While I was working on my latest novel, one set in the the Virginia Highlands—a mountainous region with soaring views and deep restful valleys—I had an unexpected fact checker. I had written in a late spring storm. As an earnest novelist, I am always cognizant of "verisimilitude"—the requirement that demands that everything in a book …
Tag: self-publishing
The landing gear is down …
The hardest thing about writing a novel isn't the writing. It isn't even the editing. It's certainly not finding a suitable cover (that's fun!) The hardest part—undoubtedly—is letting it go and sending it out for the public to read. And that is just where I'm poised right now. I've been flying with and around this …
When I wanted to be famous …
Life has a marvelous way of training one to live. As the years sift through the proverbial hourglass, we sometimes forget that the pile of sand below the narrow neck grows—and the sand above diminishes. I find that interesting. Thought-provoking. What can that mean? I hope it means that each grain of sand is a …
The modern writers’ shifting sands …
There was a time when writing a novel was a singular task. Writers like Charles Dickens or Mark Twain took up their writing instruments and wrote on paper. Dickens always used blue ink and couldn't start a novel until he had decided on the title. [That's another fun post coming.] They would then turn their …
The verdict is in …
I love using beta readers as I’m working on a book. They are so helpful, especially to counteract the very real tunnel vision that writers get when they’ve looked at a manuscript—stared at it incessantly—for months and months and months. This time around, I had several beta readers who were quite helpful. But the chief …
A little trumpet fanfare, please …
I've hit it—the 100-books-sold mark for my novel, CAIRNAERIE. I am elated and enormously grateful for all those friends and acquaintances who have read it and shared it and reviewed it on Facebook and Goodreads. For a writer, having your work appreciated—even loved—is the epitome of success. Now begins the real work of finding new readers …
98 books in 98 days …
When I checked my book stats on Friday, I had sold 98 books. That's 98 books in 98 days since releasing CAIRNAERIE. YAY! HOORAY! YIPEE! This morning came 99 and number 100 is coming. I wish I could thank the person who will put me over the top and help me hit this very significant …
The hardest part…
Hands down, the hardest part of the writing/publishing process is the marketing. Hands down. Especially for authors like me who tend toward introversion. It is uncomfortable at best—and downright difficult, at worst—to promote "self." But that is the reality of the self-published author. There always lingers the hope, foolish as it may seem, that a …
M.K.B. Graham 