Reversion of Rights

If you’re working with a publisher to bring your book into the world, make sure your contract has a reversion-of-rights clause. Such a clause will allow you to take back your creative work.

Find Readers and Get Amazon Reviews

by Marylee MacDonald in Book promotion, For Writers Who Need Readers

New authors need to find readers who will leave Amazon reviews, but if you’re a new author, how do you do that? Your friends may not understand why authors live and die by the quantity and quality of Amazon reviews. And, certainly, as a new author, you can’t be expected to have the name recognition […]

Billy Battles: The Remarkable Life of a Reluctant Hero

by Marylee MacDonald in For Readers, For Writers Who Need Readers

This week I’ve invited Ron Yates to do a guest post about the hero of his historical-novel trilogy about the life and adventures of Billy Battles. Why am I featuring this series? Well, first, because I loved the first two books and have been eagerly awaiting this volume. And, second, because I know all authors […]

5-Star Review from the Redheaded Book Lover Blog

by Marylee MacDonald in For Writers Who Need Readers

What do writers value most? Connecting with readers. I’m thrilled about this review from the Redheaded Book Lover’s Blog because it sounds like she really “got” what these stories are all about. Thanks, Aimee Ann for reading my book and giving me such positive feedback. With her permission, I’m re-blogging her review. Also, for indie […]

Journalism vs. Fiction: What’s the Difference?

What’s the difference between journalism and fiction, and why should you care? Well, if you’re a writer in this day and age, you’re likely to do more than one kind of writing. Long-form journalism often pays. Fiction rarely does. Or, at least, it can take time for people to find you and buy your books. […]

Publishing Myths I Wish I’d Known | 10 Misconceptions About Writing and Selling Books

Which publishing myths cloud your vision? By “publishing myths” I mean misconceptions about the world of publishing today. To succeed as a writer, you must write a great book. To succeed as an author (meaning you intend to have a career writing more books) you must educate yourself about the marketplace of books. Publishing is an […]

Are You Puzzled By How Goodreads Wants You to Post Reviews?

by Marylee MacDonald in For Readers, For Writers Who Need Readers

Most people can figure out how to post reviews on Amazon, but if you’re an author, you also want your readers to post reviews to Goodreads. When I’ve asked folks to do that, I’ve been surprised by the number who said they couldn’t figure out where to click or how to save. Here’s a link […]

Rejection: Why Actors Expect It And You Should, Too

When we begin writing, we’re in touch with our deepest and most creative selves. It’s joyful. It’s fun. We’re walking the tightrope of success–and in constant danger of falling off. Those falls come from rejection. But rejection also brings many positives: life lessons about balance, reframing, and disaster preparedness. In this post I’m going to […]

Character-Driven Fiction Takes Readers Back to 1968 | Sharon Solwitz’s New Novel

by Marylee MacDonald in Characters, For Writers Who Need Readers

ONCE, IN LOURDES author Sharon Solwitz has one previous novel, Bloody Mary, and a collection of short stories, Blood and Milk, which won the Carl Sandburg Literary Award from Friends of the Chicago Public Library and the prize for adult fiction from the Society of Midland Authors, and was a finalist for the National Jewish […]

A Productive Rant About Building An Author Platform

How do writers in general, but particularly late-life writers, establish an author platform? By “late life” I mean writers over sixty. By “author platform” I mean a soapbox that is slightly elevated above the crowd and that allows authors to shout to passersby that our books exist. That doesn’t mean the crowd will necessarily buy […]