Author Archives: ron_benrey

A few years ago, our editor — a young whippersnapper — politely, but firmly, informed us that our writing “revealed” our age. We were, she reminded us, writing novels for readers in their twenties, thirties, and forties. “Don’t use figures … Continue reading →

I just finished reading a “full priced” (11.99) Kindle eBook written by one of my favorite authors. I mostly enjoyed the experience. The novel itself was fine, but the eBook’s many formatting glitches (along with several typos) frequently shattered my … Continue reading →

Maybe it’s a sneaky form of denial, but I’m convinced that being a late-blooming novelist increased my susceptibility to the agenting scam I fell for many years ago. I found an apparently reputable agent who “loved” my early fiction writing. … Continue reading →

Late-blooming novelists love paper books. I find that’s true even for late bloomers who are convinced that the eBook is becoming the medium of choice for publishing fiction. It’s even true about me—a determined advocate of eBooks. I find it … Continue reading →

A bunch of months ago, I defined the five ingredients of a “publishable” novel—a novel likely to twang an agent’s interest or be bought by a traditional publishing company—as: A marketable genre (in other words, a genre with a large … Continue reading →

Janet recently wrote a post for another blog (part of our eBook promotion efforts) about the benefits that accrue when the buzz starts for a novel. “Buzz” is that half-magical phenomenon when paper books fly off shelves and eBooks whiz … Continue reading →

That is the question? Whether ‘tis nobler in novelizing to suffer the nays and go-aways of repeated rejections Or to take charge against publishing realities And by Kindlizing overcome them? Now that the 2011 writer’s conference season is in full … Continue reading →

Most late-blooming novelists began the heavy-duty slog to write a novel because they were driven by what is commonly called the “dream to be published.” The thing is, different novelists are likely to dream differently because each one of us … Continue reading →

It seems so confusing … In mid-March, Barry Eisler, a best-selling novelist turned down a $500,000 advance from a traditional publisher and announced he planned to self-publish his new novel. He explained that it would take forever to earn-out his … Continue reading →