Book Launch Strategies, Part 3

by Marylee MacDonald in General

A quick retrospective of two book launches during the Covid pandemic showed me the road map for my next book launch.

The Gurus of Author Marketing

by Marylee MacDonald in General

Self-published authors who wonder how to find readers for their books can learn a lot from these four internet gurus: Mark Dawson, Nicolas Stephenson, Joseph Michael Nicoletti, and Bryan Cohen.

The Poetry of Fiction: Michael Byers and Percival’s Planet

by Marylee MacDonald in General

Two things set good writing apart from mediocre or just plain boring writing. One is the writer’s ability to sharply observe the world and render those observations in language that’s free of clichés. The other is the author’s knowledge, and mastery, of English grammar. A few years ago I offered a novel workshop to my […]

Discoverability and New Authors: How to Find Readers for Your Books

by Marylee MacDonald in General

“Discoverability” was a new term to me, but I heard it at the Digital Book World conference, and now I can’t stop thinking about it. “Discoverability” perfectly sums up what authors feel when they finally get their book finished, edited, and uploaded to Amazon. “I wrote my book! Yeah, me! But, uh oh, now what?” […]

Voice-Driven Fiction | Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore Voice

by Marylee MacDonald in General

Voice is like the juice in an apple. If there’s no juice, the apple tastes dry, and the reader won’t take another bite. And, readers aren’t the only ones who’ll take a pass. Unfortunately, apart from the issue of “likeable characters,” the single biggest reason agents send you a “bong” letter is that your manuscript […]

Writing Practice | Your Number One Goal

by Marylee MacDonald in General

A daily writing practice can turn the dream of becoming a published author into a reality. As author Jean Hegland says, “If you can brush your teeth, you can write a book.” In this post, I’m going to show you how to set up a writing practice. A Writing Practice Is Like Any Other Habit […]

Giller Prize Shortlist: Canada’s Finest

by Marylee MacDonald in General

If you’ve ever gone to Stratford (Ontario) for the Shakespeare Festival, crossed the border to see Niagara Falls from the Canadian side, or taken the ferry to British Columbia, you’ve no doubt visited a Canadian bookstore and noticed prominent displays that feature Canadian authors, not just those writing in English, but the Canadians writing in […]