Not at all, DK. And what a great idea on the first day free concept, Super.

Here's an interesting article:http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2014/03/04/the-strongest-brand-in-publishing-is/

And read the comments in this one:http://nihilistic-kid.livejournal.com/1897949.html?thread=28891101#t28891613

It's a delicate balance. . .

If you're self publishing the first day as free can really help if you've done the prep work to get people ready for it and notify them as soon as it's available. Letting people know it will be free ahead of time on forums, blogs, etc. and offering to email them if they are interested also can help greatly. Email addresses of interested people can build a mailing list of potential customers for each release which could generate big initial surge upon release, looks good to the booksellers. Things like that give them a reason to help promote a books sales if they think they'll get a return on their investment, which is the whole point.

Of course, if you have a traditional publisher, they'll have their own ideas on book promotions. A couple of our group's publisher did pre-sales for months before the book was actually released and had events setup for the authors just prior and after the release. It had them busy for some time.

There are a few groups that are doing something simular already. Membership is usually restricted and it's rare that you'll find one that is taking new members. What they do, is help each other writing reviews and spreading the word. I haven't heard of any that charge for membership, though I was told it can be hard to get people initially who are willing to follow through since often everyone has their own views on how to proceed, priorities and schedules.

However, the groups who have gotten it together are supposedly fairly successful at getting decent sales.

Thank you!

Picked up the book and I'll do a review as soon as I get time to read it. If you message me a write up on the series, and short bio, I'll post it on our 'Authors Spotlight' board. along with the links to the books and any writing related sites you may have.  If you have an affiliate code for amazon, include it in the links. Please don't cut and past something you've posted somewhere else.
 
 

Many of you know that I didn't learn to write in a traditional program. I've cobbled together my writing toolbox by attending writing conferences, reading about the craft, participating in blogs like this, and generally keeping my eyes and ears open. Every so often, I run across a 'writer's school term' that I just don't get. (That might be my age.)

Most of the time, i don't let it bother me. I'm a big, "A rose would smell as sweet... etc. etc." type person. As long as I recognize it, I'm good to go.

Any advice on linear vs. non-linear construction? This is the only thing I found online: http://www.writersbootcamp.com/non_linear_approach.asp

It came up because my editor found a couple spots in my writing that she considered 'linear'. She asked me to pull out the stops in those few spots since most of my writing was non-linear--I guess. She likes that--a lot. I want to keep her happy, but honestly, I don't know what she means. So it's good, I'm doing it, but much better if I recognized linear writing and could correct it before it gets to her?

The work is a contemporary YA crime fic--so for the most part, I consider it all linear. I've asked her to help me understand, because they've offered a two book deal, and it would be nice to keep them happy. Obviously, in writing terms, linear does not mean from point A to point B.

I notice the link talks about breadth. I take that to mean to write depth. There was an exercise at DNRS where an instructor had four people stand up and act out a scene. The male protag, the female protag, and then the other two were the male's thoughts and the female's interior thoughts. It was funny as hell and a terrific power tool for my writer's box. I think this is one example of non-linear?

But obviously there is so much more. Can you all expound on the concept a little? Maybe with enough discussion the term will find an organic home in my brain. If you do, THANK YOU!

Often when writing a story in sequence, the depth of characters and moments can get sacrificed to the pace of the storyline or plot. When writing scenes individually you're more likely to focus on perfecting the scene itself, bringing out a character or a moment in time to let the reader feel the full impact of the character's emotions and what they are going through. Some people can do it even when writing in sequence, some only when writing the scenes separately, and others do it by pounding it in during the editing. 

 

Hey, glad to be back.  Anyways, I have an important set of questions, and I think I trust you guys enough to ask.
I've written a short story, with 3638 words in the word count.  The setting is dystopian, and there are three characters that could be described as "main characters".
What I want to know is this:
What paper publications would be willing to accept a science fiction short story?  I'm sure some of you know that I don't get out much, and to be entirely honest, the only magazines I read are food magazines.
Is 3638 words too long for a short story?
According to you guys, what are the benefits of writing a novella compared to the benefits of writing a short story?
Thanks,
    Shinihime

The larger the story the better, as long as it is story and not just fill. Larger manuscripts allows you to provide more flavor and detail but often beginners end up just adding more descriptions without knowing the difference. The rewards a larger with large stories but the plot and story has to support the length without being forced to.
   

I think you guys are far better at this than me. I rest it while adjusting my mind from creative to technique. I'm doing grammar and basics, avoiding plot etc. Sentence by sentence cranking, often back to front. After all that, I head into reading it out loud in order.

You guys already have the basic grammar etc nailed.

When you're writing, the focus is on the story and the scene you're on, grammar is the least thing on your mind. You should see some of the first pass work I've seen. Any author doing grammar checks on their own work, is going to have a hard time. The author knows what should be there so they can miss mistakes. A fresh mind seeing it for the first time, sees what's there.
 

Will do that. And thank you.

As to writingproaid? An update: It’s a new exhaustive way to review my work. For example, it pinpoints unrelated sentences for dissection. That is helpful to concentrate on structure over content. Less helpful are grammar & syntax reports dealing specifically with character voice and dialog. It finds error while I find value.

Some of the reports are interesting, but not useful. Other reports need adaptation for the young adult writing world, i.e. short disconnected sentences that bounce are traits young adult teens enjoy.

Another example is word length. I know that using Saxon words over Latin is ideal. Example "Disconnected [Latin] from the world" reads as distant to the reader, but "Cut [Saxon] off from the world" has visceral emotion. Program picks these up and is cool. And I find it endlessly amusing that this report is called "Corporate Wording Search." Ha!

Still, my YA MC is high functioning HFA (think the female lead in The Bridge) and she is science oriented--so she uses more Latin science terms than most in thought and dialog. Of course, the program can’t differeniate between different character voice. Therefore they all come up and I'll have to weed through them.

Then there is the extremely interesting NLP Predicates Report. Wow. It breaks down my sensory words. In the initial sample (page 1-10) I'm 55% visual, 20% audible, 15% Kinesthetic, and 10% audible. My initial impression is that’s good, especially in the first pages. YA in particular wants sensory touches everywhere. Still, the words they list aren't the actual sensory words, but the reporting verbs and nouns--but I can use it.

So, (report says don't use so...) Therefore, I am pleased but exhausted thinking how I'm going to use  these reports.


Even so, there is value here. [And there were 23 issues in this posting...]

There is such a thing as over analysis. Such programs can be helpful in getting you to think about what you're writing but can miss the context of the culture you've created or the audience you're writing for. Sometimes you can end up spending more time dealing with non-problems then you do making progress on real issues. In the end what matters is that it reads smoothly without the reader having to hesitate or pause to figure out what is meant, either because it was phrased poorly, spelling, dropped word or other issues. Once the grammar is correct, then it's about the pace, emotion and imagery needed so the reader becomes immersed in the story and characters.


 

Not sure if Mr. Butcher reads all of the forums, and to be honest I'd be surprised if he had the time, so while my question is directed towards him, I'll take any answers I can get.  There is no doubt that you are a brilliant author, and your books have been read by countless people across the globe.  But at one point you were just like the rest of us.  I recently self-published an ebook on Amazon (Just a 90 page short story to get my work out there for once), but out of the billions (with a B) of people out there, not a single one has decided that the $0.99 price tag is worth spending to take a look at it.  So the question I have is: What did you do, when you first started writing, to get your name out there?  Was it a bunch of self promotion, recommendations from your publishers, or just blind luck, the chance encounters of people who saw your book on the shelves, and decided not only to read it, but to recommend it to a friend?  I'm not really sure if there is an answer, or if its all three (or more) of those at once.

Crystal Phoenix Hobbies

I would assume since your inquiry was directed at Mr Butcher, your measure of success would be traditional publishing. But whether tradition or self-publishing the key to success is learning your craft. That doesn't just mean the writing part, it also means the whole process. For traditional publishing it means knowing who is who for your genre, the process involved in getting an agent and what publishers want. You have to take as much care on your submission package as you do your stories.
Traditional Publishing Resources

When you self publish, the degree of success will largely depend on how much effort you're willing to put into promoting your work, which can be time consuming. Often it's best to work with a friend or family member who is into the social media scene. It's mainly about knowing how to spread the word through forums, blogs and websites. It's also knowing the process by which you self publish; getting reviews and building a fan base.

But of course, as any author will tell you, the first step is actually learning how to complete a manuscript no matter had bad it stinks, then going back and making it readable.