Category Archives: Getting Published

The struggle to get read: getting past the agents and publishers to the read readers, the ones that buy/borrow books, the ones that really count. I think.

The Last Blog

Posted on November 6, 2022 by Susannah J. Bell

This is my final blog for the foreseeable future. Please support this struggling author by reading and reviewing my books! A good place to start would be THE NIGHTMARIST, a collection of short stories which you can read about on … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022: A Fresh Start, General, Getting Published, Life in Bloomsbury, My Books, On Writing | Tagged bye | Leave a comment

Late bloomer or withered petal?

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Susannah J. Bell

Someone commented on one of my blog posts recently. This was totally amazing because (a) I don’t get many/any comments and (b) the post was ancient. I mean, really ancient. I had to google it to find it because I … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022: A Fresh Start, Getting Published | Tagged failed writer, failure, late bloomer, success, writer | Leave a comment

Brand new book!

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Susannah J. Bell

My anthology is published! Wow! I forgot what a rush it is to see a brand new book on Amazon! I had planned to publish it last year, but, you know, 2020 being what it was – quite a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Published, My Books, On Writing | Tagged anthology, collection, ebook, ebooks, Fantasy, fantasy book, KDP, KDP Publishing, kindle, kindle book, kindle prime, New, new book, new books, science fiction, Science Fiction Books, scifi, short stories, the cover collection, The Nightmarist, The Nightmarist and Other Stories, TheCoverCollection | Leave a comment

Which cover to you like the best?

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Susannah J. Bell

The publication of my brand new anthology is drawing near! I only need to sort out the cover, then I can head off to KDP and start uploading stuff. But WHICH cover? There are basically two birds to choose from … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Published, My Books | Tagged am writing, anthology, book cover, book covers, bookcover, bookcovers, books, choose a book cover, diary of a bloomsbury writer, Fantasy, life of a writer, literary, On Writing, pre-made book cover, romance, science fiction, selling writing, short stories, writer, writers community, writers experience, writers life, writers' life, writing, writing community, writing from alter-space, writing life, writing process | 2 Comments

How to ruin your chances with an agent

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Susannah J. Bell

Who is the first agent you approach? The best one, of course, whoever you think that may be. In my mind, it’s the Curtis Brown agency. So when the time came for me to start trotting my new novel around … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Published | Tagged agent, agents, am writing, amwriting, diary of a bloomsbury writer, finding an agent, getting published, literary agents, novel writing, On Writing, selling writing, successful writing, writer, writers, writers community, writers life, writers problems, writers tips, writing, writing career, writing community, writing fantasy, writing from alter-space, writing life, writing problems, writing process, writing tips | Leave a comment

What those rejection letters really mean

Posted on August 1, 2020 by Susannah J. Bell

I’ve been trying to find an agent for Honeysuckle Rage and the Everlasting Tree for nearly two years now. In that time, I’ve become utterly convinced that my bright, shining, lovely novel that I thought everyone would like was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Published | Tagged agent rejection, agents, editor, editors, getting published, literary agents, opinion, reblog, rejection, rejection emails, rejection letters, rejection slip, rejection slips, writers life, writing, writing community | Leave a comment

Is it worth bringing out new editions of your self-published books?

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Susannah J. Bell

Yes, definitely. I could just leave it there! There are so many reasons, not least of which is checking for errors. I personally like updating my published books if I bring out a new book – I would definitely want … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Published | Tagged aesthetic, books, covers, fonts, formatting, kdp books, KDP Paperback, KDP Publishing, long short stories, new books, New Editions, novellas, novels, production, science fiction, Science Fiction Books, science fiction series, scifi, short stories, Smashwords, writers life, writing, writing community | Leave a comment

When self-publishing becomes a major league drag

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Susannah J. Bell

Just uploaded my gorgeous new cover (from The Cover Collection) for THE EXODUS SEQUENCE! It’s considerably more noticeable than the cover I cobbled together, with really rich, bright colours and spacey enough to tell what genre it is. I also … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Published | Tagged amazon, Amazon Bookshelf, Amazon KDP gliches, book cover, book covers, books, Connected, connected short stories, ebooks, KDP, KDP Paperback, KDP Publishing, Novelette, novella, science fiction, scifi, short stories, the cover collection, TheCoverCollection, thwarted | Leave a comment

Choosing my first pre-made book cover

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Susannah J. Bell

I will be the first to admit that my book covers are not the best. With a zero budget, no required degree in design, and working within the sadly limited choices of KDP, my book covers have not turned out … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Published | Tagged blue, book cover, Exodus Sequence, KDP, kdp covers, KDP Publishing, moon, pre-made book cover, science fiction, Science Fiction Books, scifi, shattered, the cover collection, The Exodus Sequence | 4 Comments

KDP Paperback Problems Part Two

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Susannah J. Bell

KEEP LINES TOGETHER! Remember that. It’ll come in handy later. In my last post I complained bitterly about the new KDP template for a book, highlighting three immediate problems: American spelling (disaster when you write in anything else); bizarre circles … Continue reading →

Posted in Getting Published | Tagged ADVANCED MS WORD, BREAKING PARAGRAPHS, KDP, KDP Paperback, KDP Publishing, KDP templates, KEEP LINES TOGETHER, PARAGRAPH, self-published, self-publishing, SPLITTING PARAGRAPHS, USING MS WORD, WIDOWS AND ORPHANS | Leave a comment