A few years ago, I started gathering up my writing advice posts from across the internet into one place--a Wattpad book called
Paper Hearts. This was a little side project for me, and one borne of love--a love of teaching, a love of writing, and mostly a love of my readers who wanted to be writers. This was the book that I wish I'd had when I was starting out, and it was something I wanted to do to give back to the YA writing community.
But as the months passed, I realized that my little project wasn't so little any more. Wattpad was clunky to use to organize chapters, so I shifted to Scrivener, and started grouping the chapters together.
A few months ago, I compiled everything and realized I had about 175,000 words on writing, publishing, and marketing. And that I hadn't written one book of advice.
I'd written three.
And with NaNoWriMo coming up, I decided to publish them as fast as I can.
Paper Hearts, Volume 1: Some Writing Advice will be available in ebook form on
November 1, 2015 and in print form
November 15th.
Paper Hears, Volume 1: Some Writing Advice is part philosophy and part practical advice. It covers topics ranging from grammar and the basics of writing to advanced story structure (with reproducable charts and blank templates) and an appendix of more than 25 "What to do if..." solutions to common writing problems. My favorite section is the last--a series of chapters about failure, how it's inevitable, and how to rise above it. This book really is my (paper) heart; this is exactly the book I needed when I was writing for a decade, compiling a thousand rejections, and silently trunking novel after novel.
PHV1 is available for pre-order now in its online edition here:
Currently, the price of the ebook is $2.99. On November 7, the price will go up to $5.99, so if you want an ebook, preorder it now before the price goes up!
Print books will be available November 15...and I'm cooking up a special deal for everyone who orders from my local indie store, which will be announced later this week. Trust me, you're going to get a very special gift with your order!!!
On December 1, 2015, Paper Hearts, Volume 2: Some Publishing Advice will be released in ebook form, with the paper form following shortly thereafter. I realize that being publishing for five years doesn't make me a leading expert, but I think I have a viewpoint that's needed right now: a totally impartial view between traditional and self publishing. Too many books are all one way and none of the other, but the modern author needs to at least be aware of the options each side offers.
Written without bias, this book explores both paths of publication, with key similarities and differences. It assumes you have a complete, ready-to-be-published manuscript, and takes you down the pros and cons of self and traditional publishing, helping you choose your path, and then it details the first steps you need to go through for each path. If you choose traditional publishing, it discusses how to write a query letter (with specific, real life examples), how to researching and choose an agent, and what to expect from a traditional publication deal. If you choose self publishing, it discusses pitfalls and common mistakes, what to spend money on and what to save your money on, and how to make your book stand out in the crowded market.
January 1, 2016 marks the release of Paper Hearts, Volume 3: Some Marketing Advice in ebook form, with the paper form following soon thereafter. This book was born directly from my involvement in the writing community, mentoring other writers, giving advice on the
YAWriters reddit, participating in various chat boards, etc. I kept seeing the same questions from debuts, and discovered that, while there is a lot of information out there on how to get the book to an agent, there's very little information on how to get the book to an audience. PHV3 will cover the basics of setting up social media, a detailed map of a standard author website, how to establish a newsletter, the shifting face of the market, how marketing is different if you self or traditionally publish, and other tips to get you started. Geared particularly toward debuts or people trying to break into the next level, this book is designed to encourage you to take charge of your own career without forgetting that the most important thing of all is writing your next book.
Once all the books are out, I will be doing a very special live event at Malaprops in Asheville, NC. On January 24, 2016, I will be leading a hands-on workshop for writers. Come out for delicious snacks and meet fellow writers. With a no-holds-barred Q&A session, I'll be presenting some of the core ideas of the book and concluding with constructive feedback on your work.
You may also have noticed the beautiful book covers. These were all designed by the amazingly talented
Hafsah at
IceyDesigns. She is also the artist behind some of the most perfect journal designs for writers ever (
you can check them out here). We worked together to come up with a journal designed to go with the Paper Hearts series--read on to the end of this post to find out how you can win a copy of one.
And that's it! I'm so excited to share these books with you all--this really has been a labor of love, and I hope it helps others as they develop their writing and start on their writing careers.
AND DON'T FORGET TO STAY TUNED LATER THIS WEEK FOR DETAILS ON THE SPECIAL PRE-ORDER GIVEAWAY COMING FROM ME AND MALAPROPS!
Want to make sure you don't miss it?
Sign up here.
To celebrate this very special announcement, I'm giving away a specially design journal made by Hafsah at Icey Designs! To enter, all you have to do is spread the word about this book's new release:
