Recently I received advice from developmental editor and book coach Savannah. Her advice on setups/hooks set off a lightbulb in my head💡I had to share it with you all! Still having trouble deciding where to start your book? How do you know you’re starting it in the right place? I’ll be sharing Savannah’s advice in this episode. Follow her on Twitter @savannahgilbo

So you’ve found critique partners! Yay! Now what? How well will you work together? Can you gracefully back out if you prefer to look for someone new? How do you keep up the communication? @CPmatchmaking is mentioned in this episode.

Indie authors, what’s a good strategy for pricing your books? Should you price them for free, 0.99, $2.99+. I’ll share how to price ebooks along with paperback books. While you do want to remain competitive in your pricing, are there times when free works in your favor? Should you do this all the time? Of course not. This is your business, so don’t cheapen the quality of your work. Strategy is the key. Smashwords.com andAmazon KDP are mentioned in this episode.

My journey to publication. While I do plan on traditionally publishing in the future, here’s my experience with self publishing. Smashwords.com is mentioned this episode along with, Goodreads and Booklikes.

Since I’m working on outlining my next novel, I recently discovered yWriter software. This is a software to organize scenes, chapters, characters, and settings at a glance. Listen to my thoughts. I mention K.M. Weiland and Simon Haynes in this episode.

Should you use an outline? If so... which one? I’ll be referring to K.M. Weiland’s How to Outline your Novel and onestopforwriters.com

According to onestopforwriters.com “symbols and motifs add depth by placing harmonic elements into a story to reinforce an author’s emotion rich insight.” Say what? Think of it as another way of using metaphors or similes. Figurative language ring a bell? I’ll explain.

Hooks. They are usually the first opening lines in your manuscript. It’s also your readers’ third impression of you as an author after your cover and blurb. What do you do? K.M. Weiland’s Structuring Your Novel is mentioned in this episode.

Cover design. Is yours eye catching or amateurish? What’s the best thing to do when you’re a writer on a budget? Should you make it yourself? The cover is the first thing readers see before they even read your blurb. Is it wise to make your own or hire a professional? I mention MS PowerPoint, shutterstockcom, bigstockphoto.com, and viladesign.net in this episode. At the end of the day, make the decision that works best for you. When using MS PowerPoint, save file as a JPEG.

How do you get to know your characters? How do you make them 3-dimensional? Here I’ll share my process of creating well rounded and relatable characters. I reference onestopforwriters.com. This is a longer episode, but I think you’ll thank me😉👍