Nothing is as it seems. Best-selling authors aren’t always good writers, and books rejected by mainstream publication aren’t always bad. In fact, some of them are brilliant. It’s all about whether they will sell – and how hard they are marketed.
Waymarks for Authors is not a tutorial, but proffers insight into the commercial aspects of publication, from conception to publication. A must-read for anyone trying to sell or self-publish fiction.
*Also available as an audiobook
This in-depth discourse presents a practical and informative overview of writing and selling fiction today, both for aspiring writers and discerning readers.
It provides an unbiased overview of the fiction platform, exposing the true forces that drive its marketing today.
It discusses the benefits and pitfalls of both mainstream publishing and self-publishing.
It identifies the evolving market of hybrid online publishers
It exposes the rise of book marketing scammers
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Read the introduction to
Waymarks for Authors
Whether you’re a writer or a reader, this work is intended to provide a cohesive overview of the fiction-publishing platform; its past, and its present evolutionary status. As to the future – every author writing today is in the process of creating that unknown path.
In section 1 of Waymarks for Authors, I touch on how and why various changes came about; evaluate the mindset of the writer and the underlying philosophy behind writing fiction; provide an overview of marketing issues, specifically discussing the conflict between traditional publishing versus the self-publishing option; and, more pertinently, expose some of the misconceptions that underpin the fiction platform. Section 2 highlights the main areas of knowledge a good author should absorb, and Sections 3 & 4 discuss mainstream and self-publication respectively.
The whole point of this books is to provide an overview. If you have a good grasp of any specific concept, great. If comprehension eludes you on any subject, delve further into that specific topic – don’t assume that a single opinion provides the whole story.
I write fiction through choice, because I want to, and assume that most readers of Waymarks for Authors will be likewise motivated, but I have also produced many office documents, forms, templates, presentations, leaflets, and advertising copy, and believe that the underlying skill of any writer benefits from a broad knowledge-base.
Waymarks for Authors contains a wealth of compressed information, accumulated over many years as both a writer and tutor of fiction. I don’t claim to be a guru. No such work could be produced without including, whether by accident or design, some personal observations. Knowledge isn’t carved in stone. Each generation holds a knowledge-base underpinned by cultural and technological influence; even history is less an absolute truth than interpretation.
This work is intended to be an overview. If I were to expand on each section, it would become a vast encyclopedia, so approach this work as a list of signposts pointing towards further exploration of any topic you don’t fully comprehend. Refer back to it, time and again between practicing, reading, and researching. My intention is to simply make the writer, or prospective writer aware of the full scope of the undertaking, knowledge many writers only acquire through years of accidental absorption. So, absorb my view as part of your wider self-education, but listen also to what others have to say.
When the prospective writer sits down to write that first piece, it’s a huge stepping stone, a goal achieved, but creating a personal learning strategy and following a path to a predetermined endgame takes more constructive thought. This book aims to help you discover that path. One person can never provide the whole story, only one narrative. So, grasp the concepts, do your own research, and above all, make your own directional choices from a stable knowledge base.