Have you ever tried to get your book into a bookstore—chain or independent—but was turned down cold?

Here you are, a local author with a novel. Your book may be fiction or nonfiction, it may have local significance or not, but it would be nice if at least your area bookstores would…

Hi everybody!

This week on [REALITY CHECK], author Gynger Fyer shares her experience with something I'm sure everyone here can relate to. 

Gynger Fyer, also known as the “Romance Arsonist,” started her…

Those of you who have read my post about Publishing & Professional Courtesy will know that when it comes to having a professional attitude, it goes both ways. We are…

A few weeks ago there was a considerable stink raised in some literary circles about what makes a “real author.” Some of the blog posts were downright insulting and vitriolic whereas others presented a more calm and measured argument. I’m sure many of you out there know what I’m talking about— and the…

This week on [REALITY CHECK], my friends Jeanie Johnson and Jayha Leigh of Beautiful Trouble Publishing are here to share insight into something you may have experienced--or…

You don’t have to be a genius to love reading, but that doesn’t mean a genius won’t read your work. Bill Gates dropped out of college and Albert Einstein dropped out of high school. Both of these men went on to affect life on this planet today.

Ever wonder what books they…

As writers, we are very prone to the latest social networking craze that comes our way. How many times do we rush out to learn about a new tool someone has recommended to us? Do you know how many social networks you are on? If the answer is more than four, has it ever occured to you that perhaps you’re on too…

Southern Writers “Eat My Valentine” Blog Tour

You are cordially invited by the She Writes Southern Writers to the “Eat My Valentine” Blog Tour!

DATES:…

The Internet makes communication so easy that it has become a lifeline for a lot of us. However, you should still take care not to come across as so pushy and tactless that people wish they could pull your plug and stick a DNR- Do Not Resuscitate sticker on you.…

Happy New Year, She Writers!

Since some of y'all may be starting the New Year off with various writing resolutions, I want to start 2013 by sharing an article I wrote in 2010 that has been published in a few places but is still valid today.

We tell children to be courteous and respectful all the time. Well, we're all adults here, and we should practice what we preach.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of…

Hello All!

This will be my last [REALITY CHECK] for 2012 so I'd like to close out the year with another interview from another "editor-in-the-know" and introduce you to a press you may not know of...yet.

EJ Gilmer has been involved with words as long as she can remember and…

Stephanie Kelsey, owner/publisher of Mojocastle Press LLC is my guest today and she talks about some of her successes and battle scars of this thing called epublishing.…

Howdy, folks!

This week on [REALITY CHECK] I have Jolie du Pré, author, editor, and power promoter. Jolie is a successful freelance writer and writes for several major outlets including Yahoo! and omg! She is also our marketing coordinator for us at …

The saying “You can’t tell a book by its cover, but the cover helps to sell a lot of copies of the book” is true.

I am attracted to books by their covers. In fact, in addition to buying books I want to read, I collect print books by my favorite authors from a certain period and by certain…

This week my guest on [REALITY CHECK] is Margaret Riley of Changeling Press. Margaret gives you a good insight as to what she's looking for and how/where they can be found. If you ever bump into her or one of her reps at a conference,…

This week on [REALITY CHECK], my guests are authors Jeanie Johnson and Jayha Leigh, who are…

Over the next several weeks on [REALITY CHECK] until the end of the year, I'm going to share interviews and guest blog posts from various publishers and authors to add more perspectives to the realities of publishing today. If nothing else, you may be introduced to various publishers whom you may consider…

Have you ever received a rejection letter because your story was too original? That’s often code for something that can’t be easily categorized and pigeonholed.

Then it occurred to me that there are lots of authors out there whose works are being rejected simply because they have dared to go against the norm. The following is a case in point.

A few weeks ago for my…

Language is not static. Language evolves over time. Words come en vogue (or are invented) and some words become passé or archaic. As language changes, so do the “rules” of its use.



For example: someone says to you that “every sentence ends with a period and that rule will…

I just had a client terminate our contract because she felt my edits were not suitable to her genre, were both vague and repetitive, and that my comments were hurtful.



While I am sorry this particular author felt so insulted, this revelation blindsided me because my last email communication from her was…