Becoming a Famous Writer

Combing over the nonfiction section of a book store recently it looks to me that famous people write lots of books. Most of these titles didn’t tempt me much, not much at all. Funny how, not many authors get famous, but many famous people fancy themselves as authors. It does do one thing for the writing profession, it keeps authors willing to research and ghost write busy.

 I have been told that the average self-published book sells less than 100 copies and that the smallest of publishing houses often sell less than 100 of a title also. That’s not many books, the competition is fierce, but I still believe that well written fiction or nonfiction can sell if properly promoted. Therein lies the answer to most self-published authors selling so few books, marketing. If someone is already famous and has instant name recognition the selling part is easy.

Seems like I saw more unknown authors that were trying to sell fiction and how-to books than nonfiction. Not sure why, just what I ran across in my most recent visit to a book store – and it was an independent.

Oh – did I buy anything? One paperback by a midlist author that I like, I have read a half dozen or more of her books. When I read unknowns, I always download from Amazon. My price range for these unknown author books, free to $2.99.

Just Looking for a Good Book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I Do Not Like to Read

Meaningless dialog- nothing closes up my book faster. I am not a big writer, or reader, of dialogue, and when it does not work, I find a new book.

I have tried to review, and/or edit three different projects for people in the past week and they all fell victim to bad or meaningless dialog. The first tried to be so regional that it was nearly impossible to read. I spend time in Louisiana every fall and people do not talk like her Louisianan’s. The two other projects, both from the same gentlemen were rife with meaningless dialogue.

The, “hey what’s going on,”

“Not much.”

“How ‘bout you.”

“Nothin’”

Where I Go for Inspiration

Maybe that is why I skip most of the dialogue, hard to write, hard to read.

Oh - How I Hate Prologues

I hate Prologues, there I got that off my chest or my mind, or as my granddaughter would say, “Whatever.”

I started reading a book this afternoon. I turned to the first page – there centered at the top – Prologue. This page then proceeded to describe the protagonist to me as he looked at himself in a mirror. And it described his thoughts as he looked in the mirror. Not sure if the mirror was bouncing back his thoughts or what.

I skipped the rest of the false beginning, ur, I mean prologue and went to the first chapter. And it started with a description of the beautiful day and how many colors the sky was that morning.

So there I was, I hate prologues and the beginning of the first chapter was a yawner.  I quit. Started a new book.

How did it start? “The old back wound ached and his shoulder still hurt all day long, but two years of healing and pushing papers at a Kansas City desk made the pain bearable. U.S. Marshall Blade Holmes tipped his head back and blew out a long cold breath, He watched the air turn to a misty white steam.  Hooking his thumb inside the collar of his deerskin coat he pulled it up tight under his chin, felt like winter might be in a bit of a rush to get to the Wyoming high country this year.

Yep, I’ll stick with this one. Where is he going? Did he get shot two years ago? Will he get trapped by a storm? I want to know. I need to know. As a reader I must know.

This is how I pick what I read, if it starts too slow, or I just do not like the beginning, I pick another. At my age I don’t want to waste time reading bad books when there are so many good ones out there.

Read on!

Bad Writing and Some Fun Too

Snow and cold outside today – good day to clean out the file cabinet, found this list, thought it was funny. Not sure where it came from, there are quite a few of these around.

 Enjoy

Hints to be a more betterer righter

1. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
2. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
3.  Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
4.  Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
5.  Be more or less specific.
6.  One-word sentences? Eliminate.
7.  Who needs rhetorical questions?
8.  Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
9.  Don't never use a double negation.
10.  Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
11.  If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.

12. A writer must not shift your point of view.

13.  And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)

14.  Don't overuse exclamation marks!!