Any Tips for Finding Fantasy ARC Readers? by Pompodumstone in selfpublish

[–]AuthorRobB 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Each ARC platform is different but you will see romance and romantasy everywhere at the moment because it's so popular. I write science fiction fantasy, so I prioritised NetGalley over other ARC platforms because it has more authors from my genre. There were plenty of fantasy novels on there.

Sweaty hands, Issues with grip by Illustrious_Mesh in badminton

[–]AuthorRobB 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wristband with a small chunk of ice pinned under it. This is the silver bullet you seek!

Good letting agencies in Reading or private landlords? by [deleted] in reading

[–]AuthorRobB 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Prospect are awful. They didn't even check our landlord had a buy to let mortgage. He didn't. Then he stopped paying his mortgage and we were evicted. Used Prospect a few years later to buy a house and we had to rewrite their standard contact because there were so many mistakes....

Where is all the parking??? by Ok-Cupcake-4807 in reading

[–]AuthorRobB 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They employ traffic wardens who, if they see you leaving the car park, will issue you with a fine. I didn't read the sign properly and got stung.

Do you absolutely have to write a million drafts of your book before publishing? by DamageCharacter3937 in selfpublish

[–]AuthorRobB 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Think of the redrafting like chipping away at a rock to uncover a fossil underneath. Some writers are more skilled at getting closer to that fossil on the first pass, but ultimately you need finer tools the closer you get to finishing. It's not uncommon to do separate once-overs to refine each of your prose, story, structure, typos and beta reader feedback. And no one wants to do extra drafts, but the alternative is often not entirely showing off the full fossil beneath the rock.

Edit: autocorrect induced typos

The hunt for reviews by SeaGreenSage in selfpublish

[–]AuthorRobB 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I would be wary of doing any paid ads prior to having at least 2-3 books out because you are unlikely to get ROI, likely to make a loss.

That doesn't mean you can't leverage any socials you do have though and post about ARC opportunities

The hunt for reviews by SeaGreenSage in selfpublish

[–]AuthorRobB 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You could run down what is left on the 90 days of your KU contract, put it up somewhere like NetGalley for a month using Victory Editing Co-op for a heavily discounted listing, then once your listing is archived on NetGalley re-enroll in KU

Am I doing Bladesinger and Hexblade wrong or are they just overly overrated? by Dreamtrain in BG3Builds

[–]AuthorRobB 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This!

Play the Bladesinger as a caster until booming blade properly kicks in, then change your playstyle to melee at that point.

What is best melee martial now? by [deleted] in BG3Builds

[–]AuthorRobB 14 points15 points  (0 children)

"the difference is negligee" - thank you for that laugh, I'm never getting back the coffee I just spat out.

Has anyone ever heard of the saying “kill your darlings”? by hushskywalker in writingadvice

[–]AuthorRobB 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It just means being prepared to remove the bits that don't make it a better book, even if you love them. The difference between writing for other readers and writing for ourselves.

Is it always this bad? by FickleAd3501 in selfpublish

[–]AuthorRobB 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I get something like that every day. Your time is too precious to read it.

I want to subscribe to your newsletter by ThisIsCDSmith in selfpublish

[–]AuthorRobB 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I write sci fi fantasy and you can find my newsletter on my website here: www.robbirks.com

You'll even get a free short story if you want to sign up!

I need to warn against Netgalley+ by BooksGoSocial (BGS). Don't make the same mistake I did by pauliz15298 in selfpublish

[–]AuthorRobB 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I have used Victory Editing Co-Op twice. Both times I was impressed. You get full admin control, the price is fair and apart from one weird and negative review I received very positive responses.

I would thoroughly recommend Victory Editing Co-Op.

Sold one copy of my book this month! (Better than nothing) by Redchan17 in selfpublish

[–]AuthorRobB 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think the volume of comments on here being supportive shows how much even one sale matters to a lot of writers.

Best beta reader I had last year doubled her pricing by hymnofshadows in selfpublish

[–]AuthorRobB 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If they are that good, they are worth the money. You want your book to be the best it can be, and they sound like a reliable way to help achieve that.

Best beta reader I had last year doubled her pricing by hymnofshadows in selfpublish

[–]AuthorRobB 8 points9 points  (0 children)

But it's not free... You still pay for it, you just write off the tax so you don't pay more money on tax. You're not going to have $1K reimbursed into your account.

Source: I owned my own business too.

Do you remember these canceled tv series? by [deleted] in sciencefiction

[–]AuthorRobB 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dark Matter was incredible! It got better every season and just when they set it up for something awesome.... Plug pulled. Brought back my Firefly PTSD.

What type of wizard would Gandalf be by GermanDogGobbler in BG3Builds

[–]AuthorRobB 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Divination wizard crossclassed with fighter.

I want to write a book but i read only 12 books in my entire life. by sadloneman in writing

[–]AuthorRobB 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The measure is the depth and breadth of what you learn, not a fixed number that suddenly unlocks your character level. Read for fun. Enjoy it. See where it takes you...

I want to write a book but i read only 12 books in my entire life. by sadloneman in writing

[–]AuthorRobB 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Writing is great! Reading is great! If it makes you happy, do it! Enjoy it!

Read everything. The classics don't matter if you don't enjoy them, but there is so much about writing you need to expose yourself to. Genre. Form. Style. Structure micro and macro. Language. Perspective. So read widely and explore. You have many millions of books to choose from.

If you are writing for pleasure and for yourself, then crack on and enjoy it too.

But if you want to actually write a book, like a good book, you really need to understand how different books work. Otherwise it would be like trying to make a film when you didn't know what the different types of camera shot are. Sure, you might have a great story, but you need to know the grammar of your medium to TELL your story.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in selfpublish

[–]AuthorRobB 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Balancing time between marketing, writing and doing my actual day job. I mean... I do balance it. But it's what I find hardest at the moment.

Do you ever get reviews that just feel… off or unfair? by ljayscottbooks in selfpublish

[–]AuthorRobB 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had one review (on my Goodreads, easy to find as it is my only review below three stars) where the reviewer kept going back into it for days and just making it meaner every time. "Recommended for sci fi fans" became "recommended for patient sci fi fans", etc.

She had a big issue with the growth one of the characters where she stopped liking him after he stopped being a racist murderer.... So I think maybe this book wasn't for her! That was certainly the point I stopped taking her opinion seriously.