Monthly Archives: August 2014

Book Categories: A Modest Proposal

  I’ve been pondering the whole way that books are categorized and classified, and how “genres” and “subgenres” are generated. I do so because we indie authors are always agonizing about how to categorize our own books within the existing … Continue reading

Posted in Book business, Publishing Advice, Self-Publishing, Traditional publishing | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

So, What Is a Thriller?

  Fiction genres tend to have porous boundaries, mixing and blending into each other. Many books are hybrids that cross genres. For instance, you can’t define a “thriller” solely by its settings, since they can take place almost anywhere, and … Continue reading

Posted in BAD DEEDS: A Dylan Hunter Thriller, Essays, HUNTER: A Thriller, Inspirational, Vigilante fiction, Writing Advice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Best Book Marketing Advice Ever?

  I don’t know exactly how I missed this brilliant talk by Simon Sinek of several years ago. But for authors who are struggling to find more readers, his 18-minute presentation may contain the most valuable marketing and branding advice … Continue reading

Posted in Book business, Inspirational, Marketing Advice, Self-Publishing, Writing Advice | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Interview with Psychological Suspense Author Maggie James

  I am resuming a once-frequent feature here: interviews with thriller and mystery writers, especially (though not exclusively) those who are self-publishing. Some months ago I encountered British psychological suspense author Maggie James, who graciously interviewed me for her blog. … Continue reading

Posted in Author profiles, Biographical, Inspirational, Interviews, Marketing Advice, Publishing Advice, Self-Publishing, Traditional publishing, Uncategorized, Writing Advice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Amazon vs. Big Publishing

As most of you know, Amazon has been in a serious contract dispute with Hachette, one of the “Big Five” publishing conglomerates. Central to this conflict is ebook pricing. Big Publishing wants to keep the prices of ebooks high — … Continue reading

Posted in BAD DEEDS: A Dylan Hunter Thriller, Book business, HUNTER: A Thriller, Self-Publishing, Traditional publishing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Maryland Newspapers Feature BAD DEEDS

  Two Maryland newspapers — the Kent Island Bay Times and its sister publication, the Star Democrat of Easton, Maryland — ran a feature article about my fiction-writing career and the release of BAD DEEDS. Penned by staff writer Jack … Continue reading

Posted in Announcements, Author profiles, Biographical, Events, Interviews, Personal Appearances, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Must Today’s Successful Author Be a Writing Machine?

  I follow the blogs of a number of successful authors (see my Blogroll and Favorite Author Links in the sidebar). I do so because I learn a lot from them about writing, publishing, and marketing. Now, they don’t always … Continue reading

Posted in Book business, Essays, Inspirational, Marketing Advice, Publishing Advice, Self-Publishing, Traditional publishing, Writing Advice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments