Whilst Frank McCourt [Angela's Ashes] and Augusten Burroughs [Running With Scissors; A Wolf at the Table] survived accusations of inaccuracies in their memoirs, James Frey's highly successful A Million Little Pieces, 2002 [featured on Oprah's Book Club] did not help the genre when it was later revealed he made up 70 per cent. However, the truly … Continue reading Memoir and Voice and Why You Need to Sharpen Up
Tag: Publishing & Writing Advice
Identify Your Target Audience by Joanna Penn
Writers: 5 Tips on How to Identify Your Target Audience by Joanna Penn [June 13, 2013] http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2013/06/13/identify-your-target-audience/One of the most difficult questions for an author is figuring out ‘who are your target audience?’ If you’ve tried to pitch an agent or publisher, you will have been asked about ‘comps’ or comparison authors which is just one … Continue reading Identify Your Target Audience by Joanna Penn
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Advice to Aspiring Writers from PD James
27 May 2012 PD James' memoir, Time to be in Earnest (1997, London: Faber & Faber) reminds me greatly of the writing style of Elizabeth Jane Howard in her memoir, Slipstream, in that they can both make the most mundane of daily activities quite mesmerizing. Nary a redundant phrase to be had. James' memoir is a diary … Continue reading Advice to Aspiring Writers from PD James
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You Will Never Learn to Write [April]
30 April Nothing is going to happen re launching my book until I have finished this semester's Masters assignments. Then I will have 6 clear weeks during which I will edit a few chapters each day and post them here; plus - I can put them on Authonomy and once 10,000 words are up, the … Continue reading You Will Never Learn to Write [April]
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Excellent Writing Resources
21 May 2012 Writer's Digest (May 2012) suggest using a single channel such as Kindle Direct which sells to Amazon and if successful, switch later to a multiple channel such as SmashWords which sells to all outlets except Amazon. There is also the option of assisted self-publishing with Abbott Press (part of WD), Harlequin and … Continue reading Excellent Writing Resources
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False Memoirs / Vanity Publishing [May]
25 May 2012 Reading Augusten Burroughs' new book reminded me that he was pulled up for fibbing in Running With Scissors by the family his mother 'gave him to' at age 12 or 14 (can't quite recall). I think he had to call it a book rather than a memoir but it did not hurt his success. … Continue reading False Memoirs / Vanity Publishing [May]
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You Will Never Learn to Write [May]
26 May 2012 Reading Augusten Burroughs' new book reminded me that he was pulled up for fibbing in Running With Scissors by the family his mother 'gave him to' at age 13. I think he had to call it a book rather than a memoir but it did not hurt his success. His book, A Wolf … Continue reading You Will Never Learn to Write [May]
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