May 11, 2021
By Rachel L’Heureux
“Trade Secrets” is an ongoing blog series in which we interview professionals working in traditional publishing to explain how they approach their jobs, in order to help self-publishers understand the intricacies of the publishing process and glean some tips.
Today we speak with Carl Lennertz about the daunting yet critical task […]
May 10, 2021
By Paul Goat Allen
BlueInk Review sat down with David Ebenbach to talk about the publishing industry, the advantages and disadvantages of putting labels on novels (and writers), and his upcoming science fiction debut How to Mars—about a reality show on Mars gone wrong—which is already in its […]
April 12, 2021
By Paul Goat Allen
Amidst the backdrop of a pandemic killing millions of people worldwide and the planet in the death throes of environmental collapse, debut novelist Elly Bangs has released a post-apocalyptic thriller that is simultaneously terrifying and hopeful. Set on a future Earth where humankind is largely relegated to existing […]
February 9, 2021
By Paul Goat Allen
So, while the content included in this blog seems to be stating the obvious—it’s not always apparent to writers who have had their heads immersed in their respective writing project for years. (Insert “can’t see the forest for the trees” idiom here.)
I’m talking about understanding reader expectation: knowing what narrative […]
February 2, 2021
By Marques Coleman With the extensive digital services and social media platforms available these days, marketing your self-published book is easier than ever. But there’s one marketing effort that remains challenging: Pitching a self-published book to independent bookstores.
In order to maximize profitability, owners need to utilize every inch of the store. Thus, […]
January 26, 2021
By Paul Goat Allen
As a genre fiction book reviewer for almost the last three decades, I’ve seen firsthand the slow but persistent evolution of all genre categories—science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, horror, etc.—and it has been a glorious growth to witness. There is no question about it: today’s genre fiction is much different […]
January 11, 2021
We asked dozens of experts in self-publishing what were the two most important tips they had for indie authors. They responded with advice on everything from book covers to copyrights to social media—and much more! Over the next month, we will share one tip each day on our Facebook and Twitter feeds. Don’t miss […]
December 16, 2020
By Paul Goat Allen
If you’re writing a novel with the hopes to entertain—to facilitate the literary escapism of your readers—you want those readers to pick up your book and not be able to put it back down. I’ve described these kinds of reads as “unputdownable” in the past—they’re page-turners, and everyone loves a […]
December 9, 2020
By Paul Goat Allen
The pseudonymous N.L. Holmes burst onto the literary scene in 2020 with not one but two stellar sagas: the Lord Hani series, a historical mystery saga set in pharaonic Egypt during the reign of Akhenaten; and the Empire at Twilight, a historical fiction series which takes place in the last […]
November 17, 2020
Besides reviewing genre fiction for companies like PW, Kirkus, and BlueInk, I work as an instructor and mentor in Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction program. During my time with these student writers, we discuss the respective strengths and weaknesses of their manuscripts in great detail, as well as how […]
