#433 ~ How to Write Short Stories in 6 Easy Steps

How to Write Short Stories in 6 Easy Steps by KS Tan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars







A step-by-step guide with some practical element to it. It wont take you long to read it, as it's only about 25 or so pages long, but if you are interested in structuring good short stories then it's a good book to have.

My only slight criticism is that it could have done deeper, and thus been a bit longer.

Product Details

28 Pages
Indie Writer (Self-Published)
Non-Fiction, Essential Reading, Self Help, Writing


Errors/Bug Bears

None noted


Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#427 ~ The Pocket Book of Proofreading

The Pocket Book of Proofreading: A guide to freelance proofreading & copy-editing: A Guide to Freelance Proofreading and Copy-editing by William Critchley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars








Useful guide for anybody interested in proof reading.

Personally, I purchased a copy to help in editing my n work in the future as well as doing some work for others.

I keep it to hand on my desk for easy reference.


Product Details

Available HERE as a Kindle Download (£5.51) the paperback version is £12.20. 

262 pages
First English Books (2013)
Non-fiction, Essential Reading, Reference, Writing


Errors/Bug Bears

None noted


Happy reading

Hugs

Kay

#434 ~ Short Story: From First Draft to Final Product

Short Story: From First Draft to Final Product by Michael Milton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars







It started off with the bare, and potentially beautiful, bones of The Bathhouse story, which helped to win Michael Milton a place on a Masters Creative Writing Degree Programme.

It then went on to show the various line by line edits, and helpful tips from other authors with a second draft.

Then a few words of wisdom from the man himself.

BAM then we're hit with the the final draft of The Bathhouse, which is truly beautiful by the way.

For anybody looking to improve their creative writing this is a must have book, no wonder it was an Amazon Best seller.

I can see this as being an essential go to book, for a top up on the creative process, or simply to lift my spirits.



Product Details:

I purchased this recently HERE.  It's listed at £2.99 - a phenomenal value for money product.

111 pages
Indie Writer (Self-published)



Errors/Bug Bears:

Loc 1555:  Ultimately, you should stick to stick to your gut feelings and ...


Happy reading.

Hugs

#431 ~ Write, Publish, Repeat

Write. Publish. Repeat. by Sean Platt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars








Really helpful, and I suspect a "go to" book many times in the future, informational book for those hoping to self-publish for the first time, or looking to do it quicker, better and with more results in the future.

It's got the same voice as the Self Publishing Podcasts, which are brought to us by the tremendous trio of Sean, Johhny and Dave.

There are also additional, and very helpful input, from people like Joanna Penn and Lexi Maxxwell.

For motivation alone you should read this book.


Product Details

I am a new listener to the Self-Publishing Podcast, and Sean is one of the broadcasters, so this seemed like a good idea to accompany them.

I picked it us as a Kindle download HERE for £3.49 - in my opinion that's fair value for money for the information and motivation.


Errors/Bug Bears:

If one looks hard enough, errors can be found, and I'm pretty sure they will fix them.

Loc 2332:  Any question a to exactly what that one's about?

Loc 4265:  She said we could we could include that language here:

#385 - 99 Prompts for Romance Writers

99 Prompts for Romance Writers

Beth Jones

Kindle Store > Books > Non-Fiction > Reference > Writing 

Indie Writer (Self-published)

*Introducing New Author the Blog*

Description:

Even the best writers occasionally struggle to find the right words for their stories. Sometimes a plot doesn't seem to move along as quickly as it should or a story just doesn't seem to work "right." Maybe you're having a difficult time figuring out what your character should say next. Maybe you're having a difficult time creating characters at all.

Regardless of how far along you are in your story, 99 Prompts for Romance Writers offers just that: 99 short prompts to get you thinking, exploring, and, most of all, writing.

Product Details:

Another one that I managed to pick up as a free Kindle download (and featured as a Daily Selection on the Blog) in July 2013.

At the time of writing this post, it's available HERE at a listed price of 77p (free for Prime Members).

105 pages in length.

Reference Book for Writing Prompts

~~~~~~~~~~

Summary/thoughts:

Having quickly read through it, I can see that this will be an enormously useful tool to use.   Lots of contemporary prompts, but a few that could also be considered historical prompts, or indeed, used as such.

Even some of the contemporary prompts could be adjusted.

I was little disappointed that there were a couple of mistakes that I noticed whilst reading it.  However, as I didn't have my notebook to hand, I failed to make a full note of them.

It was so quick to read, that I will go back shortly and take a note of them to add to the Errors/Bug Bears section.

Rating:

Obviously, this is only going to be useful if you are already a writer, or wish to start writing.  However, that having been said, it would prove useful fodder for some short stories in particular.

3 Stars

* * *

Errors/Bug Bears:

There were a few - please bear with me whilst I re-read it at a later date to add them.


Hugs

Kay

#354 - Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success ~ Mark Coker

Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success ~ Mark Coker

• Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Reference > Writing > Business Finance
• Indie Writer (Self-published)

Description:

Learn the 29 best practices of the best selling self-published ebook authors.

This updated 2013 edition of The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success has already helped tens of thousands of self-published ebook authors publish more professionally.

This ebook is a must-read for every writer, author, publisher and literary agent. Whether you're considering publishing a book for the first time, or you're a long-time veteran, this book will help you take your self-publishing to the next level.

Includes a comprehensive glossary of e-publishing terms. No technical experience necessary!

Product Details:

Another free download available HERE.

167 pages in length.

Other relevant and connected titles by Mark are The Smashwords Style Guide for free download HERE; and The Smashwords Book Marketing Guide available for free download HERE.

* * * * *

Summary:

It's not the first time that I've read a Mark Coker's publication, I quite often refer to my Smashwords Style Guide (don't be fooled it's not just relevant to Smashwords), and therefore I was quite excited to find the time to read this one.

Not just one off reads, they are useful over and over again to bone up.  Full of words of wisdom, tips and tricks and examples of how his information has been successfully applied by others, his work is a must for anyone looking to publish, market and sell ebooks.  

As the Founder of Smashwords, he has proved he knows what he's talking about.  

I was particularly interested to see that he mentioned Shayne Parkinson, who has successfully managed to increase sales by offering the first in the series (Sentence of Marriage) as a free download in hooking the reader in to buy the remainder of the series.  That is in fact what happened when I read it.

He also mentioned Ruth Ann Nordin as somebody who offered An Inconvenient Marriage for free download, and the fact that some reads didn't like it, but others liked her work enough to actively seek out and pay for other titles she'd written.  It's a long time ago now, but I think I was particularly kind about her book, but saw something in her that has made me purchase some of here other titles.

After reading his book, I now feel totally vindicated about banging on endlessly about cover images ..... get a good one and it will help to generate interest from somebody who has never read anything by you before!!

Rating:

On the basis that I started it quite late in the evening and then couldn't put it down until the early hours - always hard to believe for a non-fiction book - plus the wisdom and insight to be gained I gave it a the full big Five-O ... it can be useful even if you don't use, or never intend to use Smashwords.  Highly recommended.

Errors/Bug Bears:

None, as this was an excellently delivered and executed product.  Kudos Mr Coker.

Hugs

Kay