After talking to some avid readers, however, one of the biggest issues became clear: no one really knows how to leave a review. Not the tech side of it (platforms make that easy, phew!) but rather the questions of “will this even help”, “will I piss off the author”, etc. tend to freeze the fingers and block readers from leaving their honest opinions…
I’m hitting a MAJOR deadline this month…👀
What’s February going to bring for fans of *Song of the Sidhe*? More characters, intrigue, and magic, of course!
Shiny Object Syndrome is “great” 🙄
If you follow me on Threads (@nikkiauberkett), you may have noticed a super quick blip of me saying, “I’m moving my newsletter to Substack.” TRANSLATION: “I’m experiencing Shiny Object Syndrome and have no idea what I’m actually talking about so please ignore this announcement until I have receipts!” Did I go to Substack, set up my account, and play around with the features? Yes. Did I quickly discover it doesn’t do what I want/need it to do? Also, yes. “So…is anything changing?” Not…
5 Reasons Why I Switched to Scrivener (and you should, too)
If you’re an aspiring—or even experienced—author who wants the best recommendations for writing software, you, my friend, are in the right place. Because I’m a stubborn loyalist who hates change. I’m also an author who needs to become way better at organizing my world-builds for the series I keep growing. My writing career began at…
Hwaet! Grendel
Examining Neanderthal Humanity and Spirituality Through Archaeology and Oral Tradition This paper was originally written for and presented at the 2016 Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology Conference (University of Northern Iowa). After several attempts to submit it to anthropological publications and being told it “wasn’t anthropological enough”, I’ve decided to self-publish it here. Enjoy! Defining religion…
Retellings: Why They’re Vital to Our Culture & Should Always Be Loved
Have you ever heard the story of Tam Lin? Probably not. Unless, of course, you’re one of the millions of readers and fans of Sarah J Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses. I confess to being one of those people who tries and tries so hard to avoid “going mainstream” and getting sucked into the…
What’s the #1 Secret to Successful Self-Publishing? Run It Like a Business
Print-on-demand technology has been a game-changer for the publishing industry, with companies like IngramSpark leveling the playing field between independent authors and traditional publishing houses. No longer does an aspiring author need to pitch to dozens of literary agents or sift through rejection letters from publishers or wait years for their manuscript to be whittled…
The Dos and Don’ts of Book Awards
It’s been almost a year, and I keep forgetting to tell people: I’ve been, and will continue to be, a book awards judge. Not that it comes up in conversation on a regular basis. And, to be honest, I always viewed it as voluntary service — a way to further support self-publishing authors in their…
The 4 Layers of Editing (& Why You Need Them)
You’ve finally finished writing your first draft of your novel, and you’re ready to have it looked over by an editor — but what type of editor?