Search options (Page 1 of 5)

Well, it's been a long time since I've posted or interacted here, and this was the first post I saw which was very fitting
I joined in 2008 mainly for the strongest start contest. I entered each year and although I never won the top prize, I was a runner up one year, and also won the YA category once. The contest was really motivating and even when I didn't win there was a lot of great feedback. To this day I will say my first three chapters of a new book are always my strongest and easiest to produce because of all of the practice I did each year.
I have various reasons (excuses) for why I haven't been active, but I definitely think contests are a big draw for new writers to enter.

Thanks for sharing! I've never heard of storyfix, so I'll definitely check it out.

I've just returned after almost two years of being basically inactive. I'm really hoping I can get lots of reviewing and posting done,
I will say the switch to the new site really threw me off for a while--not because I didn't like it but because I had so much going on that I didn't have time to learn the new system. I've also found my publishing schedule is very demanding and the turn over of having to read and review in order to post was too much for me to keep up with. I was chatting with Susan the other day and she was saying pretty much the same thing. It's time consuming to read and review while also writing and publishing. **I'm not complaining about that system at all. I think it is probably the most effective way to ensure people are getting eyes on their work and receiving valuable reviews.

Info to get help is here:
https://www.thenextbigwriter.com/guide/call-sol
basically, try support (at)  thenextbigwriter.com
or you can try calling him

Good luck to everyone who entered!

Hey Sol,
Does an entry have to be previously unpublished? Darken is going live tomorrow, but I was thinking of entering it and wanted to make sure before I use my points!
Thanks!
Ang

I've used them a few times. Initially I gave did a coupon code for smashwords. Which did give me a few reviews there, but didn't help much with Amazon. Eventually, I changed to gifting through Amazon when I knew I'd have a 99cent promo going. That way I would also get "sales", so some of my money came back to me, and I had a boost in ranking. Do it that way though you need to be careful. State clearly that it is gifted through Amazon, and before gifting to your winners, email them and ask them to confirm that that is the email they'd like it gifted to. Some people will enter any and everything and won't claim the gift. You also have to be prepared for a few of them to use the gift to purchase a different book.

Reviews are hit and miss. Maybe about 20% review the books they win.

If that was me you reviewed, I apologize. I have been overwhelmed with life and work/writing for the past year. I'm trying to get back into reading and reviewing but honestly I can't promise timely reciprocation.

Self-publishing takes tons and tons of hard work and some luck. I suffered through 3 years of struggles on my own (+3 spent trying to go the traditional route), having no idea of how to get some momentum. I finally got lucky when I was invited into a box set with a bunch of other authors. Since then, it's been a lot easy. I learned a lot from those authors and others I've met about how to market my books. Now, I'm working towards completely supporting myself and my daughter with my book income. The hardest thing to remember is that you have to spend money to make money which in the beginning was impossible, because I had no money to spend!

I think the traditional route (or a mix) is still the way to go for many authors, and it's something that I have not entirely discounted. If I had one of the big five publishers offer me a deal, I'd probably take it. What's important to remember is that a deal with a big publisher doesn't always mean success and less promotional work, in fact it can actually restrict the types of promotions you can do.

There's nothing wrong with either route as long as you go in with your eyes open. Getting picked up by an agent let alone a publisher is a long shot, but if you're not in a rush, and are willing to jump the hoops of traditional publishing (querying agents, rewriting, rejections, signing with an agent, submitting to editors, rewriting, rejections, taking only a 20-40% share of profits) then go for it . If you are willing to spend half your time and earnings on marketing then go for self-publishing. Both have their good points and their drawbacks. You have to consider what's important and right for you.

The publishing world is changing. 10 years ago, the average self-published author was lucky to sell 100 copies over the lifetime of a book. People just weren't willing to spend $10 on a paperback by an unknown, self-published author. With ebooks, they are much more likely to try that same author for only $2.99, or even better with Kindle Unlimited they can try that author and thousands others for only $10 a month.

Any word yet?