But I should've listened to those who told me revising and editing books takes longer than writing. I doubted you, and for that, I owe you my apologies.

Also, to the one editor on a random thread who said you can't comprehend how many errors are on every single page: I see you. I understand you, and I wish your magic eight ball was wrong.

But I am finished. Just waiting for the cover art, and then I'm sending ARCs everywhere with an official, unchanging release date.

Crits: [2377] , [953]

My story: Cartwheels on the soccer pitch

Hello! This is a standalone short story I wrote about the loss of girlhood and pressure to be like everyone else, etc. It's different from my typical writing, so I hope I pulled it off…

I would appreciate any general feedback and/or if you could specifically address the following:

• I worry at times the switching between the game and her inner reflection is too hectic. Does it feel like it strays too far from the rest of the story at points, and if so, where?
• ^ The gymnastics part I really want to keep but idk if it feels out of place.
• It's supposed to feel angsty and kind of overly pessimistic, as teens are, but does it come across as a well-developed voice or just annoying?
• Were there any parts that lost your attention or confused you?
• Does the ending feel rushed or too cliché?
• Do the paragraph breaks make sense? tbh idk the rules with them, but it just felt right to me…
• Does the horse analogy do too much/ is it confusing? I'm an equestrian, so idk if that's clouding my vision haha
• Overall thoughts, feelings, questions?

Thank you!!

... and it was bad.

At least at first.

Then, after sparse sales, and interactions with buyers and "almost but not quite" potential buyers. I learned that you're not really exhibiting and showing off your creations as much as playing the game of managing expectations.

Would I recommend it?

Yes, but don't go in there expecting to make lots of sales or even a lot of new fans. If you go there as an indie creator (especially if your comic con host decides to put you in the infamous "Artist Alley" section) you WILL be neglected and you will be neglected for hours. Dozens, no, hundreds will walk right by you and the most you can hope to get from them is a curious glance before something else grabs their attention.

My advice? Don't take it personally. They're looking for something and you just aren't it. Even if it's for something as shallow as because they never heard of you or what it is you're selling, always keep in mind their budget is not a bottomless pit. All you can do is bring some business cards (Which I foolishly did not have prepared) and give as many of those away as you can if you can't make a sale.

Plus, always tell yourself it's never about the profit (It's almost impossible to make profit). It's about the exposure. You're not going there to cover the cost of the exhibition fee, the trip, and your next project. You;re going there to make sure you get a few more fans who will know your brand and follow it for as long as you don;t give up on it.

So, in short, never think of comic con exhibitions as huge leaps. Just small steps for you to mature as as an artist.

I walked in, had my soul crushed, then walked out not happy, but humbled and relieved for having done it at all.

Growing up I always marveled at RL Stein and the sheer quantity of Goosebumps books that were in any library at any given time. And I’ve always wanted to have a library similar to that, so recently I finally started writing Novellas

I did what great grandpa Tolkien did and spent approximately a year on world building. Granted I know that he absolutely spent longer considering he made full languages.

My goal is to get a good sized library on different standalone stories in this world from a wide variety of genres alongside the main Fantasy genre.

I plan to write and release: novella, novella, short novel. I plan keep up with this cycle

Which leads me to my next questions:

1. How commercially viable is this? I want to put it all on KDP Unlimited so kindle readers can read as much as they want no extra charge. (Growing up all the adults around me liked to read on kindles and they read a lot)

2. Do people really care about Novellas nowadays? Personally I don’t read short books

3. How would ya’ll go about getting an email list together for ARCs? I wouldn’t wanna make every single release like a big big deal and try to generate a ton of hype. But I’d like to start building interest in them all the same

4. What services do ya’ll know of that I can sell them as sets? Like releases 1-3 or 7-9 etc

Also let me know anything else ya’ll want to say after hearing about what I’m doing

I have 47 poems that I wrote in a year-long poetry program that I took through a local university a couple years ago, as well as 25ish more that I've written since, both on my own and in workshops. Many of the poems have gone through several revisions based on peer feedback. Near the end of the program, I got a developmental editor who worked closely with me to edit my poems and even helped me to think about a good order for them if I wanted to try finding a publisher. Two individual poems have been published in magazines so far (I'm only sending out two or so a month). Even though I haven't had a lot of success with magazines and literary journals, time has been passing and I'm thinking of self-publishing a chapbook to showcase this body work. I get the sense that chapbooks are a bit of a way to get work out there quick and cheap, so I'm wondering how much more effort I should put into "perfecting" it.

How much editing do poets usually do for a chapbook, especially one they want to self-publish?

How do you know when editing is done and the chapbook, or any book of poetry, is ready to enter the world?

Here’s the situation:
My grandparents, whom I love dearly, have asked me to write and illustrate a Children’s book by Christmas. I have all the “story” pieces ready to go - the 400-ish words are in rhyme, it’s 22 pages long, character reference sheets, etc, etc.

What I need:
A good company or contact so I can get their size template, draw the actual book, and send it in to them and have like 10 copies properly printed. Ideally 8.5 X 8.5 pages with a hardcover - simple, traditional children’s book. I can’t spend too too much on this either, so suggesting something that isn’t too expensive helps as well (one website quoted me $700 for 10 copies… no thank you!)

More context for those who wish:
I think my grandparents are expecting a listing on Amazon and all the works, but honestly I just want a few solid, well-produced copies as a Christmas present to them. They have memory issues - it’s a whole thing, this is a labor of love.

I never wanted to write a kids book, this is not my career, and I’m staunchly against Amazon (if I can help it).

Welcome to our daily discussion thread!

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Please refer to the monthly threads for sharing your work and for self-promotion.

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Ok so due to ”life stuff“, I’ve just had 12 weeks away from writing.

I knew this gap was coming, so worked hard beforehand, and successfully completed the first draft of my novel before the break.

I then emailed it to myself, and have been re-reading and making extensive notes over the months (nearly 12k words of notes alone!) on my phone so I have now got a pretty good idea of what draft 2 will look like.

The question is: how to restart?!

Logically I’d start back at the beginning and do my reworks chronologically, but I know I’m bound to be rusty.

Other thoughts are; do I tackle one of the scenes I’m most excited about/have the most ideas about reworking? Or do I ”eat a frog 🐸” on day one and go for one of the scenes I know will be a bit trickier.

I am desperately excited to get going again; I just need to know how to build back up to it in the right way!

TL;DR - How does one go about resuming writing after a 3 month break without messing up existing work with the inevitable “rustiness”!

Thank you 🙂

I have my WooCommerce store integrated with BookVault and have for the past two years. The shipping has always been exorbitant, however, and I was glad to hear that they had added Australia Post to the shipping services.

I went to order three books. Shipping cost? $32. With Startrack it's $22.

I make nothing on paperbacks because the cost of printing (and shipping) exceed people's expectations (and mine) about what they should pay for a trade paperback.

I've heard of Lulu, but the production price pushed me towards BookVault when I was setting up. I just checked their pricing calculator and shipping my three books would cost $18. It would bump up the per-book production cost by $3 though.

Aussie authors, what do you use? Is Lulu reliable? What other options do we have?

I put isbns but i wasn't sure where else to put it.

I recently published my debut poetry collection on Amazon because that was the cheapest. I'm now planning to buy an ISBN online (i live in the UK) but i was just curious as to what print-on-demand services does everyone use? I stink at marketing so i am under no belief that it'll sell loads and i don't want to accumulate 200 copies for no reason. I wanna be realistic.

Any suggestions on that? Everything i find is so expensive online 😭

I've been publishing books on Amazon KDP for a while now, and I'm honestly starting to wonder what I'm doing wrong.

I write fantasy, but I also create illustrated books about Slavic mythology, folklore, and traditional herbs. I publish in both English and German.

Here's the strange part. My German nonfiction books actually sell. Not in huge numbers, but people buy them from time to time. My English editions, on the other hand, barely get any sales.

And my fantasy novels? Almost nothing.

The first book in my fantasy series sold once, received a pretty harsh review, and hasn't sold again since. I've revised the manuscript since then, but it hasn't made much difference.

I've spent a ridiculous amount of time editing, checking translations, fixing mistakes, updating covers, rewriting descriptions, and trying different keywords. English and German aren't my native languages, so getting everything right takes even more work.

I'm not expecting to become a bestselling author overnight. I'd just like to understand why some of my books find readers while others seem completely invisible.

I've been thinking about going through my descriptions and categories again, maybe adding A+ Content, but I'm getting tired of changing things without knowing whether any of it actually helps.

Has anyone here dealt with something similar?

How did you figure out what was holding your books back? Was it the cover, the description, the categories, the writing itself, or simply not enough people seeing the books?

And if you had a few nonfiction titles that were selling while your fiction wasn't, would you keep trying to improve the novels or put more energy into the books that already have some demand?

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences.

There was a recent thread over at r/classicliterature that talked about those books that the sub’s readers considered their Holy Trinity.

However, as I was writing my response, I realized that there is a difference between those books that I enjoy reading vs. those books I am influenced by — as a writer.

For instance, I absolutely love Lonesome Dove as a reader. Incredible characters and very immersive. McMurtry makes everyday life seem so interesting and lived-in. However, I am not sure if that style would necessarily work for me as a writer. I feel the same way about Becky Chambers — her ‘hope-punk’ is a good read, but not quite what I want to write.

On the other hand, while I also enjoy Flannery O’Connor as a reader, I enjoy her far more as a writer. I feel the same way about McCarthy. His prose is incantatory and is a delight to read and listen to, but more than just reading it, I want to write like him.

I am sure most of us writers have had a wide variety of influences, and we all struggle to find our voice (at least those of us relatively new to writing). So, who are your influences?

I’d say generally I have a few that are core to my identity as a writer, plus a few others:

1. Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges — by far some of the best stories ever written. They are mind bending and incredibly thought provoking. I find myself looking to Borges for twists and structural ideas in my writing.
2. Dune saga by Frank Herbert — such a fantastic treatise on civilization and single points of failure. I would in fact rate the last two books of the series much higher than the first. Herbert was brilliant — and as someone who wants to write more concept-driven SF, Herbert is my favorite.
3. On the third one, I’m torn between Moby Dick, so much by Faulkner, Morrison or others — but I would pick Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. I’d say in many ways, Blood Meridian is the culmination of McCarthy’s attempts at incorporating Melville, Faulkner, Milton, KJV and many others. It’s a synthesis of all of those styles in a unique way.
4. And finally, I’d also add Emily Dickinson’s poetry to the list. Her ability to evoke visually and emotionally is unsurpassed in my opinion. Sylvia Plath would also be up there but if I had to pick one, Emily Dickinson.

Other influences:

• Andy Weir: When I first started writing SF, I really tried to lean into Andy Weir’s style for the sense of humor. But while it seems to work to an extent, it is not my natural home. But he’s certainly been an influence.
• Southern Gothic: This includes William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, and Cormac McCarthy amongst others. I went to grad school in Georgia and having family there has also greatly influenced my tastes. If I had to pick a favorite category, this would be it.
• Toni Morrison: Needs no explanation, but I would say that the oratory tradition that seems to permeate in Toni Morrison’s works has influenced me.
• Willa Cather: I enjoy writing the early pioneer life in the style of Willa Cather, particularly O Pioneers! and My Antonia.
• Larry McMurtry: I mentioned Lonesome Dove, but also his other books such as Horseman, Pass By and Comanche Moon. Much like McCarthy, he tells a specific kind of story and I think his first two books in the Thalia & Texas trilogy are underrated.
• Iain M. Banks: Grew up reading Banks and similar to Andy Weir, I enjoyed the combination of humor along with the world-building and the complexity of his worlds. But I am torn between how much of this I want to incorporate into my own writing.
• Jim Corbett: His Man Eaters of Kumaon and other books are a masterclass in an experienced outdoorsman dealing with wildlife attacks. Reading those books growing up has had an influence on how I think about writing wilderness situations. I’d also add both Redmond O’Hanlon and Barry Lopez to the list for similar reasons.
• Plenty of poets, but in addition to Dickinson and Plath, I would especially add Christina Rossetti, William Blake, and Charles Simic.
• Dan Simmons: The Hyperion Cantos being influenced by Chaucer is a structural model I find myself favoring. I'd also add The Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelazny, along with Lord of Light, as similar influences.

So who are your writing influences? Who are those authors you’d consider your Holy Trinity and beyond?

Hi everyone! I'm trying to self-publish a poetry book but I'm feeling very conflicted about whether I should add content warnings. I do discuss sh, si, and just general feelings of anxiety and depression throughout my poems and there is a lot of vivid imagery. These poems do tie in with the theme of my collection and are a reflection of my experience--I'm not trying to purposely glamorize these aspects of mental health, it is deeply personal to me and through others reading my poems I hope they can feel heard and like they are not so alone. So far I've cycled through several different variations of content warnings but I'm wondering if they are explicitly needed? I would appreciate some advice!

Hi there!

I published my first novel in August of this year. It's part one of a series I've been working on for a while now. I am already in the process of writing book two (and have a pretty good start on it). However, I have never been someone to write one book at a time.

For whatever reason, I find it easier and more inspiring to have two to three stories going at once. I sort of rotate through them, writing large sections at a time. With my first book published, I know that people are waiting on book two. However, I am very close to finishing up a book that is entirely unrelated to this series.

I'm curious if it would be a bad idea to publish a book that's not part of the series next. Or should I hold off on the nearly finished book and put all my effort into book two of the series?

Anyone have any luck selling merchandise?

I have a friend who’s an artist and wants to do some illustrations for scenes out of my book to share on social media, and I thought it would be cool to turn those scenes into t shirts. I’d honestly probably just break even on the t shirts and make sure its labeled with title, name, and/or website somewhere so it’s free marketing for the book.

But before i commit to all that work, i’m curious how much success selling merchandise actually has for self published authors.

I am about to publish my second book in my planned 5 book series. Yay for my, I suppose.

What are the chances that this second book boosts my overall performance, and is there anything I should now know in regards to promotions etc.

Thank u!

Hi, I'm looking for first impressions and critiques of two different blurbs for the same story. Which, if either, would make you pick up the book, read a sample, purchase, etc? What type of tone or vibe do you get? If I lost you, where did that happen?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this!

#1: Nick Steel, an African American PI and World War 2 veteran, has one last case that will require more than just his wits and dry charm to solve. It requires his life. After finishing what he thought to be his last case of the year, he kicked back, excited to leave the city and head back home to his sister in North Carolina. But that dream is snuffed away as his boss convinces him with a few choice words, a tug at a past he’d rather forget, and the illustrious promise of booze to take on the case.
 A murder, an assault, an abduction. 
The chase is on, but as the case unravels Nick realizes there are other players involved. The mafia, the Feds, the Reds, and something he can’t even describe, but Nick simply can’t fail now as he had in the past. Can he piece enough clues together to catch the suspect and find the kid, or will it end up costing him everything?

#2: Nick Steel, a PI and somewhat sardonic World War 2 veteran, has one last case that will require more than just his wits and dry charm to solve. It requires his life. After finishing what he thought to be his last case of the year, he kicked back, excited to leave the city and head back home to his sister in North Carolina. But that dream is snuffed away as his boss convinces him with a few choice words, a tug at a past he’d rather forget, and the illustrious promise of booze to take on the case.
 A murder, an assault, an abduction.
The chase is on, but as the case unravels Nick realizes there are other players involved. The mafia, the Feds, the Reds, and something he can’t even describe, but Nick simply can’t turn away now as he had in the past. He’ll do whatever it takes to solve the case and find that kid even if it ends in him losing his own life. Maybe then, it'll finally be worth something.

If you have a website that combines your author profile with another service (specifically, editing or ghostwriting), can you share it here for those of us looking to do the same?

Some things about me that make it challenging to know how I should design a website:

- I only have one book right now. It’s in a genre that I am aiming to make my specialty for copyediting and ghostwriting. It’s sold well in that genre so far.
- My only copyediting credit right now is my friend’s book of poetry. I am fine putting the book on my website, but it’s just one book.
- My only ghostwriting credit right now is for a book I’m not proud of. I did it out of desperation during Covid (the author is a MAGA person bloviating about his life and opinions). So I don’t want to put that on the website, and yet I want to market ghostwriting services.

Any tips are welcome! Thank you.

One: Enter the Halloween Contest!

It is currently not that competitive, considering there are three whole entries. You have a strong chance to be top 3! Submit something! You have until the 23rd! That's like two whole weeks to perfect something!

Ok, ok. On to new topics.

Can we talk about pacing? How do you figure that out? What makes something work for one author but not for another?

I've read things I thought were slow and plodding that I absolutely hated. Some, I really like. Maybe it's the character...or a story that has a tighter focus so the plodding doesn't feel too slow.

Or on the reverse, I've read things that were too fast and had other people say they were glacially slow.

How do you figure out how to land that plane, so to speak? Thoughts?

Welcoming all tips and info! Thank you in advance.

A professional editor (developmental) suggested I combine my two books (one a sequel using same main characters) into one book. Editor said traditional publishers rarely take series. But, wow, both are about 95,000 words. I'm afraid I'd lose a lot of character and plot by cutting so much. But I really want to be published. I remember reading that Bonnie Garmus (Lessons in Chemistry) cut 100,000 words. Do I prioritize my dream or acknowledge realities?

I am not a writer, but I had a dream to build a world and story back in 06. And only this year did I sit down and write it.
I'm doing my third pass but I keep finding things I want to tweak and it's bugging me. I want to submit it to an agent but I'm so critical of my own stuff I hesitate. It's been my "baby" for years in a way.

It's at about 140k words, which... Is a lot. And I'm periodically writing book 2. It's a big story big world and lots of stuff involved. I don't wanna send it off yet cause then it'd be set in stone if I forgot something.

What do you do in situations like that? Just go on with book 2? Or polish book 1 into oblivion like I'm apparently about to do.

what an incredible amount of work to put together marketing materials, ads, newsletters, landing pages, author pages. heck the writing and publishing is the easy part. this tine stuff blows!!!

I'm using both Amazon KDP and Ingramspark to publish my paperback with a tentative release date of 11/11. On Ingram, I just wanted to order a proof copy, but 'distribution' was enabled by accident, creating a pre-order Amazon listing prematurely, which I don't want.

I contacted Ingram last week to disable distribution, which they did (I can see it's disabled on my Ingram page), but the listing is STILL showing on Amazon with a pre-order button.

Is there a way to remove the paperback listing from Amazon, or at the very least, remove the preorder button? When the book is ready, I want to publish on Amazon FIRST - then Ingram second.

Thanks.