In talking to my friends, associates and random strangers, I’ve noticed that while many seem intrigued by the concept of Personal Branding, the most popular reaction after hearing about it is an intense need to lay down and take a nap. Branding seems so…overwhelming. So comprehensive and involved and faintly worrisome. After all, what if […]
You’ve finished your first manuscript, or maybe your twentieth. Maybe you’re having trouble getting an editor’s attention through the slush pile or conference interviews. Maybe you know that an A-list agent can cut through the bureaucratic hurdles and get your book into the hands of a decision maker. For whatever reason, you’ve decided that your […]
I just want to sell that first book, then I’ll be happy. How many times have I uttered those words? Well I did sell and I am happy. But no one prepared me for the threshold I ultimately crossed. Oh, my published friends tried. Your problems don’t end when you sell, they just change shape, […]
Dear Barbara, My first book was published last year and since receiving The Call, I’ve gone on to sell four more stories to my publisher. I’m planning to attend the National conference in Atlanta this year and have started net-working with various writing groups and RWA Chapters. Several requests have come in, asking me to […]
Jane Porter’s 10 Things Not to Do if You’re Trying to Sell to Harlequin in 10 Years or Less! Point #1-4 – Don’t Go For the Hard Sale First My first four books were all hard sells: in the first one, the hero was a baseball player, in the second, the setting was South Africa, […]
Publishing is a business. Writing may be art, but publishing, when all is said and done, comes down to dollars. Keep that in mind. I say this because of the volume of mail I receive from unpublished writers who believe that “having a good story,” is enough to guarantee success. It’s not. I hate to […]
I’ve been in the publishing business for a few years now, and I’ve come to one, undeniable, unarguable conclusion: writers are insane. Loco. Crazy. What else explains our need to take a question like “What if a woman fell in love with her neighbour?” turn it into a story worth a few thousand words, then […]
Read part 1 here. PART TWO: SETTING THE TONE OF THE BLURB The above blurb is a good framework (if I do say so myself, and heck, it’s my article, so I’m going to say so). I’m under two hundred words and I have the main core conflicts of the story. As nice as that […]
Here is Part 3 of Bromwyn Storms 3 part series on writing blurbs. You can start the series with Part 1. PART THREE: TROUBLE-SHOOTING If you’re having troubles writing a blurb that really nails your story idea, try writing the non-blurb. If your story is a dark, serious one, try a paragraph that describes it […]
Personal Branding can seem quite involved — and as with anything, you can raise it to the level of obsession. (Not that I’ve ever done that). However, the easiest brands to maintain are those that reflect your true self and your core beliefs. I’ll discuss the ‘how’ of determining your brand in a later article, […]