Members Blog
Show Me the Money! The Financial Realities of Traditional Publishing
During a recent discussion with an aspiring author, who’d met with repeated rejection from publishers and agents, I suggested that he explore the self-publishing route. I told him how well it’s worked for me and for many of the authors I know — the majority of the...
Exploring the Anti-Hero
I’m about to begin a new novel featuring an anti-hero for a protagonist. In my previous science fiction series, the heroes were truly heroic. They were flawed, made occasional questionable decisions and real mistakes, but at the end of the day, the fundamental...
Writing Military Scenes in Your Science Fiction? Here Are Some Tips…
My first novel series was space opera. For those unfamiliar with the term, it’s a sub-category of science fiction that can be described as a blend of space warfare, epic good vs. evil tropes, and adventure tossed with a little romance. Think Star Wars. The books...
To NaNo or Not to NaNo…
November 1st is just around the corner. Writers, you know what that means! NaNoWriMo. If you are unfamiliar with this caffeine driven, slightly manic event, it’s an annual internet based project that invites writers to create 50K words of a novel during the month of...
Documenting a Superhero Series Relaunch Part 2
Document A Superhero Series Relaunch Part 1 After receiving my rights back during the summer, I have been preparing a series relaunch that started on September 2nd, 2019 and will release a new book every 21 days. I decided to document the process partially for...
What Today’s YA Is Still Missing: Ace Spectrum and Non-binary Characters
When I came out as demisexual (someone who can't feel sexual attraction without a deep emotional connection) four years ago, it did not go well. I was told that I wasn’t what I thought I was and given evidence why, as if another person could know anyone better than...
Documenting a Superhero Series Relaunch
My name is Jeremy Flagg and I'm a superhero author. In 2015 I received a publishing contract and launched my first superhero novel. While I wish I could discuss the wealth and the fame that came immediately after, the reception was less than warm. It was cold, like...
Opportunity Within a Tribe
It's not always what you know, but who you know. This is a line that has stuck in my head since I started my publishing journey. I'm not so much an introvert, but I am a solitary person by nature and prefer my quiet space over interacting with others. The...
NESWC Presenter – Jeremy Flagg
New England Speculative Writers Conference Presentation Discovering & Maintaining Your Followers April 13, 2019 | Portland MaineMailing lists have become the gold standard for connecting with fans, but we're already seeing a drop in efficiency due to "mail...
Women Edit, Men Write: The great gender divide of the publishing industry today
It is a commonly known fact that women are the curators of the man’s work, ingrained deeply into the United States from stereotypes crafted in the early 1900's and onward. Though the nuclear home ideal is as dead as dead can be with the Millennial generation, in...
NESWC Presenter – M.D. Cooper
New England Speculative Writers Conference PresentationCreating a Flagship UniverseApril 13, 2019 | Portland MaineWhat is a flagship series and why is it important? Does your book contain a world waiting to be expanded into a series? A flagship series helps to define...
NESWC Presenter – Paul Kilpatrick
New England Speculative Writers Conference PresentationBuilding a Partnership with Beta Readers April 13, 2019 | Portland MaineBeta readers can be one of the strongest craft tools in developing stories into great works of fiction. However, cultivating and managing...
NESWC Presenter – Christine Munroe
New England Speculative Writers Conference PresentationExpanding Distribution to International MarketsApril 13, 2019 | Portland MaineIn a global digital market, international sales can increase an author’s bottom line. Navigating foreign markets brings with it a list...
NESWC Presenter – Amanda Kahl
New England Speculative Writers Conference PresentationConnecting & Growing Artist Partnerships April 13, 2019 | Portland MaineCover art is one of the most important elements when it comes to book selling, but does the partnership end at book covers? Are there...
NESWC Presenter – E.J. Stevens
New England Speculative Writers Conference PresentationExpanding Your Brand at In-Person Events April 13, 2019 | Portland Maine In-person events such as conventions and conferences are excellent opportunities to get you and your books out to the public, but are you...
NESWC Presenter – Chris Philbrook
New England Speculative Writers Conference PresentationThe Value of Audio To Your Bottom LineApril 13, 2019 | Portland MaineAudiobooks are the number one expanding market for authors. With your books already published, how can you tap into this medium to increase your...
LGBT Representation: What it Is, What it Isn’t, and Why it Matters.
By definition, LGBT representation involves having characters of the LGBTQIA spectrum play a leading role in a story—or all of the roles. LGBT folk tend to travel in packs (I can say this from experience) so it’s pretty easy to write them in. Proper LGBT...
NESW Conference – What to Expect
The New England Speculative Writers Conference is a hybrid educational and networking event. We're excited to discuss what's happening with the event and wanted to answer questions from folks. The video above addresses all the questions, but for those who prefer to...
Writing Healthy – It’s all about routine
Routine. The most hated and feared word of people everywhere. Routine? Routine is the essence of boredom, the same thing being done repeatedly day-after-day, a life restricted to steps in a process. Who the heck wants a routine? One might argue that part of the reason...
Tracking The Words
This came up recently on the Facebook page and the timing was pretty good as I'd been thinking of writing about this topic anyways. Up until recently I didn't track my daily word counts. Didn't really see the need. I knew I needed to write everyday to get the kind...
