Book Publishing

Book Publishing

The Secret to Writing Best Action Books

The Secret to Writing Best Action Books

 

What Makes a Good Action Book?

While narratives that focus on action can come from many  genres – from spy fiction to high fantasy – they are all also part of a single stylistic school. That is to say that no matter what type of action-orientated story you’re telling, you can benefit from approaching ‘action’ stories as a single genre. Continue reading the blog for some tips on writing your book, especially as a beginner.

Some of the points that make a good action book include:

  • The barer, the better: It’s a nigh-immutable law that good action thrives on brevity. Action scenes should be short, both in the length of the scene and in the way it’s written – single clauses and even a basic vocabulary help to communicate the immediacy and pace of a situation. A curt style throughout an action narrative is to imbue your setting, rather than individual scenes, with the impetus of action. This clipped style creates a consistent world, and one in which action could happen at any time.
  • Sentence length: If your action sequences are built with long-winded sentences full of verbs and descriptions, it will likely confuse and overwhelm your audience. Shorter sentences get to the point more simply, delivering the visual quickly and efficiently, cutting down on bulky filler words.
  • Active voice: Keeping the narrative voice active keeps up the momentum of your story. Readers see how the main characters are actively working and reacting in their environment in what feels like real-time, packing more punch into the syntax and keeping the narrative lively.
  • Character goals: Action should occur for a reason—characters’ actions should be based on their motivations, their points of view, and their previous choices. A character’s goals affect their character development, forcing them to change and evolve depending on the way events unfold in your story.
  • Implement a philosophy: This idea of a central philosophy ties a great deal of whom a character is to the events of the story, and cuts down on the tangents necessary to explore them as individuals. Writers control how readers encounter their world, and so the key to a core philosophy is in redefining what readers should admire and dislike in characters, and in binding all characters to one or two shared standards.
  • Taking action: The key to writing a great action story is all about effective communication. First, you have to understand the central goal of your story, then you have to focus on how the events, dialogue, and actions in your story affect that goal, then you have to communicate this relationship clearly and often to your readers.

 

How to Start an Action Story?

How to Start an Action Story

Here, you introduce the characters and setting of the story world. You set the plot in motion and create questions in the minds of the audience. You’ll begin by introducing the ordinary world where the protagonist is shown doing something they consider normal. Demonstrate their flaws and/or fear to establish empathy in readers. Demonstrate the protagonist’s want. Introduce supporting characters as rich and interesting. Use the description to evoke a sense of their broader culture or background. Don’t allow them to be a meaningless victim, flawless hero, or solely evil antagonist. Every character must have a clear and supporting role for your protagonist. Grab your audience’s attention with a life-threatening inciting incident (causal or coincidental) that launches the global story as soon as possible. Make the stakes clear. Stakes in action stories do not belong in subtext. What can the protagonist gain? What can they lose?

 

How to Create a Good Story Character?

How to Create a Good Story Character

Characters, like people, are imperfect. They don’t need to be likable, but they must be interesting. Here are some tips for effective character development:

  • Develop characters who reflect your interests: The fiction rule “write what you want to know” applies to them as well. Don’t be afraid to invest your protagonist with familiar qualities, but prioritize your passions and make sure that your main characters emerge from the setting and topics you’ve developed so far.
  • Reveal their physical world through detail: Different writers focus on different details to evoke character, whether deliberately or not. Whatever details you choose, it’s important for you to know your characters’ physical world intimately, and how they relate to it.
  • Give them the right skills: Your characters should have skills that will allow them to function in your setting. If you’ve chosen to set your novel on the moon, then make sure your character has a spacesuit or learns how to use one.
  • Create memorable characters: When creating important characters that the reader is going to meet more than once, be sure that they’re memorable in some way. Try to give each one a quirk or quality that can be used later to help readers recall who they are.
  • Give the reader access to their inner conflict: One way to create intimacy with your reader—and to get them to care about your main character—is to use internal monologue. This means letting the reader see a character’s thoughts as they happen, which exposes that person’s inner conflict, motivations, opinions, and personality. Internal monologue not only reveals character: It’s a neat way to convey information about your setting, events, and other characters.
  • Subvert your reader’s expectations: The most interesting characters will surprise your readers. Think about it: We don’t have to pay attention to stable things.

 

How to End an Action Book?

How Do You End a Story

Here, you will include your climax (the resurrection, Hero’s Journey terminology) and the resolution of the global story. The protagonist confronts their fear or flaw, rises to the challenge, and either survives and succeeds against the villain, or fails and dies. The climax plunges the protagonist into a life and death battle. The protagonist outsmarts the antagonist, rather than using their inferior brawn, and lives (prescriptive tale). Or the protagonist fails to outsmart the antagonist and dies (a cautionary tale). Editor Tip for the Prescriptive Tale: Just as the protagonist is about to be killed by the antagonist, enable them to win. Give them sudden courage, ingenuity, a tool, or a revelation that you have subtly foreshadowed–i.e., set up–very early in the story. The ending payoff is where you ramp down the tension and action with scenes that answer the primary story questions. How have the characters changed? What have they learned? If you’re writing a series, the resolution can foreshadow new adventures.

 

How to Publish an Action Book?

get your book published

The Process of Getting Traditionally Published

  • Edit Your Works: The most important step as you begin is to become a ferocious self-editor. Even if you choose to self-publish, the quality of your writing is determined by this. Put your best foot forward by learning to aggressively self-edit until you’re happy with every word. If an agent decides to take you on and/or your manuscript is accepted by a publishing house, it will still go through editing there. But your goal is to make it the best your know-how, so it will get past those first readers—potential agents or acquisition editors.
  • Find an agent: Landing an agent can be just as difficult as landing a publishing deal because they are every bit as discerning regarding a manuscript’s (or an author’s) potential. Agents know the business, the industry, the players—who’s publishing what and who might like what you’ve written.
  • Write a query letter: A query (question) letter is designed to determine whether an agent or publisher might be interested in your manuscript. It’s your first impression—your initial sales call. Make it stimulating and intriguing.
  • Write your proposal: This is the document agents want. For some, it’s the only document they require before asking to see your manuscript. Every word should pique an agent’s interest—your goal is an invitation to send your entire manuscript.

 

The Process of Getting Self-Published

The best way to set yourself apart, besides ferociously self-editing your book, is paying for a professional editor. The biggest mistake many self-published authors make is spending more on design and marketing than on professional editing and proofreading.

Writing quality sets, you apart in a saturated marketplace. Many companies offer all the services you need to self-publish, but some are more trustworthy than others. It takes a lot of success—and sales—to recoup the costs of such services. The more popular platforms to “publish” online include Amazon Createspace, Kindle Direct Publishing, and others.

 

Tips on Writing an Action Book

tips

If you’re looking to write your own action story, the following writing tips may help:

  • Show cause and effect: From the first time your character receives their call to action, follow-up activity with the consequences of their decision. Sometimes the character is causing the action to occur, and other times they’re reeling from the action  that just occurred. Moments can also be built up so that the cause of certain effects or the effects themselves aren’t realized in their entirety until much later.
  • Create visuals: Use an action in a concise, impactful manner to deliver strong images for the audience. The clearer your scenes are, the more easily the audience can understand and absorb them.
  • Drive the story forward: In a great story, the moments in between where the action is happening should still feel alive and like the story is always progressing. Even if your hero isn’t facing off against the villain just yet, the scenes without action should still be driven by the character’s goals—readers or viewers may become disinterested by a sudden slump in energy and stagnancy to the writing. Use montage, flashbacks, or other story writing techniques to keep up the pace while delivering necessary narrative information.
  • Keep action moments short: Action-adventure stories have many moments of high-intensity activity, and they should happen in short spurts so that the reader does not get exhausted with high-octane events.
  • Use effective language: When you write a fight scene or a chase scene, the action is moving quickly, so your language should too. Short sentences packed with powerful images that move at a logical pace are useful in conveying strong action sequences that are easy to visualize. Specific diction can make all the difference in how the action of your story is perceived and how your story is experienced overall.

 

How Can We Help You Publish Your Book?

Hopefully, this blog gave you some insight into writing and publishing of action books.

 

How to Write a Bestselling Romance Book?

How to Write a Bestselling Romance Book?

 

What Makes a Good Romance Book?

A romance novel is a work of extended prose fiction with a theme of love. According to the Romance Writers of America, a romance novel must have a central focus on the development of a romantic relationship between two people. The other criteria for a romance novel are that it must have an emotional through line and build to an optimistic conclusion.

Readers come to the genre knowing they will (almost) always get a happy ending in which the protagonists find and profess their love. To entice readers, writers must therefore deliver a fresh premise with strong, evocative prose and pacing that gets to the heart of the story — usually beginning with the protagonists meeting in the first chapter. These will be the elements that usually prompt someone to pick up the book and start reading. Most importantly, the writer’s crafting of the two main characters and their emotional journeys is what will keep the reader hooked.

 

The must-have elements that will make readers go back to re-read it again and again? Here’s a list of essential elements to support good romance story ideas:

  1. Interesting characters: The two main characters in a romance novel need to be three-dimensional and lovable. Lovable, by the way, doesn’t mean perfect. Characters with flaws and imperfections have much more depth.
  2. Believable conflict: What keeps the lovers apart has to be a real obstacle.
  3. Emotions: Romance readers read for the emotions. They want to experience the growing emotional connection between the two main characters and to fall in love with them too.
  4. Magic: In a good romance, there’s something almost magical about a couple. What they have needs to be very special. Readers will re-read those magical moments again and again.
  5. A happily ever after (HEA): Romances need a happy ending. That doesn’t mean that everything about the characters’ lives has to be perfect in the end, but readers have to believe that the characters will master all problems life throws at them together.

 

How to Write a Good Romance Book?

How to Write a Good Romance Book

Romance bestsellers have many things in common: strong characters, a compelling love story, and steamy love scenes. This list will surely act as a guide for beginners. Here are some writing steps and tips to consider when writing your romance novel:

  1. Choose your subgenre: The romance genre contains numerous subgenres. The most successful romance writers write within a specific niche, which allows them to set their love story within a context they’re passionate about.
  2. Make your main characters compelling: Writing romance requires strong main characters. A reader’s engagement with the story will likely be determined by the chemistry of your protagonists. Make sure your characters have compelling backstories that inform their points of view about romantic relationships. The best romance authors know how to create rich, complex characters to fuel the love story.
  3. Set the stage effectively: Setting is paramount in romance. No matter where your story’s set, the most important thing is that it is immersive and feels real. A memorable setting will capture readers’ imaginations and create a vivid backdrop for your romance novel.
  4. Write a strong main couple: Romance is an extremely character-driven genre, so your main couple needs to have your readers head over heels.
  5. Use tried-and-true tropes: Romance tropes exist for a reason. Consider the most common romance tropes and brainstorm how you can subvert them in your work. Here are just a few tried-and-true devices that many romance authors have used successfully:
  • Friends/enemies to lovers
  • One helps the other one heal
  • Choosing each other all over again
  1. Carefully construct intimate scenes: You can’t talk about writing romance without touching on physically intimate scenes — though this doesn’t necessarily mean sex scenes or even almost-sex scenes. No matter how explicit: be careful about how you write them. Craft all descriptions of physical intimacy with a light touch, and only after sufficient buildup — make your readers eagerly anticipate each encounter. Also try to steer away from overwrought, euphemism-filled romantic language that can border on parody. Your intimate scenes shouldn’t exist for their own sake: They should advance the plot or show character development in some way.
  2. Don’t neglect secondary characters: While the main couple is obviously where most of your characterization focus should be, secondary characters are critical to a well-rounded romance. Secondary characters fill out the world of your romance novel. Friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, and even arch-enemies — say, someone who’s competing with one of your main characters for the other character’s interest — all contribute to making the story come to life.
  3. Give your main couple a happy ending: One of the implicit promises of the romance genre is that of the happy ending. No matter how much turbulence your main couple experiences throughout your novel, they should end up in each other’s arms. It doesn’t need to be a “happily ever after,” but it should at least be a “happy for now”: something to reassure the reader that these two characters are stable for the foreseeable future. However, there are special cases that don’t adhere to this rule. The ending of your novel should also tie up any loose threads that you weave throughout the narrative.

 

How to Start a Romance Book?

How to Start a Romance Book

Figuring out where to start telling your story is one of the bigger challenges you face. When you’re deciding where and when to begin, keep the following options in mind:

  1. Start with one of your two main characters. Readers expect the first character they meet in the story to be either the hero or the heroine (and most often it is the heroine), and they’re immediately prepared to care about this person.
  2. Start with action. A good option is to show the main character at the point when that character’s life is disrupted by some kind of danger or threat. Starting with action is particularly effective when the situation is easily understood or the peril is something the readers can relate to.
  3. Start with an attention-getting statement. When the readers are presented with something they don’t expect, they will read on to find out what the heck’s happening.

 

How to Introduce Characters in a Romance Book?

How to Introduce Characters in a Romance Book

Good writing is filled with memorable character introductions. Here is some writing advice to help you introduce your characters as effectively as possible:

  1. Don’t get bogged down in physical appearance: It’s tempting to focus on physical character descriptions. However, one should focus on describing a character’s personality and actions. Use your reader’s imagination to your advantage, that way the character is more likely to stick in the reader’s mind.
  2. Give your character a memorable character trait: Giving your character memorable character traits or mannerisms early in the writing process can help you create distinct, instantly memorable characters.
  3. Start with backstory when appropriate: When you’re introducing a new character, it can be helpful to begin by describing the character’s backstory. However, it should be relevant to the character’s eventual story arc, focusing on formative events in the character’s life that support that arc.
  4. Introduce a character through action. Whether it’s the main character, one of your minor characters, or one of the bad guys, watching a character undergo a daily task or routine is a great way to give the reader a sense of who they are and how they interact with the world around them.
  5. Introduce the main character as soon as possible: Try to introduce your main character in the first chapter, which will allow the reader to become invested in the story and your hero’s journey as quickly as possible.

 

How to End a Romance Book?

How to End a Romance Book

In a romance novel, we’re striving for a “happy ending,” one that will leave the reader with the confidence that many years down the road, this couple will still be together. They will be able to overcome all of life’s unhappiness and find the strength to make it through in each other, which means we must spend the majority of our story showing the reader that these two people can make their own happy ending. However, various novels diverge from such a framework and go for something unexpected. Here are some tips to ensure that you end your book the perfect way:

  1. Don’t introduce any new characters or subplots: Any appearances within the last 50 pages should have been foreshadowed earlier, even if mysteriously.
  2. Don’t describe, muse, explain, or philosophize: Keep description to a minimum, but maximize action and conflict. You have placed all your charges. Now, light the fuse and run.
  3. Do create that sense of Oh, wow! : Your best novelties and biggest surprises should go here. Readers love it when some early, trivial detail plays a part in the finale.
  4. Do enmesh your reader deeply in the outcome. Get her so involved that she cannot put down your novel to go to bed, to work, or even to the bathroom until she sees how it turns out.
  5. Do resolve the central conflict: You don’t have to provide a happily-ever-after ending, but do try to uplift.
  6. Do tie up loose ends of significance:  Every question you planted in a reader’s mind should be addressed, even if the answer is to say that a character will address that issue later after the book ends.

 

How to Publish a Romance Book?

get published

If you want to sell a romance, you should probably write a romance. One wrote it is time to sell it. Honestly, writing a romance novel might be the hardest step. Instead of perfect you should focus on making your story more compelling. A critique group is very helpful. Along the same lines as critique groups, some people wonder whether they should join professional writing organizations. Before you submit to anyone, revise again. But before you submit to anyone, do your agent/publisher research. You should know which stories are popular and who is representing and publishing what kind of story. Make a list of those publishers or agents you want to submit to. Make sure they are legit (review Pr editors & Editors online for starters); there are a lot of scammers out there, ready to take advantage of eager new writers. Submission is a fairly accurate word for the process. Craft your query/cover letter to exquisite perfection. Yes, this time perfection does matter. These days, most editors and agents post submission guidelines on their websites. Follow these guidelines. An agent may not be necessary. An agent has access to the people a writer may not have.

There are many publication options for writers these days. Only you can decide what you want from your writing career—a small press, e-publishing with Amazon and Smashwords, a big New York house, eternal self-aggrandizing wankery, etc. Talk to other writers about their experiences and take their advice the same way you took the advice of your critique partners: with gratitude and a grain of salt. Get the story done first because the business doesn’t matter if you don’t have a story. As an author, one needs to have a working knowledge of (among other things): Contracts, promotion and marketing, and business planning. Carina Press, Harper Impulse, Loveswept & Flirt, Forever and Forever Yours, and others are some well known romance novel publishers.

 

Self-Publishing VS Independent Publishing

Self-publishing

  • Self-publishing: You are your own publisher in this instance. You handle all your own publishing, editing, marketing, and sales. However, there are self-publishing platforms that you can use. KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), Smashwords, and LuLu all offer services and tools to help you self-publish. You have the complete freedom of absolutely every single choice with your book. From the cover art, glossy or matte finish, the price, distribution channels, formats. Everything. However, this can be incredibly daunting, especially for first-time authors. Yes, you can buy services, but that’s not the same as having the support and expertise from a publishing company, always. Marketing and sales are probably the main disadvantages. If you haven’t published a book before or don’t have that big of a following, all your hard work might go unnoticed. With self-publishing, you pay a lot of upfront costs, and you need to ensure that you see those investments play out.

 

  • Independent publishing: Independent publishing is when a publishing company publishes the work of an author. An independent (indie) publisher is defined as one that operates on its own, rather than as part of any large corporation or conglomerate.In comparison to commercial publishers, independent publishers are interested in something else. They make their own decision, not based on profit or quantity…but quality. They have complete autonomy of all decisions, with no restrictions. They don’t publish what people consider to be popular, they publish, quite simply, what they believe in. An excellent independent publisher will also guide you through every step (and hurdle) in the publishing process. From the beginning, say, editing and proofreading, to the end with marketing and sales. Help with marketing and sales is crucial for first-time authors. With independent publishing, you still get freedom and autonomy, but with somebody there (with extensive experience) guiding you through the entire process. Another benefit of independent publishing lies in its popularity.

 

How Can We Help You Publish Your Book?

Publish book

Hopefully, this blog gave you some insight into writing and publishing Romance Novels. You can connect with our team, and we will be happy to guide you through the entire process of publishing your book. We the Veronica Lane Books take pride in promoting new talent and bringing out fresh literature to the world.

 

HOW TO WRITE A BESTSELLING THRILLER NOVEL?

HOW TO WRITE A BESTSELLING THRILLER NOVEL?

 

Introduction

The thriller novel is one of the most exciting and dynamic genres available to novelists. They are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings, and cliffhangers are used extensively. Everything in a thriller is designed to create this feeling of heart-pounding, white-knuckle suspense.

 

What Makes a Good Thriller Novel?

There are elements to bestselling thrillers that can help your readers stay on the edges of their seats.

What Makes a Good Thriller Novel

A Clear Threat

Any successful thriller has a clear and imposing threat. The form of that threat can determine which of the many thriller sub-genres your story falls in.

 

High stakes

There are many different techniques to raise the stakes in your thriller. Piling one problem on top of the other and putting your characters in seemingly unsolvable predicaments is one way to raise the stakes. Additionally, placing a time limit on when your character must solve the problem they are facing works well.

 

Twists

Twists

Most good thrillers have a storyline that is full of cliffhangers and plot twists. Subverting your audience’s expectations and throwing unpredictable roadblocks in your protagonist’s path will produce a great page-turning thriller.

 

Dynamic and Complex characters

As a writer, it’s your job to fully flesh out a character and brainstorm their backstory and point of view. The thriller hero needs to struggle with issues inside as well as outside. He’s got to be a carrier of flaws as well as virtues. Give each character a point of potential conflict with your hero as well as with the other characters—especially those who are allies.

 

Memorable Locations

A clear and detailed location is an essential part of writing a good thriller. Your readers should feel as if your characters are inhabiting a rich and detailed world; they should be able to picture the physical environment in which your action unfolds.

 

Action

The action doesn’t necessarily have to mean violence or pyrotechnics. The important thing is to keep your storyline moving and include dynamic action as you start writing the first page up until the end.

 

Confrontation

This is where the hero and antagonist battle over the high stakes a thriller demands.

 

Communication

The first thrillers carried a message and helped bring a local community together. Readers still seek that kind of story.

 

Multiple Points of View Can Give You a Great Range in a Thriller

They allow you inside the heads of many characters, which can build more dramatic tension and irony.

 

Make Your Characters Miserable

Make Your Characters Miserable

Give them grief, false hope, heartaches, anxiety, and near-death experiences. We don’t want our protagonist to win until the end.

 

Your Main Characters Have to Change

It has to be an emotional change that shows growth and victory over some of his baggage.

 

Pacing Must be High

Each scene should reveal something new, no matter how slight it is. Short paragraphs and white space are good. Consider using cliffhangers at the end of every chapter, albeit a sudden surprise or provocative announcement.

 

Show—Don’t Tell

Avoid the passive voice. Use action verbs. Avoid adverbs—they are cheesy and cheap ways of telling instead of showing. Don’t start sentences with –ing words. Make the subject and verb close and upfront in the sentence.

 

How Do You Structure a Thriller?

How Do You Structure a Thriller

There’s no fool-proof way of writing a successful thriller but there are ways to ensure that your novel ticks all the right boxes.

 

1. Flesh Out Your Characters and their Motivations

Characters in thrillers are usually complex. The good guy might not be the model citizen, and the bad guy may have a justification and conviction for everything they do — at least in their mind. The rivalries between these opposing forces are what will give rise to the action that will propel your story forward.

 

2. Start with Action

The opening scene is a pivotal moment in any book. In thrillers, it’s especially important because you need to start with action from the get-go. Oftentimes starting in media res is a good way to accomplish this. You need to start with something exciting that sets the protagonist in motion.

 

3. Show What’s at Stake

High stakes are characteristic of thrillers, but the particulars change depending on the subgenre.

 

4. Bring on The Twists

Bring on The Twists

As we have established, thrillers are mainly propelled by plot events, and the best way to keep readers engaged in the plot is by introducing twists and unexpected events.

 

5. Build Up to The Climax

The climax is a pivotal scene in your book, so make sure you dedicate time to polishing it. In particular, it may be helpful to write the climax first so that you already know where your characters need to end up.

 

6. Give Your Story a Satisfying Ending

A satisfying ending isn’t necessarily a “happily ever after.” Keep in mind the kind of story you’ve been telling so far and make sure the ending fits well. It’s always necessary to wrap up the current action so that there’s a sense of satisfaction at the end of the book.

To write your unstoppable thriller, don’t forget to create that action-driven tension, conflict, and suspense. Turn everything upside down — for the protagonist and the reader — with every turn and twist.

 

What are the Elements of Suspense?

Elements of Suspense

 

Building suspense is impossible without an understanding of its elements. The list of ways to create suspense can grow the longer we think about it.

 

1. Strong Characters

Your story needs a likable main character, a compelling villain, and a supporting cast. Each one has a role to play in either the conflict or its resolution (or both).

 

2. Conflict or Dilemma

No one wants to read about characters who want something and end up getting it because nothing stands in their way. It only gets interesting when they have to overcome some challenge to get to or accomplish the thing they want.

 

3. Pacing

To maintain a brisk enough pace to hold your reader’s attention, keep the story moving with short-term suspense and sentences that reveal necessary information without drowning it in nonessential details.

 

4. Red Herrings and Rabbit Holes

Also essential to building suspense is knowing how much information to withhold from the reader — and how you can use red herrings to trick them into focusing on the wrong suspect. Both withholding and bread-crumbing information can lead your reader down a rabbit hole and keep them guessing about the central mystery or the looming threat.

 

5. Atmosphere

Atmosphere

The setting is one of your most important characters. And sticking to essential details is as essential to your story’s intrigue as it is to its pace. Think of those details as atmospheric dialogue. Give your reader the details that mean something and add to the story.

 

6. Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is hinting at what’s to come, whether you use atmospheric details, interesting turns of phrase, or events that relate to what’s coming. The purpose of foreshadowing is to get your reader thinking, “What could this mean?” and make them worry about your hero or about what could happen to them.

 

7. High Stakes

When writing suspense fiction, make sure your main character’s goals and reasons for achieving them are clear from the outset of the story. As your story progresses, the stakes should get higher to build the momentum and suspense of the story.

 

8. Put Time on Your Side

You can easily build up suspense and tension by putting time constraints on your characters; the suspense will naturally build and give your story momentum.

 

9. Pressure-Filled Situations

Create situations that put pressure on your hero. You must test your hero to the breaking point, but make sure your hero never breaks, no matter how stressful the situation is.

 

10. Unpredictability

Make your hero go through several unexpected events and have nothing be straight-forward; it adds a bit of intrigue and suspense to the story.

 

11. Intriguing Villains

In a suspense story, the villain is always present. Make sure this antagonist of your story is smart and motivated. Let the readers know and understand why the villain makes particular choices. Make the readers believe in and fear the villain, and make the villain a worthy opponent for the hero.

 

12. Provocative Heroes

The suspense hero must be believable and sympathetic. Also, take time to show your readers why they should care about the hero.

 

13. Use Parallel Plotlines

Using parallel plotlines is a great literary device for instantly building suspense. Your readers will be compelled to keep reading to find out how and why the two storylines connect.

 

Writing a suspense story does not need to be a daunting task. But, it does take a lot of forethought and planning.

 

How Do You End a Horror Story?

How Do You End a Horror Story

 

Everything Is Gone

At the end of this kind of horror story, everyone is dead, everything is destroyed, and there’s nothing left and no hope of anything ever rising from the ashes. Often this means good has won, and there’s no one left to fight but also nothing left to live for, though it can also mean that evil has won absolutely.

 

Good Conquers Evil… For Now

This is a classic. You’ve seen it before: the villain has been vanquished, dead and buried, and then the hand shoots out of the grave, or the prophecy promises the curse will return. This is a great way to go if you’re building a sequel or a series.

 

Hero Wins the Battle But Loses Something Else

The monsters have been quelled; the hero is victorious, everything on the surface is returning to normal. Except… something is wrong. Often this will come in the form of a post-trauma effect.

 

A Shred of Hope Remains

Here, everything is pretty bad – the villain might be dead or just about to be brought to justice, and everyone is broken. But there’s hope that maybe, somehow, something might be okay again, one day.

 

The Lesser Evil Remains

The hero has beaten the ultimate evil, and that part of the battle has been won. But, evil remains involving a secondary dimension of threat. This is often a great ending to craft a moral ambiguity, a discomfort that fits nicely into the unease inherent in the horror genre.

 

Whichever ending you choose for your horror story, the payoff only needs to do one thing – honor the genre.

 

How Do You Get Your Book Published?

How Do You Get Your Book Published

 

The prospect of publishing a novel can be daunting. As the book publishing industry shifts toward digital publishing options in addition to traditional publishing, first-time novelists have increased opportunities to get published.

 

Methods for Self-Publishing a Novel

 

1.  Via print-on-demand: Perhaps the lowest risk publication method in the publishing world is print-on-demand, where copies of a book are only printed when someone orders one.

 

2. As an ebook: Issuing digital copies of a book on an on-demand basis is even easier, as it requires no paper and no printing apparatus.

 

3. Via self-printing: You can self-print books in advance of publication and hope they will sell later.

 

4. As an audiobook: Today’s audiences frequently consume novels as audiobooks. It requires a narrator, who may be called upon to record dozens of hours of prose narration.

 

Steps for Getting Your Book Published Traditionally

 

1. Edit and proofread: A bevy of typos will make you look unprofessional. Remember that you may only get one chance with a publisher or literary agent; make sure they are seeing the best work you have to offer.

 

2. Identify a target audience for your book: A writer’s market for publishing houses is determined by their book’s markets—the potential audience who would be interested in their book. Within the publishing industry, certain genres hold more appeal than others.

 

3. Identify potential agents: While having an agent doesn’t guarantee your book will find a publisher, it certainly helps.

 

4. Submit your book proposal: Most literary agents do not want you to send an entire novel as part of a cold call. Here are some things they likely will want: A query letter, a 1-2 page synopsis of the entire novel, and 1-5 sample chapters—these combined elements from your book proposal.

 

5. Submit directly to a publisher: If you don’t have an agent, you can sometimes submit directly to a publisher—just know your odds of acceptance are very slim.

 

Hopefully, this article gave you some ideas regarding thriller novels.

 

 

 

How to write a fiction book

How to write a fiction book

How to write a fiction book

“Everyone has a book in them.” though the origins of this quote are under debate, its validity cannot be disputed. Most people have a story to tell, but not everyone ends up writing the story of their life. The reason being, it is not easy to share the personal details of your life with the world. Some things are private and should remain that way.

What is more comfortable to write is Fiction. If you are inclined towards writing, then it is very much possible to cook up a story and put it on paper. But before you start tapping the keys on your laptop, let us take a look at what exactly is Fiction and how you can go about writing and publishing it.

What is FICTION

Fiction

By definition, Fiction is something that is not real. It can be narrated in any medium like poetry, literature, movies, or songs. Coming to literature, Fiction is a narrative form. The most common formats of writing fiction are novels or short stories. An imaginary world, places, characters, and events are created to weave an exciting tale. Most of the time, the events and characters are inspired by real-life but written with just enough changes to qualify as Fiction.

Fiction is a way to depict or talk about real-life experiences in the form of an imaginary story. But it is also a gateway to let your imagination run wild and create fantastic stuff that is not possible in real life.

Let us now understand what the different types of Fiction that exist in the literary world are. Fiction can be divided into three major areas. It is essential to know the different kinds of Fiction that can be written before you embark upon your literary journey. From the very onset, you will need to decide what type of Fiction you are writing. The way you narrate the story, the plotline, and characterization, the general vibe of the book, will all depend on what type of Fiction you choose.

fiction Books

There are two ways to do this.

If you already have a story, then research which style will be best suitable to tell your story most effectively. Another way is to study the different types of Fiction and choose which class interests you the most. You can then start thinking of a story that will fit your choice.

  1. Literary Fiction
  2. Genre Fiction
  3. Mainstream Fiction

 

1. Literary Fiction

This Side of Paradise dust jacket.jpgIn simple words, Literary Fiction is more about the character or the protagonist of the story than the plot. It does not follow the conventional structure of story-telling and is infused with symbolism, metaphors, and allegory. In this type of Fiction, the story revolves around one or more principal characters. The narration is about their life, what they think, what they feel, the opinions they have, and the choices that they make. There are none or very few plot twists, and the story unfolds along with the life of the characters. The speed of the narrative is adjusted to the life events of the characters, and many a time diverges into subplots or themes.

Another significant consideration in literary Fiction is the time or place the character belongs to. Most literary fiction pieces shed light on the times in which the story is based and give the reader a glimpse into the society of that era.

Let us take a look at a few examples of literary Fiction to give you a better idea of what we are talking about.

  1. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise (1920): Fitzgerald’s first book— this book an inspection of the greed, morals, ambition, and love of the characters in a society that came into being post world war 1.
  2. James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room (1956): An American man living in Paris. The exploration of forbidden love in the most romantic city in the world. This book touches upon the controversial themes of Homosexuality and Bisexuality through the life and struggles of its central character.
  3. Edward P. Jones’s The Known World (2003):  This book is about the relationship between a former slave and a powerful white man who becomes his tutor. It is through these two characters; the writer explores many different perspectives during the antebellum era.
  4. E. Annie Proulx’s Postcards (1992): Postcards explores the idea of fate, industrialization, and isolation as it follows the communications of an unmoored protagonist back to his family as he makes his way across the shifting American West.

2. Genre Fiction

Unlike literary fiction, genre fiction is a populist type of literature which caters to a wide range of audience. Genre Fiction is all about writing stories in any particular category. Genre fiction traditionally comprises genres such as romance, mystery, thriller, horror, fantasy, and children’s books. In this type of Fiction, the entire book is written on any one particular theme. It is not that a little bit of mystery cannot be there in a romantic novel or elements of fantasy cannot be included in a thriller, but the central theme and narration remain faithful to the genre that you have selected. If you decide to write a love story, it has to be all about love. If choosing to write horror, the central theme cannot be romance, and it has to revolve around ghosts and evil spirits.

Types of Genre Fiction

Popular genre fiction relies on familiar templates, character archetypes, and tropes to attract readers, but the best examples use these elements in surprising and creative ways. Here are the primary types of genre fiction:

1. Mystery: This genre can be any story containing an element of suspense. The book written in the mystery genre is a journey the author takes the reader on, where each part of the puzzle is solved step by step, and the mystery is resolved in the end. Books in this genre are exciting, fast-paced and most of the time, involve some type of crime. There are various sub-genres too in this category like cozy mysteries, true crime novels, whodunnits, scientific mysteries, hardboiled detective stories, and police procedurals in the style of English stalwarts Agatha Christie and P.D. James.

Mystery book

2. Thriller: Closely related to mysteries, thrillers ratchet up the suspense and shock of popular genre fiction. They are known for creating a thrilling atmosphere and create feelings of excitement, apprehension, and anticipation among the readers. Authors like David Baldacci and Dan Brown dominate the bestseller list with their thriller titles. Today, the category contains numerous sub-genres, such as espionage, legal, political, crime, psychological, and techno-thrillers.

 

3. Romance: Love is in the air and everywhere in the book. This genre is simply about love stories of different hues and sensibilities. A romance novel is a work of extended prose fiction with a theme of love. The entire book is about developing a loving relationship between 2 people, the hurdles this relationship faces, and the culmination of their love. More often than not, these stories have a happily ever after ending. Subgenres include historical romance, gay romance, erotic romance, and contemporary romance.

Romance

4. Science fiction: Either set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian future or far-flung galaxies or alternate universes, sci-fi novels conjure up the “what if” worlds. Science fiction books can have a historical setting, but most are set in the future and deal with the ramifications of technological and scientific advancement. Sci-fi books not just create worlds that could be but also create imaginary species along with advanced human beings. Popular sub-genres are alternate history, parallel universe, alien invasion, artificial intelligence, and space exploration.

 

5. Fantasy:  This is the place of make-believe. Here anything is possible and within the pages of these fantasy books, Good always triumphs over evil. You’re probably familiar with the literary giants of fantasy world-building—J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, and George R.R. Martin. If you have read any of their books, you know what we are talking about. Mythical creatures, mystical lands, medieval-style kingdoms, magnificent larger than life characters all come together to create a whole new world of its own. Fantasy subgenres include urban fantasy, superhero fantasy, high fantasy, epic fantasy, dark fantasy, and sword and sorcery.

Fantasy

6. Young adult: YA fiction is geared toward 11- to 15-year-olds, but a considerable number of adults now read YA novels. These coming-of-age stories differ from their middle-grade predecessors by featuring more sophisticated language and intense themes. The books in this genre can be realistic or fantasy-based. You either create a world and characters that young adults can relate to or you create something that most kids in that age group fantasize about.

 

7. Historical Fiction: Historical Fiction is based upon a particular period or specific event in history. It can be as broad as something based in the 16th century or pertain to a particular event like the fall of the berlin wall. The whole idea is to weave an imaginary story around historical events or to go back to a specific era and create an account rising out of the circumstances of that age. Historical novels offer a chance to examine the past from new angles, imagining the inner lives of the characters defined by the historical events of a given period.

Apart from this, there are other genres like magical realism, horror, speculative fiction, and many more which you can explore.

 

3. Mainstream Fiction

When a literary novel or a genre novel exceeds all expectations of popularity and becomes a bestseller read all over the world by everyone and not just its targeted audience, it is said to belong to mainstream fiction. Apart from popularity, the core ingredient in most of the mainstream fiction books is the blend of genres. Most of the mainstream books successfully wander into two or more genres, creating a complex tale that enthralls a vast variety of readers.

This genre may look the most enticing, but it is not easy to attempt. There is a lot of research, skill, and hard work required for one to pull off a mainstream fiction book successfully.

 

How do you decide what type of Fiction to write?

writing fiction book

We have discussed the different types of Fiction that can be written. But how do you choose what kind to write?

Write about what you love. A good indication is the type of Fiction that you like to read. Most likely, you will want to write in a way similar to what you have enjoyed reading. If you are partial to a particular genre while reading, it makes sense to attempt writing in the same or related genre.

Write about what you are good at. It is as simple as that. Start your writing journey by selecting a subject that you are interested in. That will not just make the process of writing enjoyable, but you will have to do less research as you already are familiar with the topic.

Keep money out of it. There will be various blogs and websites that will tell you what kind of genre or style of writing is a sure way to make money. The truth is no one can predict a bestseller book just like no one can foretell which movie will be successful. J.K. Rowling’s manuscript of Harry Potter was rejected several times before it was accepted. So even people who have been in the business for long cannot always judge what will work and what will not.

Helps to keep an audience in mind. Though having a target audience in mind while writing the book is not required, it may guide you in deciding what you want to write if you have an idea of whom you want to reach out to.

Experimentation is not a bad word. There is no crime in starting more than one project at a time. If you cannot decide on any one thing to write about, start working on the two or three options that you are considering. Once you start writing, you will realize what is working for you and what is not. Sometimes a story may evolve from where you least expect it.

We hope we have given you enough ammunition to start thinking about how to start writing a fiction book. Writing is not just typing out the words. It is a journey where you evolve with the book. When you create a book, it becomes an extension of your being. Yes, it can be turned into a profession, and yes, it will earn you money. But the creative process of writing will always be about who you are and what you want to say to the world.

 

 

How to Publish Your Book!

get your book published

How to Publish Your Book!

 

We at Veronica Lane Books are always enthused to read fresh work from new writers. Our team of experts will guide you through the entire process and work alongside you to make your publishing dream come true. However, in this article, let’s discuss the best way to get your book published.

“You are now a published author!” Everyone who writes in any format has this ultimate dream of getting published. Getting your book published is serious and hard work. Ask yourself if you are really ready to put in the required time and effort.

 

The fear attached to going through the process of publishing is so much that for many of us it becomes a deterrent to even write. After all, what is the point of writing something if it is not going to see the light of the day?

 

Most of us have also heard stories of how manuscripts are thrown into the bin without even being opened. The idea of your painstakingly created work lying in some trash can somewhere send chills down your spine.

 

Well, we cannot let fear rule our lives and we definitely cannot allow scary publication procedures to stop us from exploring our creativity and giving words to our thoughts.

 

So today we are going to talk about things that you can do before and after writing your book that will make your pathway to publishing a little bit easier.

get published

Let us first start with the things that you can keep in mind before starting to write.

There are always certain topics that are trending. Once you decide on the genre that you would like to write in, find out what is trending in that particular genre. It may help to have some elements in your novel that are currently in demand amongst readers. It not only increases the chances of someone taking an interest in publishing it but will also help in sales of the book.

 

Unless you are absolutely confident about your story, we would advise you to stay away from any controversial or politically charged items in your book. Publishers always tend to play safe and if this is your first rodeo as a writer, better stick to a good fictional story that doesn’t ruffle any feathers.

 

Having said this, we would still urge all aspiring writers out there to write first and worry about publishing later. There is a lot that you can do once you have your manuscript ready in hand.

 

Let us assume that you have a story that you want to tell the world and now you are looking for someone to publish it.

 

You must first understand the different types of publishing that exist and how each one works before you approach anyone with your work.

 

1. Traditional PublishingTraditional Publishing

Traditional Publishing is generally related to big and medium publishing houses. Here the publishing house signs a contract with the author after the agent has done all the preliminary work. This contract allows them to publish and sell your book through booksellers and retailers that they have tie-ups with.

 

Once a publishing house signs you, they take over the process of getting the book publication-ready. They may even suggest a few changes in the book, title, etc. to make it more saleable. They will also design a suitable cover page. Remember that at this point they are investing their money into your book as they see the potential in it. So they will do everything in their power to launch it the best way possible and generate interest through various ways in your book.

 

Once the book is published, you as the author will receive a certain percentage from the book sales as royalty. These details will be clarified in the initial contract that you sign.

 

You will also be asked if you are allowing them just print publishing and selling rights or even signing over screen adaptation rights.

 

It is very important to make sure that you go through each word in the contract and take your time in checking everything before you sign the contract.

 

Traditional publications don’t want to waste their time or money and will only consider books that they are 100% sure about. It is all about the sales figures and your book will solely be judged on its saleability. This makes it extremely difficult for a first-time author to get on their radar, as they literally have hundreds of manuscripts delivered to their office daily.

 

Traditional publications also have tie-ups with literary agents. They depend on these agents to recommend books to them. Hiring an agent is another option for someone who is looking at getting published traditionally. But it is costly and you have to be prepared to incur the expense involved. This is a good option if you have faith in your book and genuinely believe it has chances of doing well if published properly. As then you will have a person with connections in the publishing industry working on your behalf to make sure your book gets noticed.

 

2. Independent Publishing

Independent Publishing

Independent publishing or Indie Publishing is often confused with self-publishing. This is not the case and both are quite different from each other.

 

An independent (indie) publisher is defined as one that operates on its own, rather than as part of any large corporation or conglomerate. It’s as simple as that.


Most of these publishers are very open to working with first-time authors. They have their ear to the ground and look for new and interesting work to publish. Another advantage is that they will take a personal interest in your book and also guide you through the entire publishing process. With indie publishers, you may have to pay for certain services like editing, graphic design and cover and cover art. The best thing about working with an indie publisher is that you keep complete creative control of your book. The indies also get your book out to the market much faster than the bigger, traditional publishers, plus they find smaller, niche markets to sell in that do not attract the bigger publishers. You will also not make as much money as you make with a big publisher.

 

3. Self-Publishing

Self-Publishing

This is the easiest option available today which was not there for writers earlier. All you have to do is write, edit, publish, market, and sell your book. Sounds fun? Well, it’s definitely cool, to not just have your name as the author but also as a publisher in the book. But the entire process is easier said than done.

 

First let us talk about platforms like KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), Smashwords, and LuLu that offer services and tools to help you self-publish. These are platforms where you can publish your book for free and even earn royalties. But do keep in mind that these are online platforms and you will not be having any copy in the local bookstore.

 

The biggest advantage of self-publishing is that it is free and easy. But if you are not satisfied with just an online presence and actually want a book that you can sell then you can consider approaching various agencies that do self-publishing.

 

Before you start jumping with joy, let us inform you that these are paid services.

 

They have various packages that include services like editing, designing and marketing, number of printed copies and distribution.

 

Signing up with these agencies is fairly easy. They don’t have any approval process. They will print your book if you pay them. The obvious disadvantage is that you have to shell out a substantial amount of money to get published. And the amount keeps increasing if you go for the premium packages. Plus, these self-publishing companies are not really interested in marketing your book, as they receive all their earnings up front.

 


The Case for Independent Publishing

Independent Publishing

Before we go ahead, we would like to emphasize the fact that there are no absolute rights or wrongs when getting your book published. As a creator, you have to weigh the options that are available to you at the given point in time and select an option that you feel works best for your book.

 

Having said that we advise first-time authors to go for Independent Publishing, there are a few reasons for that.

 

  1. You stand a better chance with them. You may try, but the chances of getting the attention of a major publisher, especially without hiring a literary agent is difficult.
  2. They will be more involved with your book as they have fewer projects on hand.
  3. They are easier to approach, friendly, and are always on the lookout for new authors to publish.
  4. They have a loyal fan following who love and read all the books published by them.
  5. Most independent publishers only agree to publish if they resonate with your book. This makes them emotionally invested in your project and they will do their best to promote it.

 

You may start with publishing a few stories online. Create a name and fan following and then move to an independent publisher who will do justice to your work.

 

Having said that, many first-time writers have struck gold with big publishers. Like we said, in the beginning, it is all about what you feel is right for you. So, if you have absolute confidence in your work, by all means, don’t be daunted. Keep pursuing the major publishers till you find success.

 

 

So, What Next?

 

We have given you all the information and the advantages and disadvantages of the three different types of publishing. Let us now move forward and discuss what you can do to get published with any of these.

 

There are a few things that are common no matter which way you go.

A clear demarcation of the genre your book belongs to.

 

Being ready with a proof-read manuscript. Nothing puts off a publisher as a glaring spelling or grammatical mistake.

 

Be ready with a gripping and impactful story synopsis and well-drafted letter. You will require both.

 

Traditional Publishers

  1. Most big publishing houses cater to all types of genres so you don’t have to worry if they will cater to your book or not.
  2. Do your research and find the emails of major publishers and their editors.
  3. Arm yourself with patience. It will not happen overnight. You will have to face a lot of rejections. Sometimes just getting a publisher to read your work can take months or years.
  4. Publishers receive scores of emails daily. Make sure your mail stands out.
  5. Hire a professional editor if you can.
  6. Hire a literary agent if you can afford one. This will increase your chances of acceptance.

 

Independent Publishers

 

  1. Most of them cater to certain genres or certain types of books. Do your research and find out ones who have published books similar to yours in the past.
  2. They may be more approachable than big publishers, but will not just meet anyone. Try and build a connection before you approach them.
  3. You can still find an agent. Most agents have personal relations with indie publishers and can be very useful in connecting you to the right publications.
  4. Be ready with your vision for the book, small publishers sometimes take their decision not just on the book but the vision of the author.

 

Self PublishersSelf Publishers

  1. Be prepared to do all the work yourself. You will have to work on all the aspects of the book yourself.
  2. Work tirelessly to promote the book. Since you don’t have any publisher backing you, you will have to sharpen your marketing skills.
  3. Sometimes because it is so easy, we take it lightly. Everything that is published in your name will be there forever. Take this as seriously as you would traditional publishing.
  4. Connect with someone who has self-published before to understand the entire process.
  5. If approaching an agency, research their credentials before you make any payment.

 

We hope this article helped answer your questions and we were able to demystify the process of publishing for you. We at Veronica Lane Books are always enthused to read fresh work from new writers. Our team of experts will guide you through the entire process and work alongside you to make your publishing dream come true.