and more: http://bit.ly/eIGRMO @AngelaAckerman

A free directory of #ebook pros–for covers, editing, formatting, & more: http://tinyurl.com/3mxg5zt #epub

Sign up for the free WKB newsletter for writing tips & the chance to win @AngelaAckerman ‘s “The Emotion Thesaurus” http://bit.ly/IDtqyG

Free Internet Tools for Writers: http://bit.ly/LGHbrw

How to Avoid the 2nd Book Slump: http://bit.ly/LGHoeq @janalynvoigt

The hero’s journey, using Bridget Jones’ Diary as an example: http://bit.ly/LGHXVy @PAShortt

The difference between tension and conflict: http://bit.ly/LGIo21 @AdelanteArts

7 tips for writing the middle grade novel: http://bit.ly/JAxxL0 @writerscoach

A look at tone: http://bit.ly/JAxCi0 @livewritethrive

Pacing tips: http://bit.ly/JAxMGa

9 Tips on Plotting a Novel in Verse: http://bit.ly/JAxVco @fictionnotes

Trimming Words From a Too-Long Manuscript: http://bit.ly/JAy0wJ @Janice_Hardy

Unconscionability in contract law: http://bit.ly/JAy4wH @JAKonrath

Tips for buying online ads: http://bit.ly/JAyenD @JaneFriedman

Tips for editing subplots: http://bit.ly/JAyjYq @BeccaPuglisi @LauraPauling

Defeating lazy writer syndrome: http://bit.ly/JAz97u @KristenLambTX

A Mantra for Blocked Writers: http://bit.ly/JAzozy @JoeBunting

50 creative writing professors on Twitter: http://bo.st/JAzt6t via @PassiveVoiceBlg

How to Get Better Results with Your List Posts: http://bit.ly/JAzx6c @pushingsocial

7 tips for writing good villains: http://bit.ly/JAzzLf @sarahahoyt

The Legacy of ‘Legacy’ Publishing: http://bit.ly/LMSL3T @stephenpub @Porter_Anderson

9 things 1 writer has learned from teaching writing: http://bit.ly/LMTeTN @readingape

An Agent on the Changing World of Children’s Books: http://bit.ly/LMTv9l @DennisAbrams2

What Will Make An Agent Gong Your Pages: http://bit.ly/LMTBhb @roniloren

Quotation tips: http://bit.ly/KRDdy5 @writing_tips

5 newbie blogging mistakes: http://bit.ly/KRDkcX @michellerafter

Putting the Science in Zombie Apocalypse: http://bit.ly/KRDtx2

Think Like A Publisher: Production and Scheduling: http://bit.ly/KRDvoP @deanwesleysmith

How to Avoid Head-Hopping: http://bit.ly/KRDEZk @JodieRennerEd

7 Lessons to Improve Your Author Website: http://bit.ly/KRDVLK @duolit

Building Book Structure One Scene at a Time: http://bit.ly/KRRL0T @beth_barany

Tips for getting published in literary magazines: http://bit.ly/KRRU4a @JoeBunting

How to speak publisher: E is for Earning out: http://bit.ly/KRS0J5 @annerooney

Expand your platform by growing your email subscriber list: http://bit.ly/KRSfDZ @RachelleGardner @MichaelHyatt

9 Don’ts for Dialogue: http://bit.ly/KRSnDD @DIYMFA

Top 10 YA Books Every Writer Should Read: http://bit.ly/KRT9Ak @fuelyourwriting

Proofreading 101: http://bit.ly/N4qATI

Half of self-published authors earn less than $500: http://bit.ly/N4qJGN @alisonflood

The Importance Of Reaching Beyond Female Stereotypes: http://bit.ly/N4qRpG @BryanThomasS

Using Tarot for Creative Writing: http://bit.ly/N4qThb @JanetBoyer

5 New Twitter Tools to Boost Your Marketing: http://bit.ly/JZuusL @smexaminer

Best-Selling Author Has Harsh Words for Amazon: http://bit.ly/JZuAAs @PassiveVoiceBlg

Why Genre is Synonymous With Pop: http://bit.ly/JZuM2I @tordotcom

Noveling 101–A snapshot overview of writing: http://bit.ly/JZuZ5U @kalayna

Least-Favorite Book Critic Words and Phrases: http://bit.ly/LWlAiq @elizabethbastos

Do editors not say no because they can no longer say yes? http://bit.ly/LRNiJT @thefuturebook

Harnessing The Muse – How To Stay Inspired: http://bit.ly/LWlOGo @womenwriters @tartantantrum

Writers and exercise–don’t let the writing life kill you: http://bit.ly/LWlU0A @galleycat

How to successfully launch a YA print novel: http://bit.ly/Ho0OZk @laurapauling

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig.

I’m currently reading a mystery (no surprise there) that I’m really enjoying:  Death of a Cozy Writer by G.M. Malliet.

One thing I love as a mystery reader is finding clues to a character’s personality, talents, or weaknesses.

One of the characters in the book, Albert, (no spoilers, I promise), is a major alcoholic.  His siblings talk about how much he drinks, and he’s portrayed as inebriated at every meal and even in the mornings.

Another character, Jeffrey, is mulling over people he’s recently met, one of them Albert.  He thinks that:

…he rather had the idea Albert drank.

This made me laugh at the understatement and the general cluelessness of the character.  It also gave me an important insight into Jeffrey’s character—he’s not observant. In a mystery, this means that his impressions of other characters/suspects in the book might not be accurate.

I’m not a fan of reading info dumps.  An author could describe a character with well-written, vivid details and I’ll going to skim it.  I’m usually more interested in picking up on little details that point to qualities the character has. Or a slipped-in description—a character whose shoulders are stooped from listening to shorter people around him. Or the character with lots of smile lines and raven’s feet….sort of a double-duty description.  Cheerful and wrinkly!

With indirect characterization, you let the reader draw their own conclusions: based on character dialogue, internal musings shared with the reader, and other characters’ observations about a character. Then the readers can pick up the hints and feel clever about their deductions.

For instance, we can show one character’s demeanor when dealing with the protagonist—and add dialogue clues to hint at character traits and the characters’ relationship with each other.

You could have a character that you want to portray as someone who talks too much. This could easily be expressed by interruptions from a second character or their signs of impatience. Or of them putting off a phone call with the character. Much better than pages and pages of chatty dialogue to prove the point.

Since I’m a mystery writer, I’m also interested in planting the wrong impression of a character. I might  mislead the reader. (Other novelists might want to do the same thing, for different reasons.) Maybe the character is unnaturally chatty because they’re nervous. Maybe the second character is just an impatient person who interrupts—maybe they’re not making a point about the character’s loquaciousness at all.

Do you enjoy leaving clues to your characters’ personalities and appearance?

Image—Flickr—Brian D. Perskin

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I was interviewed recently and one of the questions I was asked was what type of preparation or training I’d received to become a novelist. I think the person asking the question thought that I had an MFA (Master of Fine Arts.)

Which, actually, I don’t. I have a BA and was an English major. Although I wrote a lot in school and read and discussed some amazing literature, I didn’t take a single creative writing class.

Writing isn’t a normal kind of job. Well, it is from the aspect that you have to practice it to improve your skill, but it’s not like becoming a doctor where you have to go to graduate school and then intern at a hospital before moving on to private practice. You can go that route, if you’re interested in grad school. But you don’t have to go that route to become a writer.

These things could help:

Reading. Most of the writers I know are avid readers…and would like to spend more time reading than they’re able to. Writers usually love words and playing around with arranging them to achieve different effects.

Looking at the world through a lens. Being an observer. Sometimes I feel like everything is a story—that I frame life like a story. So when the kids tell me about their day at school….I’m hearing a story (hopefully a non-fiction one.) :)

Practicing. It’s really the only way to improve.

Determination. I think we all have to be determined or even stubborn to protect our writing time or to have the guts to submit our writing for publication.

Time management skills. In this age of distraction, time management skills are key.

Discipline. This goes hand in hand with time management.

And I’ll just end this by saying that you don’t need a published book to call yourself a writer. If you write, you’re a writer, plain and simple. And even if you’d rather not tell people you’re a writer (a lot of pressure can come with that announcement), just acknowledging it to yourself can make a big difference in your attitude and approach to the craft.

What skills or preparation do you think are helpful for writers? Can you add to my list?

Image: Flickr user Lawrence OP

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Blogger is being obnoxious and frequently putting genuine comments into my blog’s spam folder.  I’ve rescued a few of them and have noticed that the common thread seems to be that they all had a question in the comment.  It’s very annoying that Blogger would flag those as spam and I apologize for not being vigilant in cleaning out my spam folder.

Two of the comments actually asked the same question: what was my opinion of self-publishing? 

I really don’t want to be in the position of advising anyone what they should do in regard to publishing their book.  My opinion on the topic is evolving—which is only natural, considering that the industry is evolving. I know what I’m planning on doing. 

I’m going to continue, in the short-term, what I’m doing now…both traditional publishing and self-publishing.

For one thing—I’m contracted out for the next year, in terms of writing books. I’ll have books coming out with Penguin for 2012, 2013, and 2014. If the series aren’t continued after that, I’m going to assess what the publishing landscape in 2014 is and either pitch publishers another series idea (I’ve got one), or just continue self-publishing, but at a faster pace than I currently am (I’ve currently got two self-pubbed books out.)

But the question from my commenters seemed to be more “what would I do if I were an unpublished writer with a finished manuscript?” 

Again, I can only say what I’d do. Right now, I’d probably still try to send queries out on the book (although—if it were a series….I don’t know. Maybe I wouldn’t.)  I wouldn’t wait years for the project to sell.  I did that in 2005 with a book that finally sold in 2009.  I wouldn’t do that again.

I’d write something else in the meantime.  And then something else.  And I’d put at least one of those projects (after I’d paid a freelance editor or two) up as a self-published book.

Some would say that I’d lose money by choosing to go with a traditional publisher at all.  This is true.  I do seem to make more money on my self-pubbed books than I make on my traditional books—and I’ve only been tracking it since November.  I don’t honestly know, though, if that’s because I have a name as a traditional author or because I have a decent-sized online platform. 

Basically, I think we should cover our bases.  I’ll traditionally publish, I’ll self-pub, and—when I have a moment—I’ll probably branch out into broader areas of my genre, too—maybe police procedural or psychological mysteries.  Maybe I’ll try short stories, too. Eventually, maybe I’ll write other genres, too. I think it’s important to consider all our options, in every way.

I also don’t think we should put all our eggs in one basket.  I don’t have a problem with Amazon (it would be dumb of me to…I’ve made money with them), but we shouldn’t be exclusive.  Who knows what’s coming down the road?  We should be available on other online formats, too—Nook, Smashwords, etc. 

These are my thoughts on it now—but the way the industry is changing so quickly, I might change my mind again before long!

Are you keeping your options open as a writer?

And—it’s Memorial Day here in the States where we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. Many thanks to those who have served in the armed forces.

Photo credit—mtkojima on Flickr