Amanda Meuwissen

I’ve lost count of how many times, usually while at a convention like I was the weekend of MCBA Fall ComiCon in St. Paul, Minnesota, where someone mentioned to me that they too are a writer but have yet to complete one of their ideas. I tend to offer the same advice in these situations, that I was also an idea-driven person without the ability to execute my ideas to fruition and complete a story, but what saved me…was fanfiction. I think fanfiction lends itself to seeming eas

One thing I love about being both a self-published author and an author who has worked with smaller indie publishers is the amount of control I have over my product, and how much more hands-on everything can be with the process and interacting with fans. I do all my own promotion and outreach, so talks with fans is often the highlight of my year, especially talking about my newest titles. After Lovesick Gods came out last fall, while the response to the work itself was amazin

I love fandom. I love fanfiction. I don’t plan to ever stop writing it or being part of fandoms that make me smile. I am also a published author, and most of my books are adapted fanfics. Why? Because they are the stories I pour my soul into, and if I can change them into something that a wider audience might enjoy, I love the idea of doing that and pulling in more readers. Why not? After all, I have spent months, even years sometimes, writing fanfics, and they are no less im

1. You can’t please everyone This is something we all struggle to learn, not because we don’t already know, but because it affects us anyway and it is such a tough thing to slough off. You’re a published author, you’ve had the book professionally edited, typeset, with a cover you love, promoting it as best you can…and you still get negative reviews. It’s not that you don’t know to expect this, it’s that it feels like a blow every time and you have to remind yourself of this f

With the successful launch of my new book, Life as a Teenage Vampire, the start of my first blog tour is now underway with Bewitching Blog Tours. I mentioned last week how important I think blog tours are for spreading the word about new titles, and the next step of course is to promote each stop and remember to thank the sites who offered your book the chance to shine. Today starts with an interview at Ramblings of a Coffee Addictive Writer. And what fun questions! When you

Fingers crossed, because today…I’m celebrating the launch of MY first self-published book, Life as a Teenage Vampire. Previously, I went over how I decided on becoming self-published, and the process I go through to publish my books using Createspace. But once you have everything written, edited, typeset, and ready to launch – what comes next? Sitting around and hoping that the right fans discover your book isn’t going to cut it. One of the most important things is getting re

Now, there are tons of sites out there that can help you with self-publishing and distribution. Createspace just happens to be the print on demand service I find most helpful for my work, and I’m familiar with it, as it was also what indie publisher BigWorldNetwork used for my previous titles. Step 1: Write your book I think we can all agree this is the hardest and yet most obvious part. Step 2: Edit your book And I don’t just mean yourself. Everyone needs an outside editor,

I thought there was no greater feeling than having a publisher interested in my stories, than getting that response of acceptance and knowing that finally, finally someone was taking notice of all my hard work and the struggle was about to pay off. But I’ve since learned that the true bliss of publishing comes later. Actually, for me, I get bliss at several stages. The writing itself, especially after finishing a certain scene or moment. When I complete the full manuscript fo