Sunday, September 22, 2013

This Week on Books Direct - 22 September 2013

This Week on Books Direct - 
22 September 2013

Here's a list of the articles you may have missed this week:


"Christmas Planning" - Brought to you by Bundle of the Week.
As crazy as it sounds, Christmas is less than 100 days away! But don't worry: this bundle includes everything you need to simplify your plans and get organized early so that you can avoid the stress of the holidays. You'll find daily planning tips and printables, recipes, handmade gift tutorials and more at almost 75% off this week only!




"Writing Short Fiction" - Article by Morgen Bailey for Idea Creations Press.
Like people, and therefore characters, short stories come in all shapes and sizes. While some condense a whole story, others choose to illustrate just a scene. We still get a sense of the story but it's a moment in time, often the scenario of flash fiction.




"The 3 Pillars Of Selling More Books" - Article by Digital Book World.
In the digital book marketplace, individual authors fight in the same ring with legacy publishers. The big publishers have an advantage: the power of their reputations grabs the notice of readers. Indie authors and publishers struggle for any attention at all. The "little guys" can overcome this disadvantage if they build their careers around three strategic pillars: brand curation, relationship marketing, and, finally, creating quality books.




The author of some of YA fiction titles - like The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns, and Looking for Alaska - also happens to be the source of an endless supply of inspirational one-liners and passages that describe life as a teen perfectly.
You can get your own John Green books here.




"How to Write" - Article by Colson Whitehead for The New York Times.
The art of writing can be reduced to a few simple rules. Colson shares them with us.




"Making Your Book More Promotable" - Article by Brian Feinblum for BookMarketingBuzzBlog.
The world of book publishing has changed immensely over the past decade. The role of book publicity has not changed, though the methods have been altered. Brian shares what he knows about making your book more promotable.




"Ten Tips to Make Bedtime Reading Fun" - Article by Francesca Simon.
Horrid Henry author Francesca Simon says there's no greater pleasure than 20 minutes a day spent reading to your child – so fetch a book and snuggle down.




"What's the Difference Between Writing and Editing?" - Article by Mark Nichol for Daily Writing Tips.
Editing has always been a fundamental component of writing as well as a separate function, but as self-publishing, online and in print, has become ubiquitous, it’s important for writers to realize the distinction. A discussion of the differences may also help you confirm where your strength lies.




"The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry" - Quiz by Charlie Brinkhurst Cuff for The Guardian.
The Little Prince is a classic children's story telling the adventures of the boy who fell to earth. On the book's 70th anniversary, and with a new film by Universal pictures recently announced, it's high time you tested your knowledge.
How did you go. I only got 5 out of 10!




"America's Most Surprising Banned Books" - Article by Theunis Bates and Lauren Hansen for The Week.
There is a long and illustrious list of books that have been banned from American school and libraries. The American Library Association recorded 464 challenges to books in 2012, and says more than 17,700 challenges have been filed since 1990. Not every contested book gets banned, and not all banned books remain on the list for long. Here, a look at 13 of the more surprising banned or challenged reads.




"How To Write the Ending of Your Novel" - Article by Joanna Penn for The Creative Penn.
There is plenty of writing advice about the first 10 pages, the importance of hooking the reader at the start and making an impact in the first paragraph. But what about making sure that the reader wants to buy your next book?




"There Will Be No More Professional Writers in the Future" - Article by John Barber for The Globe and Mail.
Free-content market forces are driving down the price of books, and consumers may think that’s a good thing. But authors Ewan Morrison and Scott Turow tell John Barber that those same forces are also driving career authors out of business.




"I Have To Write What?" - Article by Jennifer Wilck for Heroines with Hearts.
What types of scenes do you have trouble writing?




What is it about our obsession with vampires? Vampires, it seems, are where it's at today.




If you enjoyed this blog post, please visit the This Week page for links to more great articles.