Lessons Learned from 1000 Books

Nat RussoMarketing, Necromancer, Publishing 132 Comments

**Updated February 5, 2020**

[Apologies for any poor formatting you come across. I imported this from another platform and I’m still sorting through WordPress idiosyncracies.]

Having sold more than 1000 copies of Necromancer Awakening (my bestselling dark fantasy novel, now available on Amazon), I’d like to share some of my lessons learned about independent publishing.

Some of them will delight you. Others will disturb you. I believe many will surprise you. Beware…many an exclamation mark lurks ahead.

One of my minions at work on social networking
[Update – January 10, 2015: This article was posted less than a month after Necromancer Awakening was published. In the interests of transparency, nine months after publication, that sales number is somewhere around 20k and climbing (not including 2.5k I gave away for free).]Read More

Spotlight: The Power of Six by Nicholas Rossis

Nat RussoWriters 2 Comments

It is my great honor and privilege to introduce you all to a wonderful writer and friend, Nicholas Rossis. I first met Nicholas through social media many months ago, and we hit it off right away. Those of you who know Nicholas know what a warm and generous man he is. And those of you who have read his work know what an incredible writer he is!

Let’s get to the important stuff. Nicholas is the author of the #1 Amazon bestselling epic fantasy series Pearseus (Year 18: The Schism, and Rise of the Prince are both available on Amazon, and I strongly recommend them).

Nicholas is releasing six amazing Science Fiction short stories in his collection “The Power of Six” on May 15th through Amazon. You can read one of the stories, Simulation Over, for free here!

 
 

But enough of me! I’ll let Nicholas explain in his own words.

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Free Story: Simulation Over

Nat RussoSpotlight, Stories, Writers 1 Comment

Nicholas Rossis, a wonderful writer and friend, author of the #1 bestselling epic fantasy series Pearseus  (Year 18: The Schism, and Rise of the Prince available on Amazon), will be releasing The Power of Six, a collection of six science fiction short stories, on May 15, 2014.

 
 
In anticipation of the release, Nicholas has honored us with a preview by allowing me to post one of the six stories, Simulation Over. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
 

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What Is The Right Chapter Length?

Nat RussoPlot and Structure, Process, Writing 21 Comments

New writers invariably get around to asking me the same question:

“What is the right chapter length?”

So let’s dig into this in a little bit of detail and figure out the answer!


Let me just preface everything I say in this article with “In the case of my style of writing…” That should drive the point home that I’m not trying to establish any “rules” I think people should follow.
 
For me, chaptering is a tool that serves at least four different purposes, and sometimes each at the same time.
 
 

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Necromancer Awakening Breaks Into Top 25 Bestseller List

Nat RussoNecromancer, Publishing, Reviews 2 Comments

I woke up this morning with a text message from a friend waiting on my phone:

“#25!”

I can hardly believe it myself. One week after publication, Necromancer Awakening broke into the Amazon Top 25 Dark Fantasy Bestsellers list.

 
 

Moreover, out of a half-million books on Amazon overall, Necromancer is currently ranked #5601! 

 

I can scarcely wrap my mind around it! I’m simply without the words to sufficiently express my gratitude to you all. Thank you so much for following my journey, from my first fledgling steps several years ago, to today…an Amazon bestseller.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

I promise you this: I’ll do everything in my power to make sure book 2 (Necromancer Falling) is even better!

4 Common Attributes of Successful Writers

Nat RussoOpinion, Writing 31 Comments

If this is the first time you’re putting pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, in an effort to produce a poem, short story, novel, or even some other form of art, know that you’re going to doubt yourself. You’re going to struggle to “get it right”. You’re going to feel like a fish out of water. And you’re going to want to quit.

Each of those things is a signpost on the road to success, because each is one of the four common attributes of successful writers.

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Necromancer Awakening: Chapter 1

Nat RussoNecromancer, Writing 1 Comment

The release of Necromancer Awakening: Book One of The Mukhtaar Chronicles is right around the corner. To celebrate, and to give you all a taste for what you’re in for, I’ve decided to release the first chapter right here on the blog.

 
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And don’t forget, if you want to read the rest of the story, Necromancer Awakening will be released on Friday, April 11 on the Kindle store, followed shortly thereafter in other formats. Read on past the jump for Chapter 1.

[UPDATE 5/10/2014] A month after release, Necromancer Awakening remains on 5 Amazon bestseller lists! Read on to see what all the fuss is about.

 
 
 

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Review: Story Forge Cards

Nat RussoReviews 11 Comments

A few months ago an old high school friend sent me a link to a Kickstarter project that he thought I’d find interesting. It was for a project called “Story Forge Cards”, and it claimed to assist writers with everything from plot issues, to character creation, to resolving moral dilemmas, and all that with nothing more than a beautiful deck of cards and chance. I spent some time reading through the details, and I was intrigued. But the timing was all wrong. I was elbow deep in starting my publishing company, hiring cover designers, and trying to get my first book out the door and published. I wasn’t in pure “creative” mode, so to speak.

A few weeks ago, as I began story boarding the sequel to Necromancer Awakening (my bestselling dark fantasy, now available on Amazon), I remembered those cards and set out to find them again. I came across the Story Forge Cards website, watched the video tutorials, and couldn’t wait to give them a try. I ordered my set and received them a few days later. After using them for a couple of weeks, and trying each of the various “spreads” (patterns/layouts of cards), I’d like to show you the product and share my experience. I’ll walk you through a “Character Backstory” spread and give you my opinion on how useful I found the cards.

 

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Readers Will Judge Your Book By Its Cover

Nat RussoPublishing 20 Comments

Admit it. You’ve judged a book by its cover in the past. No, you may not have put the book down and refused to buy it, but I’m willing to bet you picked one up and read the back because the cover caught your attention.

Am I wrong?


A bad cover may not hurt your sales, but a good cover will improve them. Human beings are visual creatures, and as writers/publishers we need to take advantage of this whenever possible. So how do we make sure we’re producing the best possible cover?

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