About SharingwithWriters Blog


Named to "Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites," this #SharingwithWriters blog is a way to connect with my readers and fellow writers, a way to give the teaching genes that populate my DNA free rein. Please join the conversation using the very tiny "comment" link. For those interested in editing and grammar, go to http://thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Novelist Shares Writing Secrets and His Reviewer List!

So you want to be an author, huh? Join the queue. Millions of dreamers want to be one, and they are very talented writers with repertoire of some fancy and obscure words that are seldom used. Their grammar is perfect and their statement construction is flawless. So it should be a no-brainer for them to write great books that everyone wants to read. Right? Wrong.

There are many elements that make up a good book. The most important element (at least in my opinion) is that the story should come from the heart. When I started to write my book in January of 2010, it took me less than a week to pour my initial thoughts down. However, to expand on the idea, to read over and over again for typos, to tighten the storyline, etc. – took me about fifteen months. Was it worth it? Absolutely. It was a journey down the memory lane that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you decide to write a book, don’t hurry. I know…I know…you must be thinking, "it’s easy for you to say.” But believe me, it’s worth it. I too was very impatient in the beginning as I was very eager to have my “masterpiece” out.

My thinking was very simple. To make people read my book and let them decide if it was worth their time. Unlike seeing a movie (where one spends only 2-3 hours of their time), reading a book is at least a week of their time. So it better be worth it. I was very encouraged with positive reviews on Amazon. And I was pleased when it was a finalist in a contest to be considered for inclusion in libraries all over America.
 
I also decided to submit it for reviews in as many places as I could. Now I've decided to share some of those 35 reviews on Goodreads and 18 reviews on Smashwords with fellow authors because those amazing blogs, sites and reviewers will help some get reviews for their own books and may convince others to read India.  Here are some of those review links:
 
Here are some review links:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



About Today's Guest Blogger and Author:

The author was born and raised in Mumbai, India. He came to the US in 1989 and lived in New York. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. For more information about INDIA WAS ONE, please visit WWW.INDIAWASONE.COM or contact the author at author@indiawasone.com

 
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

3 comments:

  1. Bookmarking this for sure!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, Diane, a new friend I met through my New Book Review blog (http://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com). He's very sharp! (-: Nice to hear from you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great list of links, and also a good example of how to promote reviews.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for commenting on posts at #SharingwithWriters blog, a Writers Digest 101 Best Websites pick at
www.SharingWithWriters.blogspot.com. You might also find www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com full of resources you can use and
www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a free review site will benefit your book or increase your reading pleasure.