Self-Editing For Fiction Writers - How to edit yourself into print

I don't mind editing my own work, but what I am finding is that I miss things. I know that when I am reading a poorly edited book, whether fiction or non-fiction, it loses credence. I write mainly fiction - cozy mysteries, to be precise. I want my readers to enjoy my books and look forward to my next book. I don't want them to be so turned off by poor editing that I slip into never-never land in their eyes.  

I just picked up the second edition of Renni Browne and Dave King's "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers - How to edit yourself into print." Topics covered include characterization and exposition, POV (point of view), dialogue mechanics, sophistication, and voice.

Their first words of advice are to put your manuscript down for a while before you edit it. In this way, you are looking at it with fresh eyes. I have ignored this advice from time to time and generally found myself in a terrible mess and tearing my hair out.  

From presenting examples of the best way to present a paragraph, using scenes to tell your story, to doing the writing exercises presented in this book - these are all wonderful ways to interact with what the authors are teaching.

It is important to establish our characters, and the authors do a good job of showing the best ways to do this. I like their use of checklists in each chapter - they make the editing/tightening-up process much easier.

Write your story - then go back in and make it better!

I find this book to be a good resource for editing. I know I will do a much better job editing my books if I heed what they say. The bottom line of editing is that it is in this process that we, as authors, are able to polish our work so that it stands out and continues to attract readers.

(c) January 2023 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written consent of the author. 

 

Amazon Shorts

What exactly are Amazon shorts? They are short Kindle (e-book) reads, defined by page length: 15 minutes (1-11 pages), 30 minutes (12-21 pages), 45 minutes (22-32 pages), 90 minutes (44-64 pages), one hour (33-43 pages), and two hours, or more (65-100 pages). They cover all genres, which makes me happy. 

I have a game plan - I am going to submit Kindle shorts in non-fiction categories - self-help, Tarot, self-care, conscious thinking - topics that I want to write about (and get paid for) while at the same time creating a residual income. I am aiming for the 22-32 and 44-64 page lengths. At the minimum, I can do one a week and see where they go.

If you want to join me, you might want to check out this site: short reads and short stories. Advance warning - this is a promotion for a paid-for program that addresses genres, themes, markets, and price levels. It is relatively inexpensive, so I did purchase it. I have not used it yet so I am not recommending it - I am just putting it out there as an option.

What we are offering our readers are stories that they can read in one setting. If they like one story, the chances are they will go on to buy more. I am still going to write a series of full-length books, but I would like to use the shorts as another stream of income. 

 

Here is a link to an article on Medium entitled How To Make Money Writing Short Books On Amazon

Here is a link to a YouTube video on Kindle Shorts - How To Short Books On Amazon

(c) Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written permission of the author.

 

Into The New Year With Ty Cohen

 

Ty Cohen - this is a name that you want to remember. If you want to make a consistent passive income from your writing - seek out Ty Cohen. If you want to know how to get the best results on Amazon - search out Ty Cohen. If you want to know how to promote your books on Amazon - search out Ty Cohen.

A few months ago Ty Cohen's Kindle Cash Flow program found its way into my radar. I ended up purchasing the program as well as his program on advertising on Amazon. These are obviously paid-for programs, but I felt the investment was well worth it, because it was an investment in myself and my future.

Ty Cohen is a very well-spoken individual who addresses his programs to both authors and non-authors. (Yes, he does show step-by-step how to get a freelance writer to write your books for you. This is basically aimed at the Kindle Shorts program.)

I am going to start with the Amazon advertising program, then move on to the Kindle Cash Flow program. I will let you all know how this works for me. And that is the operative phrase - "how it works for me", because how a program works is dependent on an individual's understanding of the program and how to implement it.

You can visit Ty Cohen's site and see what programs he has to offer: Ty Cohen.

You can see his You Tube videos here: Ty Cohen.

Wishing you all a stellar 2023!

(c) January 2023 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction is prohibited without the written consent of the author.