A collection of inspiration, essays, and how-to gathered from 20 years of professional writing and 12 years of indie writing Long-tail publishing is something I've written much about recently as it's something most people, even so-called industry experts, don't understand. With long-tail publishing, I've been able to turn a steady trickle of sales into out-sized success. As examples, my Ruin Mist books passed the 1 million copy sold mark early in 2013 and my Bugville Critters books reached the 1 million copy sold mark in late 2013. That's pretty good success for the independent marketplace. How I got there was down a long, long road. One that required a significant amount of hard work and dedication. One that required me to believe in myself and my long-term success as an indie author. This 170-page book is organized into two parts. Part I contains 19 essays on writing, publishing, and the writer's life, including: On Independents Finding Your Place Traveling the Writer's Road Muddling Through the Gold Rush Taking Your Work to Hollywood On Rejection Letters Selling Rights to Your Books On Bestseller Lists Now Appearing Tweet, Tweet How Far Indies Have Come On Pirating On Book Sales Data Finding Success as a Writer Write What You Know Wagging the Tail on the Dog Secret Sauce Where the Money Goes How Much Can Indies Realistically Make Part II provides authoritative guidance on developing and improving your creative process, including discussion of: Getting Organized Building Blocks for Effective Writing Improving Your Ideas Effective Writing Strategies Delivering Your Finished Work Whether you are a new writer, an established professional or somewhere in between, we truly hope you find this one-of-a-kind resource for writing, publishing, and success to be helpful and insightful.
Robert Stanek's remarkable writing career has spanned more than 30 years. During this time, his books have been sold in 34 languages in over 50 countries and with more than 50 bestsellers. His more than 150 works of fiction and nonfiction range broadly in literary genres from action/adventure, mystery and suspense to science fiction and fantasy, in subject areas from computer technology to military memoir, and in children's picture books for toddlers, preschoolers and early elementary school readers. Not only is Robert Stanek astonishingly prolific, his life experiences and travels have taken him through all 50 states and many countries around the world. In his youth, he worked as a roofer, builder's helper, stock boy, gardener, auctioneer's assistant, and more. His military career as an Intelligence analyst and combat flyer took him to the far corners of the world from Asia and the South Pacific to Europe and the UK. In addition to being a writer and technology journalist, he is an illustrator, a photographer, an educator, and an explorer.
