I measure success in two equally important ways: the faith a publisher has in me, and the readers' response. Before you can have the second you need to have the first. If a publisher believes that the stories I tell deserve to be known, that is what makes it possible for me to bring my books to the attention of readers. To put it facetiously, my first measure of success is the fact that my books didn't go into the slush pile. Without a good publisher who understands your needs and desires as a writer, all you have is manuscripts...
Measuring Success: With the Metric System
We asked our authors to share how they measure success when it comes to their writing and their books. We hope you enjoy them. How do I measure success? With the metric system. Seriously, success is difficult to describe, which in part is why we're writing about it here. My own personal measure of success is not by sales or publishing, though, those are great perks of the job. My measure of success is finishing. Yes, I want people to read my stories, enjoy them and even re-read them. But, to me, that's validation, not actual success. Success is starting...
Measuring Success: Telling Stories
We asked our authors to share how they measure success when it comes to their writing and their books. We hope you enjoy them. When I first started writing, I wrote primarily for myself. Success was getting the words out on paper, by pen or typewriter. Then I started posting stories with other people in forums and a blog. People liked my characters and their stories. People commented, which meant they read my stuff. Someone else actually liked what I was doing! My level of success changed. It was to get published. Because of my fear, I sent out four,...
How Do You Measure Success?
One of the more interesting lessons we've learned since starting Paper Angel Press is that every author is unique. (Okay, we knew that going in...) What we have also learned is that every author brings with them their own way of measuring their success when a book is published. We've asked our authors to share with you their thoughts and insights on how they measure their own success. We will be sharing those with you over the next few weeks, so watch this space!
New Book Release: “Best Intentions (Book One of the Glass Bottles Series)” by J Dark
We are thrilled to announce the immediate availability of Best Intentions (Book One of the Glass Bottles Series) by J Dark. When your past is left undone, it will come find you. Fern Fatelli is a private investigator, specializing in more shady activities than finding children. The situation that launches her deeper into the uncertain realm of Magick is Fern being hired to expose Hervald Thensome, a prominent businessman in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as an adulterer. From this point on, Fern’s situation spirals deeper into the realm of magic and danger. Attacks by a mysterious man, and her own contracted...
New Book Release: “The Iron and The Loom” by Flavia Idà
We are thrilled to announce the immediate availability of The Iron and The Loom by Flavia Idà. How many times, she wondered, had she woven together cloth that his sword had then torn apart along with the flesh underneath? The year is 1136, the place Tropèa, a walled sea town in Southern Italy during the Norman domination. Kallyna d’Àrgira, a master of the arts of the loom who can turn the world into silk thread, is pledged in marriage by her father to Raimo Trani, a man she hates. After a sudden tragedy leaves her at Raimo’s mercy, into her...
New Book Release: “Homecoming (A War Mage Novel)” by Jake Logan
We are thrilled to announce the immediate availability of Homecoming (A War Mage Novel) by Jake Logan. Even wizards in the U.S. armed forces have to go home some time. First Magus Brent Rogers of the US Army stationed in Afghanistan is ordered to return home on furlough. Considered a war mage, he is trained to find enemies at a distance, to blow up their bombs, and to alert his men of danger. None of this is needed in the city of Worcester, his hometown. Brent has to learn to relax, to not see threats in every corner, and to...
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Trigger Warnings
Recently, on an editorial group I'm part of, the topic of trigger warnings came up. Predictably, a huge outpouring about the ridiculousness of such warnings was vomited forth by, frankly, a bunch of older white men. I posted the following in response: Just because some people may possibly, by your estimation, not require a trigger warning, doesn't mean that you are fully aware of everyone who does. I don't think that it's within the purview of editorial services to judge who may or may not possess a trigger response to given stimuli. There are people who have come through some...
Slush Pile December!
Now that we're heavily into November, and anyone doing NaNoWriMo is already committed to their novel, a lot of writers are asking, "What's next? What do I do now that I've written it?" We are here to help! Paper Angel Press will be running a blog series during the entire month of December, "Slush Pile December," to help you get your manuscript into shape for potential submission. Every Thursday, we will throw down on some topic of relevance to the new writer looking to make their submission stand out from the rest of the slush pile. We are super excited...