Have you noticed the plethora of blogs recently chattering about the “importance of editing”? Must be the season! Probably because spring is almost here and we authors are about to “spring” our winter ramblings on publishers.
But I do think it’s a critical topic, so I’m going to add my two cents to the discussion. Continue reading
Tell you what … the business side of being an author is a royal pain in the butt.
I self-published my first novel in the year 2000. Here I am fourteen years later having just finished my second novel.
Fourteen years!!! I’m the Rip Van Winkle of “authorship.” And like Rip, I’ve been re-born into an entirely new world. Continue reading
That was one of Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing. Number 6, I think.
Elmore Leonard died about six months ago. His career spanned over six decades. He was a prolific writer, and, in my mind, one of the best of his generation in what I would call the “pulp fiction” category. You know, the kind of mystery or thriller or suspense (whatever they were called back in the day) paperback you would pick up at your corner book store when you were looking for a good, fun, quick read. Continue reading
In the year 2000, when I was peddling my first novel to agents, I was told that there were 24 million manuscripts submitted that year and only 1% to 1.5% of those would be picked up by a literary agent. Of those picked up, only 65% would score a publisher. I was a one of the lucky ones who got an agent… more on that below. Continue reading
Just think … you are making history. This is my very first Blog post. It’s intended for people who read books, as well as those who write them, be they young writers or old writers or even would-be writers.
I hope my musings can contribute in some small way to helping you externalize your deepest thoughts and bon mots. I invite you to leave a comment at the end of this post. If it requires an answer, I will surely write you back.
Every Writer has a Muse.
~ by Dennis Koller ~
I had an English professor in college who was a prolific and well-known author. He regaled us by telling tales of his Muse. “I’m at her mercy,” he said. “She can be very fickle. Sometimes she visits me at 3 am and I have to immediately respond by getting up and writing. If I didn’t, she would punish me by not showing up again for three or four months. But even if I faithfully dragged my ass out of bed, she may still disappear. Very fickle, indeed.” He would stop, take a puff on his pipe, look pensively at the ceiling and say, “If you are thinking of becoming a writer, my best advice is you better practice being patient.” Continue reading
Dennis Koller, Author 