DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS

is a short, no-nonsense booklet containing five practical tips plus inspiration for aspiring authors.

 

• Chapter One: WRITE! (No, really…)

 

If you truly want to be a writer…and then a published author (traditional, hybrid, or indie)…you have to write and write and write! The exact same thing could be said about reading, devouring everything you can in the genre you wish to write in, studying the prose of numerous authors, and getting a feel for the bestselling stories (common themes, world-building, and contemporary writing), but for the purpose of this booklet, we’ll stick to writing: There’s simply no substitute for putting words on a page…

 

• Chapter Two: You need a professional editor! (And no, it cannot be your sister-in-law.)

 

A lawyer needs a paralegal; a professional football coach needs an offensive and defensive coordinator; and a professional author needs a professional editor.

 

• Chapter Three: You really should advertise! (Or at least think about it.)

 

The real question is: Is it okay to just bury that treasure where no one can find it?

 

• Chapter Four: You must possess a very stiff spine! (Your opinion is none of my business.)

 

My point is this: If you are going to keep changing, editing, alternating your style and your storytelling based on personal preferences, then prepare for an endless game of whack-a-mole. That extra romance you just added to appease Sally has ticked off Susan. That character who was a little too gruff for Joe was not brutish enough for Daniel. Now you’re caught in an endless vortex of switching something to appease a reader, only to have to change it back…in order to appease another.

 

• Chapter Five: Never give up! (The Law of Attraction)
   

At the end of the day, this is your gift, your diamond; what do you want to do with it?

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REVIEW QUOTES

 

“Wow!!! I absolutely loved this booklet. It actually encouraged me to keep going. It validated some of my thoughts and answered questions I hadn’t thought to ask yet. Thank you!!!”  ~ Julie

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(Aspiring author: 5 novels started; 1 finished & requested by editor; hoping to publish novel #7)

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“{This booklet} is an engaging, entertaining and curiously profound read. No matter where one is in their career, Dawn offers gentle reminders of how we can stay true to our source and produce the best work(s) we possibly can.” ~ Cara

 

(Corporate communications writer, ghostwriter, and scriptwriter with her own novel in progress.)

 

"I sat, I read, I laughed, I loved it." ~ Dennis

 

(MFA graduate, seeking agent & querying first novel.)

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