Tag: Twilight

Science Fiction and Paranormal Fantasy with a Noir Twist

Passion and Obsession, or Second-Guessing the Market: How a Writer Ought to Choose a Project

Last week, I had the good fortune to stumble onto Emma Donoghue being interviewed on Michael Silverblatt’s “Book Worms” show on KCRW. I’m generally not a reader of historical novels, but I’d seen a review of Donoghue’s latest book Frog Music: A Novel in a magazine a couple weeks back, and so I got sucked…
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May 7, 2014 2

Word of Mouth–The Elusive Key to Success

Several years ago, I was lurking in the shelves of a used bookstore looking at the science fiction section–all the way at the back of the store. It was one of those stores that functioned largely as a paperback exchange: if you brought in 3 books, they’d give you credit for one of theirs. It…
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April 23, 2013 4

How Much Does Random Chance Account for a Writer’s Success?

I read a lot posts about marketing and selling books. For the most part, they say the same thing. To succeed, a writer (indie or otherwise) needs to: Blog Have a website or “landing page” for his/her book Use social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.) Develop a “platform” Build connections with a community of readers…
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April 1, 2013 265

What I’ve Learned from Yukon Cornelius

You know who I’m talking about, right? The mustachioed miner from the Rankin & Bass claymation Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer from the mid-60s. He’s a bit rough around the edges but helps Rudolph, ends up on the Island of Misfit Toys, and finally helps save the day in the end. The thing I keep…
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November 11, 2012 0

Antiquarian Kindle Files?

When I released my first book in paperback and Kindle editions earlier this year, I had the nice opportunity of being able to sign some copies for friends. One person joked about whether I’d sign his Kindle for him. I kindly offered to scratch my name into the cover. When my second book came out…
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September 10, 2012 2