Location, Location, Location: The Power of Writing and Real Estate
By: Ginger | Posted on September 28, 2018
The setting of a story is one of the most important elements that a writer should focus on, as it sets the tone and feel for the entire book. The tips below include some fantastic examples of how and why successful authors pay so much attention to where their book is located. It’s no coincidence that some of the best and most beloved novels are often remembered most for the rich worlds they create in the minds of the readers. One way to truly make your writing stand out is to make the setting for your story as much a character as your hero. In 2006, I returned to the northeastern United States after a long hiatus, and I brought with me a copy of Stephen King’s Bag of Bones. That book, and that return visit, have been inextricably linked in my mind ever since; and it demonstrated to me… Read More >
Best Mystery Books We’ve Recently Reviewed
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on September 25, 2018
Every day, Hidden Gems subscribers receive the opportunity to review hundreds of complimentary books spanning more than 15 genres – hopefully leaving an honest review on Amazon when they’re done. A regular feature on this blog is a periodic highlight of some true ‘Hidden Gems’ our subscribers discovered in various genres, and why you might want to check them out. Keep checking back for the latest lists, categorized by genre, and learn about some of the best books that we’ve sent out. Or, join our list of readers and help discover future gems yourself! Romance books might be the muscle of the publishing industry, but mystery books are definitely its heart. From cozy murder mysteries to gritty revenge stories, it’s an all-encompassing genre with legions of dedicated fans. In recent months, we’ve shared some of the best mystery books with our subscribers; and here are a few of the favorites our readers… Read More >
How Short Story Writing Can Improve Your Novels
By: Kate Larkindale | Posted on September 21, 2018
When you’re new to something, a common bit of advice is to start small and work your way up to bigger and better things. This applies to writers just as well as anyone else, and is the reason short story writing often comes before novels for many authors. Kate Larkindale understands first hand why this is good advice, and she’s here giving us all the reasons why writing short stories can make you a better novelist – whether you’re just beginning your career or already well established. I wrote my first novel when I was still a teenager. Barely a teenager. I’d never written anything except stories for school before, and had no idea what I was doing. And the finished novel was a complete mess. So were the next two I attempted, and the fourth. It wasn’t until I took a step away from pouring myself into novel after… Read More >
Best Science Fiction Books We’ve Recently Reviewed
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on September 18, 2018
Every day, Hidden Gems subscribers receive the opportunity to review hundreds of complimentary books spanning more than 15 genres – hopefully leaving an honest review on Amazon when they’re done. A regular feature on this blog is a periodic highlight of some true ‘Hidden Gems’ our subscribers discovered in various genres, and why you might want to check them out. Keep checking back for the latest lists, categorized by genre, and learn about some of the best books that we’ve sent out. Or, join our list of readers and help discover future gems yourself! Science fiction nearly rivals romance for its popularity, and over the last few months we’re shared dozens of top-rated Sci-Fi novels with our subscribers. Looking back over the catalog, we spent some time choosing some of our reader favorites. Here is our list of some of the best science fiction books this summer – stories that perfectly straddle… Read More >
5 Quick Writing Tips – An Editor’s Perspective
By: Ginger | Posted on September 14, 2018
“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It’s that easy, and that hard.” Neil Gaiman One of the greatest gifts to my own writing was becoming an editor of other peoples’ books. It revealed the depths of talent out there in the world of self-publishing, and it inspired me to improve my own writing by seeing how good other writers could be. At the same time, I’ve noticed a few common issues that writers fall afoul of, some of which have very quick and easy solutions. These are just simple writing tips that I’ve learned along the way that massively improve the readability of a book. Editing reminded me that writing isn’t an art – it’s a craft. You’re constructing a story from the raw materials – in this case, words – and there are infinite ways… Read More >
Best Young Adult Books We’ve Recently Reviewed
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on September 11, 2018
Every day, Hidden Gems subscribers receive the opportunity to review hundreds of complimentary books spanning more than 15 genres – hopefully leaving an honest review on Amazon when they’re done. A regular feature on this blog is a periodic highlight of some true ‘Hidden Gems’ our subscribers discovered in various genres, and why you might want to check them out. Keep coming back for the latest lists, categorized by genre, and learn about some of the best books that we’ve recently sent out. Or, join our list of readers and help discover future gems yourself! With the summer stretching on, it was only natural that YA books saw a big surge – and that was no exception in the Hidden Gems program, either. We shared some great titles with subscribers, and it was tough to choose our ten favorites of the summer months. Nevertheless, here are the best young adult books that… Read More >
Five Reasons Why You Should Write Every Day
By: Bradley Charbonneau | Posted on September 7, 2018
Building a writing habit is like anything else, it takes perseverance and discipline at first, but then becomes easier as you go. And once you’ve gotten in the groove, you’ll find that finishing that book is no longer as much a chore as it is a pleasure. Bradley Charbonneau should know – he’s taken the write every day mantra to heart by not missing one for over 2000 days straight. He’s here today to explain how much it helps and how you can do it too! Are you waiting around for inspiration to strike? Let’s end the wait. A dentist once advised me to “Only brush the teeth you want to keep.” At first, I didn’t understand his joke, but then it hit me. “Well, I want to keep all of my teeth!” I said. He smiled with a knowing grin. The question for us as authors is: how often do… Read More >
Best Fantasy Books We’ve Recently Reviewed
By: Hidden Gems | Posted on September 3, 2018
Every day, Hidden Gems subscribers receive the opportunity to review hundreds of complimentary books spanning more than 15 genres – hopefully leaving an honest review on Amazon when they’re done. A regular feature on this blog is a periodic highlight of some true ‘Hidden Gems’ our subscribers discovered in various genres, and why you might want to check them out. Keep checking back for the latest lists, categorized by genre, and learn about some of the best books that we’ve sent out. Or, join our list of readers and help discover future gems yourself! The fantasy genre has always been one of the most evergreen in publishing – and this summer was no exception, with a plethora of books we had the opportunity to share with our subscribers by a host of talented authors. As always, it was hard to narrow down our favorites to just ten of the best fantasy books,… Read More >
