Updates

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  MJ Blehart is now friends with Mary R. Woldering.

  • July 29, 2018
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  Mary R. Woldering joined the group Writing Goal support group!

  • May 15, 2018
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  Mary R. Woldering https://www.maryrwoldering.com/blog
  My blog this week features Andrew Cairnes and Stephen Trolley

  

  • May 15, 2018

  • Amy Lehman and Thomas Weaver like this.
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  Mary R. Woldering → Stephen Trolly: Hopefully you saw the interview part 1. www.maryrwoldering.com if you didn't

  • May 15, 2018

  • Amy Lehman likes this.
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    Stephen Trolly I did see it yes.Thank you

    • May 16, 2018
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    • 1 likes this
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  Mary R. Woldering → "Under A Hunter's Moon" - Cover Reveal: Not even sure I know the first step in a cover reveal. I've fantasized about one and took steps in my second and third books but was ultimately told I was not allowed to have one by Createspace which owned the designs until I hit publish. This may not...  moreNot even sure I know the first step in a cover reveal. I've fantasized about one and took steps in my second and third books but was ultimately told I was not allowed to have one by Createspace which owned the designs until I hit publish. This may not have been true, but you already know about me from our adventures in B2Bcycon. Still blind. Still stumbling :-) I just now saw the announcement about your reveal. Sorry I mussed it.  

  • May 4, 2018

  • Amy Lehman likes this.
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    Timothy Bateson That's one of the nice things about doing my publishing myself. I have full control of what I reveal, and when. I've actually been waiting to do this cover reveal for weeks...

    • May 4, 2018
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    • 1 likes this
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  Mary R. Woldering Daily moan: When I read the myriad of self help books on indie publishing, I always come away un-helped and more frustrated. Most assume I have set aside moneys and planned a budget. I haven't.
  I'VE BEEN WRITING.
  The next thing mentioned is getting your...  moreDaily moan: When I read the myriad of self help books on indie publishing, I always come away un-helped and more frustrated. Most assume I have set aside moneys and planned a budget. I haven't.
  I'VE BEEN WRITING.
  The next thing mentioned is getting your Beta readers together.
  
  At first, I had no idea what or who a Beta reader would be.
  
  After I learned what a beta reader was, I assumed I'd be able to choose from a pool of people who read the first book and then might be interested in reading the next two. By now I'd have a group eager to read the coming fourth in my series.
  MY 10-15 regular READERS LOVE MY WORKS but won't Beta. They want to buy the finished product. Most of them are either not finished with the first or second book, or are writers themselves with their own businesses to tend.
  Thus...I read their work, blog about them, review them, and hope upon hope that I will be granted that magic group of Betas who have time and interest to catch up and read before I hit publish on my fourth book.  less

  

  • April 27, 2018

  • Amy Lehman and Judith Rook like this.
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    Thomas Weaver Although it's good to have beta readers who are familiar with the earlier books in a series, it isn't necessary that they all start at the beginning. If you have at least one beta reader (and yes, I know it's difficult to find 'em in the first place) who...  moreAlthough it's good to have beta readers who are familiar with the earlier books in a series, it isn't necessary that they all start at the beginning. If you have at least one beta reader (and yes, I know it's difficult to find 'em in the first place) who isn't familiar with the earlier books, that person can tell you whether other readers who start in the middle will be able to follow what's happening.  

    • April 27, 2018
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    Judith Rook Can indie authors not write and publish without beta readers? I once worked with two beta readers on an early book, and their opinions were almost diametrically opposed. What do beta readers represent - the reading public?
    If, by "a beta reader" we...  moreCan indie authors not write and publish without beta readers? I once worked with two beta readers on an early book, and their opinions were almost diametrically opposed. What do beta readers represent - the reading public?
    If, by "a beta reader" we mean a developmental editor, that's another matter.  

    • April 29, 2018
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    Thomas Weaver https://annerallen.com/2014/08/what-is-beta-reader-everything-you/ From the blogpost about what beta readers are: "They differ from editors since they usually comment as readers, not industry professionals." You don't need beta readers. IMO, it's better...  morehttps://annerallen.com/2014/08/what-is-beta-reader-everything-you/ From the blogpost about what beta readers are: "They differ from editors since they usually comment as readers, not industry professionals." You don't need beta readers. IMO, it's better to have no beta readers than to have ones who don't offer useful feedback. (I know it's often seen as "heretical" to say that not all feedback is useful, but really, not all feedback is useful. I could tell stories...) In the SF/F beta readers group here, I've been sharing links to articles I think are useful to both authors seeking beta readers and to readers who want to volunteer as beta readers. You may find answers to your questions in one of those.  less

    • April 30, 2018
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  Mary R. Woldering is now friends with Stephen Trolly.

  • April 27, 2018
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  Mary R. Woldering is now friends with Thomas Weaver.

  • April 27, 2018
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  Mary R. Woldering added 2 new photos.
  When I called Createspace to ask that they design the cover for my next book, I discovered they no longer designed covers and were relying on author's making their own with pre-made and lettering selections. I had specific ideas and no pre-made photo...  moreWhen I called Createspace to ask that they design the cover for my next book, I discovered they no longer designed covers and were relying on author's making their own with pre-made and lettering selections. I had specific ideas and no pre-made photo worked. My son who is formatting and editing the book asked to do the cover but stated it would be with Adobe Illustrator and would be more cartoonish. I have the preliminary idea here and the design/layout is good.
  The color (purple theme) may need tweaks and the row of palm trees discarded.
  The idea was the Flower of Life symbol behind NEW pyramids.
  Any suggestions or hints?
  Using photo manipulation might mean starting over and out of our limited capability (outside stealing a photo from someone else)  less

  • April 17, 2018

  • Amy Lehman likes this.
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    Lucinda Moebius Although I don't think we have a lot of activity yet, I hope you join the Cover Group. I'm hoping some cover artists (with a variety of price options) join the group so we all have options for cover artists.

    • April 18, 2018
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    Thomas Weaver I agree with you that the line of trees ought to go; it seems to distract from the rest of the composition. (Once an art teacher, always an art teacher...) I like this cover. It's not "cartoony" to me; it's stylized and clean-lined. (Leonardo Da Vinci...  moreI agree with you that the line of trees ought to go; it seems to distract from the rest of the composition. (Once an art teacher, always an art teacher...) I like this cover. It's not "cartoony" to me; it's stylized and clean-lined. (Leonardo Da Vinci said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.") I recommend NOT trying for a manipulated-photograph cover if your cover artist isn't up to making that look good -- better a stylized and simple cover done well than a "realistic" photograph cover done badly. I like the dark purple tone for the main color: it's not too pure a hue, which would give the wrong impression of what the book is about (IMO, bright, clear, "rainbow-y" colors would make potential readers think "book for youngsters" or "New Age book about crystals," both of which you've mentioned as false impressions you want to avoid.) The TITLE is a little bit hard to read in this smaller-than-typical thumbnail, and it may be worth trying the text in a very pale golden color, ivory rather than...    less

    • April 19, 2018
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    • 1 likes this
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  Christina "DZA" Marie is now friends with Mary R. Woldering.

  • April 14, 2018
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  Mary R. Woldering LOOKING FOR AUTHORS TO INTERVIEW ASAP!!!
  
  DO YOU
  LIKE MYSTERY, MAGIC, AND A LITTLE HISTORY?...  moreLOOKING FOR AUTHORS TO INTERVIEW ASAP!!!
  
  DO YOU
  LIKE MYSTERY, MAGIC, AND A LITTLE HISTORY?
  HERE’S A FREE WEEKLY BLOG FOR YOU…It’s all about CHILDREN OF STONE – a “historical science fantasy” series
  set in Ancient Egypt, the Middle East and later on…? --ODD & CONTROVERSIAL HISTORY -- BITS & PICTURES bits and pictures I’ve found from time to time.--MY EXCERPTS--AUTHOR
  & CHARACTER INTERVIEWS (request one now) --WRITING TIPS --RELEASES & PROMOS--MONTHLY SHARE THE LOVE PARTY HAT FREEBIES
  Mary R.
  Woldering Author, Children of Stone – and other
  coming stories! Https://www.maryrwoldering.com  less

  

  • April 14, 2018

  • 4 people like this
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    Alvin Atwater Seems like I'm not the only one who jumped on the excellent wix-site editor lol. I won't be able to get my domain name until the end of the month though

    • April 18, 2018
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  Mary R. Woldering joined the group Jacquie Rogers's Pickle Barrel Bar and Books

  • April 14, 2018

  • Jacquie Rogers likes this.
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    Jacquie Rogers Welcome, Mary.

    • May 8, 2018
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    • 1 likes this
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  Mary R. Woldering joined the group Wendy H. Jones' Book Buzz

  • April 14, 2018
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  J stoute is now friends with Mary R. Woldering.

  • April 7, 2018
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  Mary R. Woldering Most of the comments I get on my books is that they are too deep, too long, characters too well developed (seriously), not an easy, entertaining or light read. A few claim to love it, but it's not widely going anywhere. Is it that I am writing the wrong...  moreMost of the comments I get on my books is that they are too deep, too long, characters too well developed (seriously), not an easy, entertaining or light read. A few claim to love it, but it's not widely going anywhere. Is it that I am writing the wrong stuff for today's market.
  
  here's the Amazon link for the reviews  

  http://Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mary-R.-Woldering/e/B00OND

  http://Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mary-R.-Woldering/e/B00OND7QMU/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

  • April 2, 2018

  • Judith Rook likes this.
  • View all 6 comments
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    Eric Martell Mary, How long are your books on average? Anything over about 100k words is rough on the average reader. I tend to agree with Thomas. Perhaps you're not hitting the correct audience. It sounds like you're writing more literary style than pop style, if I...  moreMary, How long are your books on average? Anything over about 100k words is rough on the average reader. I tend to agree with Thomas. Perhaps you're not hitting the correct audience. It sounds like you're writing more literary style than pop style, if I may be allowed to use those terms. Different marketing might make a difference.  

    • April 2, 2018
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    Mary R. Woldering Long. 400-480 pages. But look at Harry Potter, I reply. I agree with the wrong audience idea, but I live in a light fiction, blue collar area, so promoting my books live has not exactly worked.
    I attempted the historical fiction crowd, but was dissed...  moreLong. 400-480 pages. But look at Harry Potter, I reply. I agree with the wrong audience idea, but I live in a light fiction, blue collar area, so promoting my books live has not exactly worked.
    I attempted the historical fiction crowd, but was dissed because of the fantasy/sci-fi elements. The fantasy crowd lamented the lack of elves and fae. The sci-fi crowd wanted hardware or space opera...and many thought the books were about crystals LOL
    I saw the other comment about continuing to crank out books, which is what I am doing but each one takes about 18 months and I will be 70 in a few months.  less

    • April 2, 2018
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    Thomas Weaver I have no idea where the notion came from that most readers don't like long novels, although I see it stated online as often as the opposite, "I like big books, I cannot lie." The longest book that I know the actual word count on -- I'm sure some novels...  moreI have no idea where the notion came from that most readers don't like long novels, although I see it stated online as often as the opposite, "I like big books, I cannot lie." The longest book that I know the actual word count on -- I'm sure some novels by Tad Williams are longer, as is at least one of Clive Barker's -- is just short of 244K words, and I've never seen a review of it complaining that it's too long, even though it's about twice the length of a normal epic fantasy novel. (Reviewers complain about the spelling of characters' names, they complain -- wrongly -- about the "incorrect" use of italics, but they don't complain about number of pages.)  less

    • April 2, 2018
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    Eric Martell Thomas, Understand what you're saying and somewhat agree, but the 100k point is commonly bandied around. I'd guess that there's a difference in reading difficulty involved also. JKR's books are a very easy read at what I'd consider a lower grade level,...  moreThomas, Understand what you're saying and somewhat agree, but the 100k point is commonly bandied around. I'd guess that there's a difference in reading difficulty involved also. JKR's books are a very easy read at what I'd consider a lower grade level, so they can be longer. Go read War and Piece or something with a bit of complexity and it requires an entirely different level of effort. Also, acceptable length may be somewhat dependent on genre, but I'm just speculating here.
    I sometimes run my writing through the Fleisch Kincaid scale and try to keep it around a 12th grade level although Grammerly says my word usage is in the high 90% level. Anyway, I usually manage to feel my story is complete somewhere between 80 - 120 k words, but then I'm also leaving room for a sequels. (no cliff-hangers-hate that).
    Mary-you may have another 30 years of writing if medical science continues to advance. That's a lot of books. Keep it up. (and write faster:-)  less

    • April 2, 2018
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    • 1 likes this
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    Eric Martell Brief note on readability. I reviewed a book for an author a couple of years ago. It was getting good reviews and I tried to be nice, but the writing was so obtuse that it made for very unpleasant reading even though it wasn't very long. I - personally -...  moreBrief note on readability. I reviewed a book for an author a couple of years ago. It was getting good reviews and I tried to be nice, but the writing was so obtuse that it made for very unpleasant reading even though it wasn't very long. I - personally - can't speak for others - like direct stories that move me easily from one point to the next. Every time you force the reader to pause and try to figure out what is going on, you risk losing them by driving them out of the story. I want total immersion from my readers - I'm just not a good enough writer yet - but I'm getting better. (I hope.)  less

    • April 2, 2018
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    • 1 likes this