Dialogue…it’s far more than just words the characters say. Your dialogue defines the characters, conveys information, moves the plot forward and brings depth to both plot and characters. In essence, your dialogue will either make or break your story.

When you write your dialogue, you need to ask yourself, “Is this something they would say?” Is it out of character for them? Take Batman as an example (yeah, I know…I’m a nerd. What can I say?). Can you imagine Batman saying, “Well, Golly, Supes. I never would have thought of that?”

No…because it’s totally out of character. Now if Batman said something like, “Interesting. I hadn’t considered that.” It sounds more plausible. The same logic applies to your characters, as well.

One thing I like to do is to say the lines out loud. Speaking the dialogue lets you hear it and judge how it sounds. Now, if you write…

You have completed your manuscript, proofread and edited, created a fantastic design for your front cover and written the ultimate inviting blurb for the back cover.

Now you can just sit back and wait to hit the bestseller lists and the royalties to come flooding in? WRONG

To be a successful self-published author you need to market your book. It is staggering how many new authors fail to grasp that books do not sell themselves and that book marketing is crucial in becoming a successful author.

The first step in book marketing is to create a marketing strategy that sets expectations and contains achievable rational objectives.

But, how do you create a book marketing strategy? There are many, many articles and books on the subject and, indeed, software packages available to help you do this. Indeed, AuthorHouse UK is on hand to help you do this.

Once you have created…

Suffering from writer’s block is all part and parcel of the business. One day the words flow too fast for you to type or jot in your own gibberish. One day you see the layout ahead of you and are watching the possibilities play out. Then there are days when you draw such a complete blank you are sure you must be as talentless as you always, secretly, thought. Let’s put aside our damaging thoughts and try something drastic. I am going to ask you to attempt the impossible, do the unthinkable, and… well, it really is not as bad as that gasp you are prepared to release.

What genre are you partial too? What reality is your book born from? Put it all aside and choose a different view. Writing a love story? Try writing your main character/s into a mystery. Flying through fictional history? Take those same characters…

Time is very precious and if you’re a writer, you know first hand how difficult it is to tackle all your writing life’s to-do list including all that personal stuff you can’t forget like cooking dinner, spending time with the family, going to work, etc.

In leu of trying to organize and maximize my own time, I constantly scour the apple App Store, hunting down new apps that promise to make my life easier. And, I’ve found some that I totally love and use often.

Below are my favorites…

1. Twuffer: I’ve mentioned this internet based app in a previous post but, it’s still holding on strong as one of my favorite apps. I use it frequently and have yet to encounter an issue with it.

2. Writers lists: I don’t know about other authors but, I have a difficult time coming up with character descriptions, names, etc. this handy…

There are instances when we are composing scenes for our stories we may consider that a specific scene(s) is/are unnecessary, and, hence, excise these. Maybe we are thinking that if we include extra scenes, this will slow down the story, or, add unnecessary material to our work. Sometimes this is necessary to do, but, many times it can be detrimental to the story to overly speed it up, or cut back on certain scenes. I have been personally finding this whilst writing a current project, but have also experienced this writing other stories.

What I originally envisioned as a short project, being around 1,000 words, is 3,000 words at the moment, and, may go higher the more I go into it. Certain scenes that did not seem as important in the initial stage gained momentum in the writing process, and, spawned more scenes, giving the story a depth which I did not foresee when I was writing the story breakdown. I…

Marketing is always the turning point once a book is done and ready for launch. No matter how well it’s written, or how entertaining the story is, a book that lacks marketing will never find its intended audience.

AuthorHouse Publishing offers numerous layers of marketing, both locally or globally. Our services include:

• Hollywood-Book-to-Screen – Your book may be adapted into a TV series or movie
• App Publishing – Provides the ability to reach readers with a book application in IOS devices
• Internet Marketing – This includes online bookstores, Amazon.com, and even your own website, as well as search engine results.
• Online Video Services – Offers video services for book promotion, such as YouTube.
• Radio Services – A chance to market your book via radio.
• Publicity Services and Campaigns – A team who can publicly assist you with promotion tools for book and author-centered campaigns.
• Expert Positioning – A program…

As early as the 1950’s, I can remember my father Paul speaking in the highest terms about America’s naval victories during World War II. Military history permeated the atmosphere of where I grew up as my father was quite a Civil War buff as well. Many of Paul’s books had a particular emphasis on the great naval battles of World War II, and when he talked of that time, he spoke with reverence and authority. But with regards to his own activities during his three and a half years in the Navy, he said very little, and only a large family barometer kept in the living room provided a visible clue to some of his memories.

Only after Paul’s death in 1997 at the age of 80 did I start to explore my parent’s house in Chagrin Falls, Ohio to see what memories there might be remaining. Hundreds of letters…

You’ve spent months, even years, crafting every word of your 100,000 word manuscript. And the results of this labor of love? A few hundred pages of characters development, plot twists, and hours of entertainment for your reader.

And how long do you have to sell your book to that reader? A second or two—if you’re lucky. A brief glance as he or she glides along a bookshelf or clicks through web pages. That’s it. Sell it fast, or don’t sell it at all. And what sells that book? As much as we don’t like to admit it, it’s the cover. That sheet of paper, that single piece of artwork, that sits on top of those hundreds of pages.

When we talk about how to self publish a book, we tend to focus on the words, sentences, and story—and rightly so! But all of that work can be quickly undone…