​These are somewhat interchangeable terms in the industry. If you Google “Book Publishers,” you will get dozens and dozens of offers.  Most of them are not worth a tinker’s damn. Many of them are outright crooks. They will lure you with “mail or e-mail your book, if we find it acceptable, we will mail you a contract.” Guess what, they’re all acceptable. A few years ago a group of authors cobbled together a horrible novel on purpose to test one of these companies. It was accepted. The next step? Mail money, no surprise.  I was strung along twice (slow learner) by these outfits. It cost me money and time and was discouraging.
 

 If you’re intrigued you can check out this site. (www.writerbeware.com), or e-mail them at beware@sfwa.org for a direct and specific answer. They list dangerous and dishonest publishers and are being sued for being so direct and honest. Another source is Predators & Editors (http://pred-ed.com) It lists many editors and agents and highlights the bad ones.

MARK TWAIN SAID IT, “loyalty to petrified opinion never broke a chain or freed a human soul.”
I’ve had his picture and quote hanging on my wall for years and years as a reminder to keep an open mind.   Keep an open mind and don’t be afraid to admit you might have made a wrong decision in the past.  It’s a shame that these days a politician can’t simply say, “After much reflection I’ve changed my mind” and be honored for that instead of being vilified.
I think Mark Twain’s quote is a sign of maturity, something sadly lacking in most of today’s politicians. I also think that most of the stalemate in congress today can be laid at the steps of “petrified opinion.”  Think abortion and voting rights.

Buy a steno notebook?
Absotively!
In it you will FAITHFULLY, day by day, page by page, record the date, page numbers and a short summary of what that days writing includes. On the far right margin enter new names as they occur. Highlight in yellow.
On a separate page you will record each and every character’s name and short clue as to who he or she is as they appear.
These actions will save you time, money, frustration, heartache, headaches, editorial mistakes and maybe even lawsuits & I guarantee that you will be eternally grateful to the idiot that gave you the idea!
(Many more ideas like the above in “A Guide to Writing & Publishing a Novel)
http://tinyurl.com/o72cmnk

ACCORDING TO WEBSTER:  Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work.
A common cause of writer’s block is a simple temporary loss of critical memory at a critical time.  You can’t remember an idea or a name or the name of a certain town or perhaps an important item.  You bog down.  You spend precious time agonizing over just the right idea or word.  You lose your train of thought. Time goes by.  You’re stuck. What to do?
Answer? Ignore the problem. Simply and completely put it out of your mind.  How?   6 red XXXXXX’s!
Hit your space bar a half dozen times then type in 6 red XXXXXX’s and continue your writing.  You know that the missing name, place, idea or whatever will come to you eventually. When it does, go to FIND. Type in the 6 red XXXXXX’s.  Go to site, erase the XXXXXX’s.  Fill in the blank.  Voila!
(Many more ideas like the above in “A Guide to Writing & Publishing a Novel)
http://tinyurl.com/o72cmnk

Hi Gang:
My sincere thanks to all of you who have bought one or more of my books. I thought you might be interested to know where all of them are available. The list of countries and languages my books are available in is below. Australia Brazil China France Great Britain India Italy Japan Canada Mexico Netherlands Austria Spain USA . Isn't that interesting? Amazon's reach is frightening. So far I've seen no sales except in the US but who knows? If you've enjoyed any of my books, the very best thing you can do for an author, (other than buy his books), is to post a good review on Amazon,
If you haven't yet done so let me make it easy for you. Simply click on the URL behind the book (or books) you've read, you will be taken to that book's site on Amazon. 2/3rds down the page, left side, you'll see "Write aCustomer Review." Click on it and follow directions. A simple review and 4 or 5 stars will help propel the book's recognition Casey's Slip: http://tinyurl.com/lgdxkks Joshua's Revenge: http://tinyurl.com/lvofnkw  Justice for Joshua: http://tinyurl.com/mczav9x  A Practical Guide to Writing & Publishing a Novel: http://tinyurl.com/ocs5abc
In advance thank you, thank you. Richard

Just a short note to let you know that my first novel CASEY'S SLIP will be available in the Kindle version for FREE the month of April. Watch your email for the official announcement and link. In the meantime, take a look below for the link to my brand new book trailer for the novel. It's a fun one and will only take a minute of your time. Sincerely, Richard



An Animated Book Trailer for CASEY'S SLIP
Watch now! I've created a fun new book trailer for CASEY'S SLIP that's up on my website and on YouTube. It will take only a minute of your time to watch -- be sure to have your speakers on so you get the full impact. Casey's Slip by Richard L. Wren

I’m bothered by the number of people who write in obsessed with the number of pages or words they write daily. One wanted to know how many pages successful authors wrote daily. Another wrote in claiming to have written some thousands of words in a day wanting to know if that was a good number.
I’m working on my 4th novel since starting at age 82 and find I sometimes take a full day to write one paragraph. To set the right tone, to communicate exactly what I want my character to communicate, to find exactly the right word, to make sure everyone is in character takes time.
Add to that the fact that as your story develops you often have to go back dozens upon dozens of pages and make story adjustments to justify what happens today. (If on page 13 your character said he hated tuna sandwiches you can’t have him order and savor one on page 113)
And what about research?
To be successful in writing and finishing a novel goals and quotas are important. But they should be subservient to accuracy and quality.
I guess my message is, don’t be discouraged if you can’t write thousands of words daily. In the long run, quality is better than quantity. I’m not quite sure how it happened but my first novel took 4 years to complete and received an award from the Indie Excellence Competition. Wow!

In spite of the fact that my first novel “CASEY’S SLIP” was recognized nationally by INDIE EXCELLENCE BOOK AWARDS, it also came in for its fair share of criticism.
When I started writing at age 82, I had no formal training in writing or editing or publishing, just a desire to write. If you’ve read my booklet KISS, (A Practical Guide to Writing & Publishing a Novel) then you know my advice is to JUST WRITE THE DAMN THING. That’s what I did.
Since then I’ve finished 2 more novels and learned a lot, much of which I’ve shared in the above mentioned “How To” booklet. Here’s an idea not in my booklet.


A WRITING GAME YOU CAN PLAY WITH YOURSELF THAT WILL IMPROVE YOUR NOVEL


On your book planning page list your characters and everything important about them that’s necessary for your reader to know. Hair color, facial characteristics, size of nose, height, weight, eye color, dress style, disfigurations, speech characteristics or impediments, unique habits, schooling, job, anything and everything that’s needed to paint a picture of your character.
Now the fun part. Play a game with yourself. How can you slip those descriptions into your book, one by one, so subtly that your reader doesn’t recognize that he’s being fed them almost subconsciously. Want him to be tall? “He had to spend time dropping the car seat as low as it could go to accommodate him. ”Short?“His feet barely reached the pedals.”
Certainly not a new idea with me but one that’s important and also makes writing more fun.

The 8th annual 2014 National Independent Awards recognized CASEY'S SLIP in the category of mystery/adventure as a finalist in this year's competition.
Out of literally thousands of entrants, to have ended up as one of two finalists is indeed an honor.
This prestigious National award, based in Los Angeles is open to all English language books in print from small, medium, university, self and independent publishers.
The National Indie Excellence Awards exists to help establish independent publishing as a strong and proud facet of the publishing industry. Recognizing authors that put their heart and soul into their work, the NIEA is proud to be a champion of self-publishers and small and independent presses that go the extra mile to produce books of excellence in every aspect. Awarded since 2007, the NIEA competition is judged by independent experts from all aspects of the indie book industry, including publishers, writers, editors, book cover designers and professional copywriters."
Winners and finalists are determined based on overall excellence of presentation in addition to the writing. "CASEY'S SLIP" is a winning example.
​

JEFF BRIDGES poll a success! So successful that I’ve decided to become a full time pollster. Name of my new company is---------
“TONGUE IN CHEEK POLLS, VERY LTD.”
(Poll subject: “We Want Jeff Bridges to Star as Smitty in film adaptation of “CASEY’S SLIP”)
First poll results: A dead heat.
1) Jeff Bridges-----------------50%
2) Mr. Jeff Bridges------------ 0%
3) Jeff Bridges, the Dude—50%
If you have not yet taken the poll, it’s still open and don’t forget this poll is stringently dishonest. You do not have to have read the book to take the poll.
Have some fun! Take the Poll! Approximately 10 seconds! Help Casey snag Jeff!
Click here https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B9B3W2T
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