Five Things I Learned By Writing [Insert Your Book Here]

Not long after the New Year I’m going to start fading out the “10 Questions” I do with authors every Thursday — not because I don’t like them but because I like to keep that spot evolving and allow it to be functional both for authors and for readers of this blog.

I intend to replace it with a new feature:

Five Things I Learned By Writing [Insert Your Book, Comic, Game, Movie, Etc. Here]

This one is simple in theory, though maybe complex and compelling in its execution: storytellers have a chance to post five things they learned about writing their currently-releasing title. These five things can be about the writing process, about storytelling architecture, about editing. But it can be about whatever: something you learned from research, something you realized about yourself or your goals, some ancillary piece of information you dug up that never found its way into the book. Anything you learned during the writing of your story is fair game.

Beyond that, this’ll work the same way it did before, roughly.

Email me at terribleminds at gmail dot com.

Subject header: FIVE THINGS ABOUT [insert your story here]

(Note, if it doesn’t have that ‘five things about’ in the subject header, I may miss it — I’m literally going to use my email to pull that subject header out and auto-populate a new folder.)

Do not go and write a five things post and send it to me.

I just need you to tell me a little about your book and let me know it’s release date. (This is meant to be interesting for readers but also a sales vector for you, which is why I’m tying these posts specifically to the weeks surrounding your release date. In other words, I won’t yet be posting “five things” for books that have been out for more than a couple weeks.)

Once I give approval and we figure out what Thursday it’ll post, you can go ahead and write the Five Things and get ’em to me a week before it’s scheduled to post alongside any and all appropriate author and book-buying links (Indiebound / Amazon / B&N / other store).

I’ve got slots open starting in January, so authors (or editors, agents, publicists): email now.

I’d like two weeks notice any time you send just such a request.

I also want a copy of the book. Print is preferred when available!

At this time, I do not want self-published material pitched for this unless we loosely know one another or unless you’re also a traditionally-published author.

Now, that’s gonna upset some people. And I don’t blame you.

But here’s the deal — whenever I put out this kind of solicitation, I get self-published authors sending me material 10:1 to trad-pubbed authors. And most of these books pitched are not very good. I hate to push that segment aside and I understand any sort of agita against gatekeepers, but I only have so much time in my day and only so much ability to vet material — as such, I am going to make this a kept gate. Apologies in advance, and maybe that’ll change as time goes on.

If you get accepted for a post, I’ll give you some more details on how to write ’em in terms of format and length. Those of you who have 10 Questions scheduled, you’re still all good to give me those unless you’d prefer to switch over to this format, instead — just gimme a shout.

Thanks, folks!