A Simple Blueprint

I regret that I have not had the time as of late to devote to this blog. I plan on setting aside a scheduled time during my day off to rededicate myself to this endeavor. Today I depart from movie reviews and top five lists to impart a few things I have learned along the long arduous road of the publishing process.

My name may not be synonymous with "best seller" or "successful full time author" but I remain hopeful this shall come to fruition in some near future. My confidence is fueled by some of the reviews I have received within the last couple of years since my Morian Trilogy has been released. I discount any comments provided by those I am acquainted with. Though they are appreciated, I find  these individuals tend to give lip service and convey what they think I want to hear.

The commentary I value most are those who have never met me nor have heard my name before taking a chance on purchasing and reading my work. I find these testimonies untainted by biases and most enlightening.  Here is an anonymous entry on Barnes and Noble about book one of the Morian Trilogy:

"Whether you are an Isaac Asimov or L. Ron Hubbard fan, MoriaVaratu by David Lee Jones is destined to be the next Classic Novel in the SciFi gendre. Check out this compelling and enthralling story by South Carolina author David Lee Jones."

Here is one from Amazon.com from Glenn Giznad"

"Have you ever read a book and the action plays like a movie inside your head as you proceed? That is the way this book reads. Not only do you become personally connected with the characters (both human and alien), but the twists and turns of the storyline will keep you from wanting to put the book down. There are so many variables in this Martian/human saga that you just can't wait to discover what happens next. I highly recommend reading the first book in this trilogy, Moriavaratu, and once you become hooked, you will not want to stop once you get to this one. The third and final chapter in this epic story is on its way and it can't get here anytime too soon for those who are endeared to this chronicle."

I will refrain from any more propaganda, but more reviews of my work can be found on Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, iTunes and Lulu.com. If interested all one has to do is search David Lee Jones on these sites.

In closing I would give aspiring writers the following advice:
1. Never give up, never surrender! Thanks Galaxy Quest. The publishing process is saturated with rejection. The most important thing to remember... there is someone out there who will eventually dig what you are shoveling. You just have to have the determination and constitution to keep shoveling.

2. Goose the reader every page! I make every chapter a mini cliff hanger so the reader can't stop at just one page or a single chapter.

3. Reread everything! I like to give it a week and revisit my work. Reason is, especially when the creative juices begin to pour, your dictation of thought may outpace your fingers. I find when I come back to a page there are missing words and screwed up concepts I need to revise to make any sense of my dialogue.

4. Screenplay it! Convey every page as if it were a scene in a movie. Use plenty of dialogue to move the story along. Readers won't deal with bland for long, keep them on their toes with plenty of heart pounding action and twists and turns within your plot.

5. Social Beat it to death! Use any type of media you can think of to get your name out there. I have close to 5,000 likes on my authors page on Facebook. I try to tweet any spare time I have and LinkedIn is not a bad place to network either. Sometimes I feel I am a broken record, but it does tend to get people talking about ya.

I got my start on My Writers Circle. Here you can find plenty of like minded individuals with tons of great advice. Also, another great resource is AuthorsDB. This site is a worthy endeavor to give aspiring writers a vehicle to promote their work.

In closing I will say, this is just a blueprint on how I got published and how I got my name out there. It may not work for everyone, but it is a place to start. And, I am just getting started. If this gives you a head start, then I am glad I could help. If not... there are plenty of resources out there to point you in a direction. Whether its the right direction... just be careful... there are a lot of sharks in the water.

Thanks for stopping by...