How to Divide a Book into Chapters

How to Divide a Book into Chapters

There's no shortage of advice for indie authors these days. If you're thinking of self-publishing a book, there are scores of professionals who stand ready to offer you tips on everything from cover design to pricing to social media advertising. This abundance of free expertise isn't just limited to marketing…
December 2, 20152 Comments
The Self-Publishing Beatitudes

The Self-Publishing Beatitudes

The Beatitudes are eight benchmarks given by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount that describe the perfection of Christian life. Not only are they points of reference for building virtue, they're also interrelated to build on each other. Here are eight mental habits that I've found useful in my…
November 3, 20152 Comments

Counterintelligence for Social Media

Reader Bradford C. Walker passes along a wealth of timely and important information about how organized groups manipulate social media and its users. This link from Cryptome came across my Twitter feed late last night, and when I looked at it I knew that this post was to come.  I…
October 30, 20152 Comments
Why Authors Need to Be Readers: Books that Informed Star Wars

Why Authors Need to Be Readers: Books that Informed Star Wars

Star Wars concept art by Ralph McQuarrie The best way to prepare for a writing career, besides writing every day, is reading at least as often. The importance of broad and deep reading for good writing strikes me as so self-evident that it baffles me whenever I ask aspiring authors…
October 23, 2015

Guest Post: You Have to Spend Money to Make Money

Reader anonme's comment on my recent posts deserves a platform, so I'm lending it mine. Take it away, anonme. You've actually covered all three points so I'm kind of surprised they weren't in the original post. I know we have talked about these points at least twice here in the…
October 22, 20152 Comments
Non-Negotiables of Indie Publishing

Non-Negotiables of Indie Publishing

Yesterday I posted a list of questions that authors should ask themselves before deciding to self-publish. Mr. Jeff Duntemann, one of my sources for that post, left a salient comment that nicely segues into the topic at hand. Here's Jeff. You have to be willing to put some of your…
October 21, 20154 Comments
How to Know if You’re Ready to Self Publish

How to Know if You’re Ready to Self Publish

Today, new technology has blessed authors with unprecedented advantages. But these blessings pose serious questions, and as always, wrong answers may invite curses. Foremost among the career-defining questions that aspiring authors must answer is this: should you self-publish? Industry professionals far wiser than I am have given sound reasons why,…
October 20, 20152 Comments
Geek Gab: New Ways to Motivate Them

Geek Gab: New Ways to Motivate Them

Geek Gab Episode 28 returns to a topic that is near and dear to many a geek's heart: Dungeons and Dragons. Co-host Dorrinal asks for advice on the campaign he's currently running. Daddy Warpig and I gladly oblige, and commenters in the live chat even throw their two cents in.…
October 19, 20152 Comments
How to Write Romance

How to Write Romance

Didn't expect a guy who likes space battles, gun porn, and horror films to write about romance, did you?  Well, like others in my theological tradition, surprise is among my chief weapons. I recently finished the final draft of the second Soul Cycle book, Souldancer. While Nethereal had some romantic elements, romance is…
September 3, 2015
How to Format a Short Story Manuscript

How to Format a Short Story Manuscript

When I first started out writing and submitting short stories, I spent a lot of time and effort learning how to format my manuscripts. Here are all of the short story formatting guidelines I use, conveniently collected in one place. Cover Page The margins should be one inch all around…
August 28, 20151 Comment