Publishing News Roundup Series: Writing Fiction to Escape Reality
by Maureen Crisp • October 31, 2016 • Follow
Published in Publishing Tips • One comment
Happy Halloween, everyone!
There has always been a debate about writing fiction as an escape for reality.
Do writers really write for escape, or is it a way to create a community of imagination to share with others? This debate has been going on since the dawn of writing when it come to writing fiction. The thing to take out of it all is that maybe its a bit of both. You can escape reality in order to create another reality to let readers and fans live in together. As long as you connect reader, the rest doesn’t matter.
Who Do You Write For?
As I look over my Twitter feed this week I have the distinct impression that many writers will be hitting NaNoWriMo with relief to get away from the media storms over the US Presidential elections. Vote Early and switch off all media to write the novel. Kris Rusch has a nice comment on the value of writing fiction when the world is in turmoil.
This week Amazon changed a few rules on publishing ebooks. The Digital Reader has a link with all the new hoops you have to jump through.
Joanna Penn has an interview with Chris Fox on using data science to sell books. This is a fascinating interview because once you identify your ideal reader, data science can help you market your book
without you doing any work.
without you doing any work.
Looking after your international audience is the subject of Elizabeth S Craig’s blog post and it is full of ideas for marketing across all the different countries Amazon has presence. She also goes into great detail on Print distribution.
Chris Syme has a guest post on Jane Friedman’s blog about running short Social Media campaigns to market your book. This comprehensive article is an excerpt from Chris Syme’s new book.
Shannon Gibney has penned a thoughtful article – 7 things I have learned so far as a writer. This is a great roundup of advice… always say yes if you can… be prepared and deadlines are your friend. Shannon also explains why.
What happens when you get Book Apathy? How do you overcome it? Is something wrong with you or the book? Ginny Carter has an interesting article on remedies for this malaise that strikes every author.
The Three Pillars of The Author Platform and how to build them is the subject of The Verbs latest thought piece. Every writer should take time to read this and think about it. Who are you? and Who are you writing for? are questions we all need to answer if we want a successful writing career.
In The Craft Section,
How to find Plot holes when outlining– K M Weiland- Bookmark
The best advice on plotting– Janice Hardy-Bookmark
3 tips to increase writing output- Jody Hedlund- Bookmark
Writing sad scenes– Ryan Casey
Finding plot holes – Angela Ackerman- Bookmark
Finding your way into the story – Becca Puglisi-Bookmark
In The Marketing Section,
9 tips for building your book cover– Jane Friedman- Bookmark
Visual marketing for authors– Frances Caballo- Bookmark
Book promotions for holidays- Bookmark
Making a living – Elizabeth S Craig- Bookmark!
To Finish
Orna Ross is the director of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi )They have run three very successful online free one day conferences coinciding with the three major Book Fairs in the Northern Hemisphere. With the Frankfurt Book Fair just wrapping up the theme of their last conference was Writers and Business. 24 hours of amazing content for writers at all stages of the writing profession. Check out what’s on offer and enjoy a feast of quality content. Orna also has an excellent vlog on setting good creative writing habits. Just in time for NaNoWriMo
Good Luck To Everyone attempting NaNoWriMo (It’s not too late to sign up.)
Maureen
@craicer
About Maureen Crisp
Maureen Crisp has been writing her weekly publishing roundups for over seven years. She is a traditionally published children's author as well as indie-published. She lives in New Zealand and is heading the team organising the 4th National Conference of Children's Writers and Illustrators. She is currently trying her hand at writing a children’s book series if she can drag herself away from forever tweaking her Mars novel or obsessing over space.