Friday, August 22, 2014

Friday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts


By: K.M. Weiland

When I first took to creative writing, all I ever heard about writing a novella was how I shouldn’t. Houses won’t publish them. Agents don’t represent them. All of this caused me to think it was because readers won’t read them. I know the first two are correct. The third point? Not so much.

Publishers have typically stayed away from novellas for economic reasons. Not that the novellas wouldn’t sell, but they tended to be less cost efficient. This is why agents avoid them. But there is a market out there for them, as well as an affordable means of putting them into print. Here are three reasons you should consider writing a novella right now.

1. You Can Self-Publish Your Novella

Not too long ago, you couldn’t be published unless you had an agent who could get you a book deal with one of the Big Six. No more! We have ventured into the brave new world of self-publishing. It used to bear the stigma of people who weren’t good enough to get published by conventional means. That might have been true once, but now self-publishing is the serviceable first option for many writers.

Many different companies will print and distribute what you write. They each have their own ups and downs. Choosing the right option depends on what you are looking for, but what you need is probably out there. Research what’s available and make the right choice for you.

If you decide to try the self-publishing route, you won’t have to worry about a publisher or an agent scolding you for writing a novella. Write what you want and make it as long (or shot) as you want. (I’ve read more than a fewtraditionally published books that were too long.) Some writers pad their word count to vault their manuscripts out of the novella range, but in so doing weaken their story. Most novellas I’ve read are cleaner manuscripts because the writer left out all of that literary Hamburger Helper.

2. E-Readers Like Shorter Reads

. . .

Read the full article HERE!

~*~


If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:
  1. Fiction University: Backmatter: Are You Making the Most of Your Digital Shelf Space? http://ow.ly/AyYN9
  2. Mystery Writing--Familial DNA | Elizabeth Spann Craig http://ow.ly/AyYTQ
  3. How and Why to Blog a Romance Novel - How to Blog a Book http://ow.ly/AyZbO
  4. Don’t Be Boring: Hints for Better Bookstore Events & Other Presentations | Beyond The Margins http://ow.ly/AyZkD
  5. Organize Your Writing Project(s) via a Spreadsheet by Stacy McKitrick | Romance University http://ow.ly/AyZKM
  6. The Writers Alley: A Tangled Plot Structure http://ow.ly/AyZTd
  7. Forget the Money: Show Me the Contract | Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers http://ow.ly/Az0cZ
  8. The Inconsolable Writer - From Distraction to Inspiration in Four Easy Steps - Writers Write http://ow.ly/Az0sc
  9. 3 Reasons You Should Consider Writing a Novella Right Now - Helping Writers Become Authors http://ow.ly/Az0BD
  10. Five Tips for Titles | Terry Odell http://ow.ly/Az0Z5
  11. How to Digitally Organize Your Writing Files | The Path of Least Revision http://ow.ly/Az13r
  12. David Farland’s Daily Kick in the Pants—Putting Your Story in Temporal Motion http://ow.ly/Az17N
  13. How to Combine Text and Visual Content for Better Social Engagement | Social Media Examiner http://ow.ly/Az19v
  14. How to Use Content Themes to Make Blogging a Snap : @ProBlogger http://ow.ly/Az1bL
  15. 4 Simple Steps to Writing a Blog Post That Floods Your Inbox with Inquiries - Copyblogger http://ow.ly/Az1f2
  16. How to Create a Blog Plan for Any Type of Book by Nina Amir — The Book Designer http://ow.ly/Az1h7
  17. Writer Unboxed » Flog a Pro: would you turn this bestselling author’s first page? http://ow.ly/Az1rB
  18. I'm Backing Amazon and Authors Should Too | The Passive Voice | http://ow.ly/Az1vN
  19. Resources for Writers: Writers' Conferences & Book Festivals, Sept. 2014 to Aug. 2015 http://ow.ly/Az25B
  20. Fill in Your Fictional World | The Editor's Blog http://ow.ly/Az2bP
  21. How to Validate Your Characters' Traits | Stavros Halvatzis http://ow.ly/Az2xE
  22. 5 Key Elements for a Successful Women’s Blog : @ProBlogger http://ow.ly/Az2FZ
  23. 45 Signs You Need to Get a Grip on Your Social Media Marketing Program | Social Zoom Factor http://ow.ly/Az2Nu
  24. Beyond Millennials: How to Reach Generation Z http://ow.ly/Az2Up
  25. The Perfect Title - Books & Such Literary Management : Books & Such Literary Management http://ow.ly/Az376
  26. Writability: On Prioritizing Your Time http://ow.ly/Az3H5  @Ava_Jae
  27. Writers On The Move: There's a Gorilla in the Phone Booth! - The dangers of flashbacks http://ow.ly/Az4Fi
  28. Where Writers Win http://ow.ly/AzfNx What to Expect When You're Expecting Your First Book Tour
  29. 3 Tips for Self-Publishing Success — Guest: Julie Musil | Jami Gold, Paranormal Author http://ow.ly/AAhyS
Happy writing and running, Kathy

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