Plotting Your Book: Open Story by Hinting at Some Mysterious Element
Straight-up information about a character or a setting rarely marks a great way to start a story. Instead, the opening lines need to hint at some mysterious element. READ MORE
The Ultimate Guide to Self-Publishing Your Book
You’ve written a book that’s languishing on your computer hard drive. You don’t have time to pitch it to a literary agent or a major publisher … work or school is hectic, the house needs to be cleaned, the kids demand your attention … But I bet you can find just seven minutes a day to achieve your dream of getting it published. If you can, my book 7 Minutes a Day to a Self-Published Book is for you. This practical, how-to guide takes you step-by-step through the self-publishing process – with just seven minutes of work required a day. You’ll complete short, skillful exercises that allow you to self-publish your novel or nonfiction title as you read the book, all the while getting the encouragement and motivation needed to keep you going. SEE BOOK
Writing Tip: Consider Using Counterplotting in Your Novel
One solid plotting strategy for a long novel – though it also will work in a novella or a long short story – is to split the main characters into two groups and alternate the focus of scenes or chapters between them. The two groups then reunite at the story’s climax. This technique is called counterplotting. It’s often is used in quest novels. READ MORE
Self-Publishing Tip: Potential Disclaimers for Your Title Page
Sometimes when self-publishing a book, you’ll want to include a disclaimer on your title page. A disclaimer is a legal-sounding statement that aims to protect you from lawsuits by saying that you are not liable or responsible for anything the reader does as a consequence of reading your advice. For example, if a reader follows first-aid tips you provide in a hiking book, you might run a disclaimer that releases you from responsibility for any injuries that occur after a reader has attempted to follow your guidelines. READ MORE
This Week’s Podcast: What ‘Write What You Know’ Really Means
At face value, “Write what you know” is bad advice. It seems limiting and can only lead to dull stories. After all, how many of us lead the lives of James Bond or Captain Kirk? How many of us ever have been knights or pharaohs or presidents? But that’s taking the maxim too literally. LISTEN TO PODCAST
Book Marketing Tip: How to Get Your Self-Published Book into a Library
Getting your book into a library is a good marketing tool. It’s the equivalent of giving away free copies in those Kindle programs, except in this case a lone free copy can seen by multiple people for several years. Your book also is on a library catalog system, often available online, that gives people yet another way to stumble across the title. READ MORE
Client Spotlight: “Abe’s Journey” by Tom Weiss
A recent editing client of mine, Tom Weiss, has published his second novel, “Abe’s Journey.” Abe Souder has always followed the path before him—never questioning where it led. Raised in a world where faith and tradition shape every decision, he accepted his place without hesitation. But when a tragic loss unsettles the life he’s always known, long-buried doubts begin to rise, forcing him to confront the questions he’s never been willing to face. Looking for answers in places he would never have dared, Abe steps beyond the familiar, drawn into a world that challenges everything he thought he knew. Each step forward brings him closer to truths about himself, his past, and his future—and forces him to question not just where he belongs but who he is. Faced with choices that could change his life forever, Abe must ask himself the most challenging question: Was he ever truly sure of the life he was living—or has doubt left him staring into a future just as uncertain? CHECK IT OUT
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My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of both aspiring and published writers and offers a variety of self-publishing services. During the past 15 years, I’ve helped more than 400 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of a novel, the Storytelling 101 Quick Read series, four children’s books, more than 25 bestselling hiking guidebooks, and even a book of poetry. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.
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