Monday, November 30, 2015

AIMEE'S AUTHOR ADVENT CALENDAR Starts TOMORROW!

Let's Celebrate!!!

Every day between tomorrow and Christmas you can win! You'll get to engage with me and some of my excellent author friends, win books, win swag, go behind-the-scenes, and maybe even get an ADVANCE COPY of my next book (not due until February 2016!)

So check back here on the blog EVERY DAY, or Join the Facebook Event to make sure you don't miss out!

Monday, November 2, 2015

REAL Writing Advice from Beth Revis in her new release PAPER HEARTS!

You guys . . . YOU GUYS! NYT Bestselling author Beth Revis (of Across the Universe fame) is here today! AND SHE'S GOT WRITING ADVICE! I am off to purchase Paper Hearts and you should too. But I'm going to let Beth tell you why:

DON'T MISS OUT ON THE GIVEAWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST! And remember all orders of Paper Hearts made before November 15 from Malaprops will come with a special gift--more details below! 


I wrote Paper Hearts for the writer I used to be. The questions I used to have plagued me when I was starting this career path. How do I get to the end? What's the proper way to structure a novel--is there even a proper way? How do I make my book stand out from all the other ones on sub? Now, fifteen years, eleven unpublished books, three New York Times bestsellers, one self published book, and countless hours working on craft and working with other professionals, I think I finally have the answers that I needed way back then. Unfortunately, I can't travel back in time. But what I can do is try to help others. I've been compiling articles on the things I've learned about writing, publishing, and marketing for years, first informally on blog posts, then more collectively on Wattpad. After hitting 100000 reads, I realized that I should take Paper Hearts more seriously...and that I had not one book, but three. Fully revised and expanded, the Paper Hearts series will feature three volumes, one each on writing, publishing, and marketing. Paper Hearts, Volume 1: Some Writing Advice will be out on November 1, with the other two following in December and January. Preorder it now from: Independent Bookstore ~ Amazon ~ BN ~  Kobo ~ Smashwords
 
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Your enemy is the blank page. When it comes to writing, there's no wrong way to get words on paper. But it's not always easy to make the ink flow. Paper Hearts: Some Writing Advice won't make writing any simpler, but it may help spark your imagination and get your hands back on the keyboard.

Practical Advice Meets Real Experience
With information that takes you from common mistakes in grammar to detailed charts on story structure, Paper Hearts describes:
  • How to Develop Character, Plot, and World
  • What Common Advice You Should Ignore
  • What Advice Actually Helps
  • How to Develop a Novel
  • The Basics of Grammar, Style, and Tone 
  • Four Practical Methods of Charting Story Structure
  • How to Get Critiques and Revise Your Novel
  • How to Deal with Failure
  • And much more!
BONUS! More than 25 "What to do if" scenarios to help writers navigate problems in writing from a New York Times Bestselling author who's written more than 2 million words of fiction.
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Remember: if you pre-order the print copy from my local indie bookstore, Malaprops, you'll also get a chapbook of the best writing advice from 12 beloved and bestselling YA authors included in your order for free!

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THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO GET PUBLISHED
Anyone who tells you that there’s only one way to get published is either ignorant, lying, or trying to sell you something. You don’t have to know someone. I didn’t. I live in rural North Carolina in an area where there are more cows in the population than people. I found an agent and got a book deal regardless. If you have a good book, you don’t have to know anyone. Most writers don’t have connections. You don’t have to do one specific thing to get published. I’m seeing “self publishing is the new query” as advice popping up over and over again. Sure, some self published people get picked up for book deals. But far more are getting picked up by queries. I also know some people who handshake a book deal over drinks at literary conferences. There are several different ways that people get book deals. Queries are still the most common, but anyone who says that you have do X to get an agent’s attention is wrong. Some people do better by focusing on traditional publishing. Some do better by focusing on self publishing. The argument goes that if you traditionally publish first, you gain experience and an audience that opens you up to more opportunities in the future. On the flip side, the argument is that if you self publish first, you’ll have publishers coming to you with better book deals, giving you a stronger platform to negotiate better terms based on your success. Obviously, some people have had success with both routes, and one isn’t better than another—they’re just different.

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About the Author: Beth Revis is the New York Times bestselling author of the Across the Universe trilogy, as well as The Body Electric, Paper Hearts, and the forthcoming A World Without You. She lives in the Appalachian mountains with her boys: one husband, one son, and two very large dogs. 

You can find out more on Facebook, Twitter, or online. If you never want to miss a thing and also get exclusive insider opportunities, sign up for her newsletter here.