Neil Ostroff's Blog – July 2014 Archive (5)

After almost a solid month of plotting, characterization, pacing, and creating setting, I finally wrote the last sentence to my new novel before I start the revision process. Feeling elated I sat back in my office desk chair and beamed, enjoying the pleasurable sensations of finishing this stage of the project. Then suddenly, I was stricken with horror. I had written the story to completion. There was nothing more I could say or add to the story. It was done in my mind.

But……

I’m sure if you’re a reader or author you’ve heard about Amazon’s new prime membership for books. For a monthly fee a reader can now purchase an unlimited amount of ebooks for as long as they remain members. I’ve done a bit of research and here’s what I’ve discovered.

Although Amazon Prime does sound ominous to the author when it comes to royalty payments it actually does have some pretty fantastic perks. For one, an author will no longer see that dreaded return unit in their…

Writer’s are transport machines. We put words on the page and transport reader’s minds to other places and times. But at what cost to a writer’s psyche?

A great author once said that being a writer is like having to do homework every day for the rest of your life. There is always something to do; editing, rewriting, better setting details, characterization, etc. Not a day goes by that I don’t spend time working on one of my books or upcoming projects. Tens of thousands of…

It never fails to amaze me how we have become such an instant society, a society in which entertainment, whether television, movies, or books can be had at the ready with the press of a button almost anywhere in the world and at any time. As a writer, you must have a constant presence in order to stand out among all the clutter.

I have been on vacation for the last few days and have not written any new posts to my groups or made my presence known on the internet. You would…

I’ve been reading a lot of threads and forums lately dealing with the topic of marketing your book. It seems there are a lot of “newbie authors” out there in this relatively virgin explosion of indie publishing and many can’t understand why their book isn’t selling. When asked if they market and promote their books most do say yes, but often complain of the time it takes in a world where we all have limited time.

Well, here’s a hard truth. To be a successful indie author you…