Features

Why, dude? Why in the world would you stop writing movies for money to write and self-publish your own books? Never mind. I know why: you’ve lost your mind.

I get it. I sometimes think it myself. But not very often and not for long when I do. I wrote television movies and feature films in Hollywood for 15 years. I got paid to do it. The money was good. I wrote 56 films (commissioned and spec). I was produced 18 times on TV—CBS Lifetime, Hallmark. I had a sweet house in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains an […]

Six months ago I quit my job to write a book.

Because I was blessed financially, I decided that if I were to get some roommates I could feasibly leave the job I hated and pursue my real dream—to write a novel.

And I did. My debut novel, a steampunk fantasy called “The Charismatics,” released on December 13^th on Amazon and my website.

How was I able to produce something in such a timely fashion? Well, I want to share my experiences and timeline with you.

Firstly—the main reason I was able to publish a book in six […]

When writing a book, what are the turn-offs for a reader? SPR editor Cate Baum reveals some of the no-no’s she’s come across on her literary travels in self-publishing.

1. Epigraphs

The unnecesary epigraph, that is, the quote from the cheesy and cliched favorite writer gleaned from Goodreads to make the writer appear erudite and witty, is rife in self-published books. Unfortunately, most of these attempts only have the effect of looking cheap, snarky and tired, as well as having the potential to show up the author’s own writing on the very next line.

So many books open with Gandhi, […]