Writing a Bestselling Series, Chapter 10: Agents, Editors, and Writers
Most new writers dream of getting a high-powered agent and editor, and as a new author I was no different. As an older writer, I’m a bit more skeptical. I got my first agent fairly easily. After winning the Writers of the Future Contest and having the award ceremony atop the World Trade Center in […]
Writing a Bestselling Series, Chapter 9: Writing Fun
Many authors, when they “get serious” about writing, discover that their attitude will suck all of the fun out of their work, and it shows in their prose. A novelist who isn’t having fun will tend to write beautifully and powerfully, but may go an entire novel without cracking a joke, without displaying a sense […]
Writing a Bestselling Series, Chapter 8: Making Connections
While my early novels were all bestsellers on the science fiction lists, hitting the New York Times bestseller list was another matter entirely. With each novel that you write, you’ll find that you make new business and personal connections with people. You need to be prepared for that. For example, when my first novel came […]
Writing a Bestselling Series, Chapter 7: The Lifesaver
I knew that the second book in my Serpent Catch series was doomed. There were three indicators. The first was that my publisher had been bought out by a conglomerate that wanted to ditch all of the science fiction and fantasy authors—literally dozens of them. The second came when my editor asked that I change […]
Writing a Bestselling Series, Chapter 6: Round Two
I felt gratified that my first novel was well received, but I discovered that no matter how well you think things through with a novel, you’re apt to make mistakes.For example, I knew that I wanted to write fantasy, but my publisher thought I was doing so well in science fiction, that they wanted only […]
Writing a Bestselling Series, Chapter 5: Taking the Challenge
When I got my first writing contract from Bantam Books, I had two problems. One was my health. I was still fighting off my chronic fatigue syndrome. The second problem was that I had never written a complete novel. Sure, I’d written a dozen short stories and I’d started four novels, but I’d never figured out how […]
Writing a Bestselling Series, Chapter 4: Writing Discipleship
When I switched my major from medicine to “Editing” at BYU, I really decided to immerse myself in my writing. Now, I don’t want you to think that I gave up on everything else. I had other artistic interests. I had always been good at sculpting, had studied photography, and I was interested in oil […]
Writing a Bestselling Series, Chapter 3: Studies
As a young writer, I had a lot of doubts. Perhaps foremost was the problem that I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. Like most teens, I spent a lot of time . . . trying to figure it out. My father really wanted me to take over the family business. […]
Writing A Bestselling Book Series, Chapter 2: Hooked On Writing
I’m not sure exactly when I got hooked on writing. As a child I began experimenting with drawing pictures and adding a few words of story to them, as many children do. At the age of 9, I wrote a little poem about Halloween and drew a picture to go with it. My schoolteacher showed […]
Writing a Bestselling Book Series, Chapter 1
Frequently I’m asked, “How do you write a novel series?” and I’m left to flounder for words. You see, I know what they really want. They don’t want to know just how to write a series. Any fool can do that, and a lot of them try. There is no sense in writing a series […]
