For me, convention season is half-finished. On July 21, I participated as a vendor at a quickly organized pop-up event at Missing Falls Brewery, in Akron, Ohio, called “Books & Beer.” The event was originally slated to feature 10 indie authors, but there were only five who actually participated. The event was interesting when compared to previous engagements this year: There were...
One bit of advice the “experts” give to novice writers is to read extensively. An author cannot truly know the tropes and reader expectations of his or her genre unless he or she reads extensively within that genre. The best way to know what readers want now is to read the books that are popular now in that genre. I’ve been doing a lot of reading and little (or nothing) in the...
Being both an author and a freelance editor, I spend a lot of time on various publishing-related groups on social media platforms. Without fail, the same questions come up again and again. I often respond to them. Unfortunately, my experience leads me to believe that many new authors don’t do their research before they agree to the first offer they receive for their manuscripts. That leads...
Many authors are reluctant to hire editors for various reasons. The most common are expense, hubris, and dread. Expense: Professional editing is expensive. That’s why it behooves an author to select an editor who’s a good match for both the manuscript and oneself. The wrong editor can make what sometimes feels like an excruciating process worse. An incompetent editor overwrites the...
Publishing involves process, especially traditional publishing. In my “real” life, I’m a freelance writer, editor, and book designer. I help authors along the publishing journey by providing discrete services. Although the name of my business may suggest otherwise, Hen House Publishing is not a traditional publisher. That being said, I receive and see inquiries every week from...
Occasionally in various author and writing groups, I come across posts asking whether, as a reader, I post reviews on books I do not finish or post reviews for books written by other authors. These queries come across as though the person posting were squeamish about book reviews. Inevitably, the posts gain traction from two basic camps of respondents. To answer the first question, yes, I do post...
This month’s newsletter speaks to convention season. Ohio (where I live) is fortunate to enjoy an extended and extensive array of festivals, fairs, and other events throughout the year; however, convention really gets cracking in May. After a family reunion the first weekend of May, my calendar is packed with weekened events over the next several months that will take me all over Ohio and...