When I took the UCI Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Writing course through UCI’s Extension Program in 2007, I had visions of writing a New York Times Bestseller. How hard can it be? Fast forward to reality. By the time I began submitting my manuscript to agents, the publishing world had experienced a metamorphosis. The evolution…
I’m delighted to share that over the Thanksgiving week-end, Busted reached the top 5% of Kindle sales on Amazon. When I agreed to the promotion, I was skeptical. Now, I’m thrilled. (This doesn’t mean I’m going to break the bank: for the duration of the promotion, the eBook is $.99, and my royalty is a penny,…
Did you know…? There are 4,500 books published every day in the U.S.* There are almost one billion e-books and three million print books on Amazon.* *From Penny Sansevieri’s book, How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon.com (To my writer friends: I highly recommend this book. If you’re interested,…
Busted as an Audio Book I’m excited to announce the audio version of Busted is now available on Amazon, ACX, and Apple iTunes. Rich Miller is the narrator, and I think he did an excellent job interpreting the characters’ voices. Creating an audio book was another new experience. What I learned is that writing for…
A Dreadful Task I shared with my writer-friend Marcia Sargent that if I had known how much time I would spend writing and promoting my debut novel, I probably wouldn’t have embarked upon this journey. While I loved learning how to write and enjoyed the excitement of researching, networking, and uncovering little nuggets here and…
Words of Wisdom Promoting a new novel without an established reader base is daunting and intimidating. After hosting a book-launching event, and asking (begging) friends to please read, review, and recommend Busted to others, I needed to expand my universe and have been seeking professional and influential blogger reviews. When a novel is submitted, there…
My writing professor recommended that I create an audio version of Busted. As I embarked on another expedition that I knew nothing about, I discovered that a company called ACX, (Audio Book Creation Exchange) which is owned by Amazon, dominates 95% of the market. Through ACX, an author can have an audio book created and…
I’m an introvert, and that’s probably why writing is so appealing. I’m alone in my office, sitting at my desk, and creating an imaginary world. I’m in control. Safe. As a published author, I need to be extroverted to promote my book. Even though I’m uncomfortable, I force myself to do one new thing every…
Recently I read a writer’s blog written by an agent who identified nine ways NOT to begin your book. I read the list and when I reached the ninth example, I said, “OH NO!” Not only have I been struggling to write my second novel, now I need to rewrite the first chapter. This past…
As I researched drug trafficking for my first novel, Busted, my opinion about illegal drugs changed. Previously I’d supported the war on drugs; after all, drugs are bad. Over time, I came to the conclusion that prohibition doesn’t work, and in fact, creates a black market where illegal and illicit substances thrive without regulations. My new philosophy…
