Book Blogger Spotlight: Me, Bookshelf and I

Meet Melissa (A.K.A., Miss Melvis). She’s the force behind the book blog, Me, Bookshelf and I.

“I’ve been a book lover for as long as I can remember and developed a love for all things chick lit in my late teens,” she says. “My friend suggested blogging at the beginning of 2013. We set up a joint venture for a short while but we were heading in different directions with our writing/subject matter, so I decided to set up Me, Bookshelf and I. I love reviewing books and I love writing, my blog is the perfect place for me to do both.”

Melissa has also just started writing her own debut novel, but says, “Between working full time, blogging, reading and everything else, I imagine it will be a long while before it hits the shelves.” Continue reading “Book Blogger Spotlight: Me, Bookshelf and I”

Top Ten Things an Author Should (or Shouldn’t) Do

Come, my friend, sit with me. Let me share the knowledge that the elders so freely gave to me when it was my turn to sit in that chair.

Let us hold our candles aloft and together we’ll part the darkness and find some wisdom amongst this lunacy. We’ll ignore the far off chatter from Goodreads, and we’ll disregard the smoke from the fires burning in the warring camps of Facebook groups.

I’ll unroll the parchment and together we’ll study these teachings and learn what we should and shouldn’t be doing. Continue reading “Top Ten Things an Author Should (or Shouldn’t) Do”

Creating a Book’s Sell Sheet

Many, many years ago, back when we were still using stone tablets and chisels to write, my first novel was published. The year was 2001. That was also when I created my first “sell sheet.”

A book sell sheet (or book one-sheet, as some people call it) is designed to provide the necessary information to people who would buy your book. This is not for consumers, however, it targets buyers at book stores, libraries, other retailers, and wholesalers. These people want quick facts about your book, without schmaltz. Save that dazzling salesy stuff for consumers.

The main things these buyers want to know are: Continue reading “Creating a Book’s Sell Sheet”

The Art of Paragraphs: When to Hit Enter

This month we’re celebrating our second anniversary here on the “Death Star,” but we’ve not gotten so big for our britches that we won’t take your requests. We will. And we won’t even charge for them. Well, not as much as we used to, although our attorneys, Cantwell, Wyer, and Bowersock, have advised us not to talk about that. Continue reading “The Art of Paragraphs: When to Hit Enter”