“Mastering Your Mystery” by Cheryl Bradshaw has everything you want to know about writing a mystery book or creating a mystery series. Beyond that, there is more information on genre details, scriptwriting, and building the proper settings.
I have no interest, at the moment, in writing fiction in any sense. But, that does not mean that most of this information wasn’t valuable. I write an article every day, sometimes even more than once per day. Many of the techniques, such as how to write a series, are ideas that I can use.
I can start to incorporate short stories in my articles that can carry over from piece to piece. There are all kinds of amazing things we can do as a writer. I like that this book has most of the things you need to know from the beginning, all in one place—a true one-stop shop.
The second half of the book is dedicated to authors new to the publishing world. I want to focus my five takeaways on the second half of the book, where I feel most people will get the most use of the information. With that, let’s get into my five takeaways.
1) Selling a series can be a great way to get readers invested in your world. You can discount the first couple of books in the series, and people will pay the total price to complete it. However, your books must hook them.
2) Advertising plays a huge role in getting sales and increasing awareness of your books. Learning to be effective on Amazon and Facebook can prove vital to having a successful writing career.
3) The end of your books is a great place to put your author page, future books, older books, and email mailing list. Use this space wisely, as it may be your most valuable advertising space out there.
4) Giving away free books is a great way to build your mailing list. Your mailing list plays a huge role in your success as a writer. It is a direct link to your readers, and you can grow your sales by focusing on producing great content for your readers.
5) Writers write every day. During the book, multiple authors constantly stressed that writers write every day. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement and have written every day for 173 days straight. I am very proud of this achievement and aim to keep it going for as long as possible.
Early in your writing career, you need to decide what you want to accomplish with your writing. Do you wish to write and publish, or do you want to make a living with your writing? Answering these questions will lead you to either solely focusing on writing or widening your scope to advertising, market trends, analysis, email lists, etc.
As a writer, it is good to read experiences and points of view from successful writers. I continue to read, write, and learn about this fantastic profession, and I know what I want to accomplish with my writing. I recommend this book to all aspiring writers, especially those who wish to specialize in fiction—a great read and well worth your time.
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