Poorly Written Headlines #1

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Publishing, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

Yesterday, I discussed how a bad press release headline can kill your book promotion efforts before they’ve begun. But I’d like to provide some actual examples of what headlines do right, and what they do wrong.

So here’s the first in what will be an ongoing series:

What this headline does right:

  • Gives the genre: science fiction adventure
  • Gives the intended audience: young readers
  • Tells us that this is a series of books, so either the author already has books published, or they intend to publish more, i.e., we should all keep paying attention to them
  • It’s concise, just 67 characters, meaning most of it will appear in search engine results pages

What this headline does wrong:

  • Describing the book as fabulous

What makes a book fabulous? What makes this specific book fabulous? Is it fabulously well-written? Is there fabulous characterization, or fabulous world-building? Is the plot fabulously paced?

Flowery adjectives can make a headline pop, but by leaving the description vague, this headline is effectively meaningless.

The first ten words tell me a lot about the What, which is great. But the final two give me no hint of Why I should care. Young adult sci-fi books are a dime a dozen right now, and this headline fails to stand out from the crowd.

That’s it for now. I’d be happy to hear anyone else’s thoughts on this headline or my critique. I’ll try to do one or two of these each month.

Steve D

How Bad Headlines Ruin Your Book Marketing Efforts

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Publishing, Writers - Steve D'Adamo1 Comment

Way back in 2017, I wrote about the four basic elements of a good press release. In that post, I discussed how the headline and sub-headline should be used to hook a potential reader into actually reading the rest of your press release.

But I don’t think I emphasized enough one simple truth about press releases:

If your headline and/or sub-headline are not eye-catching, no one will read your release. Continue reading “How Bad Headlines Ruin Your Book Marketing Efforts” →

Haiku Sunday – Rosebush

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Poetry, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

“Rosebush”

Potent perfume nose

with mellowing citrus notes,

like a spring meadow.

The above is another one of our home infusions: Hendrick’s gin infused with dried rose petals. If you’ve never tasted rose petal-infused liquor, it’s basically just perfume. It’s potent as hell.

So i mellowed it down into a rather tasty cocktail:

  • 1.5 oz rose petal-infused gin
  • 0.5 oz Triple Sec
  • Squeezed lemon juice

Surprisingly, the lemon juice works to cut down some of the perfume taste of the rose petal, and the Triple Sec and cranberry juice add just that little touch of sweetness required to balance the drink. It turned out to be refreshing and smooth.

Are you all enjoying these infusion haiku as much as I am?

Steve D

April Write Day: Progress at Last

On By Steven D'AdamoIn The Warden of Everfeld, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

March felt like a long month, likely because I spent much of it at home. I am still unemployed, but I was able to use my wide-open schedule to make some legitimate progress on The Warden of Everfeld: Legacy.

But how did my other goals for the month fare???? Find out, next! Continue reading “April Write Day: Progress at Last” →

#Review: “The Price of Inequality” is Heavy on Rhetoric, Light on Much Else

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Reviews, Writers - Steve D'Adamo2 Comments

The Price of Inequality: How Today’s Divided Society Endangers Our Future by economist Joseph E. Stiglitz is in many ways a reaction to the Great Recession of 2008 and the US’s response to it.

I listened to this book on Audible, which likely impacts the way I feel about it. In short, I probably could have used the footnotes available in the print version. Continue reading “#Review: “The Price of Inequality” is Heavy on Rhetoric, Light on Much Else” →

Don’t Sweat the First Draft

On By Steven D'AdamoIn Creativity Sessions, Writers - Steve D'Adamo2 Comments

Writing the first draft of your manuscript is tough. I think it’s easily the hardest part of the entire publishing process. Not only are you trying to create a plot with authentic characters in a believable setting, but you want it to sound good. There’s a constant pressure to write something worthwhile, for you and for your future readers.

However, there is one thing I constantly have to remind myself of before I get bogged down in perfecting my first draft: don’t sweat it so much.

Continue reading “Don’t Sweat the First Draft” →

“The Grand Mythos” Chapter 3 is Up!

On By Steven D'AdamoIn The Grand Mythos of Úr’Dan, Writers - Steve D'AdamoLeave a comment

Chapter three of my short fantasy series, “The Grand Mythos of Úr’Dan” is now available on Wattpad.

Entitled “Hairek’s Hunger”, this chapter really starts to get into some of the early conflict between the First Four Vai’ad, as you’ll see in the chapter blurb below.

And if the concept of cosmic beings playing at god-games is a little too far-fetched for you, don’t worry. You’ll get to meet a more… earthly character in upcoming chapters.

Genre: fantasy, high fantasy, mythic fantasy

Chapter Blurb: The First Four Vai’ad are carving out their places in the Void, but are their purposes aligned? As Aeth’Ún, Gó’Dan, Hairek, and Órúma each search for meaning among the blackness of the Void, they may find that their unity is easily fractured.

Series Blurb:

Every world has its folktales, but even folktales carry a part of the truth. Follow the first beings in the universe as they try to bring order and life to their home. Witness the creation of the vibrant world of Úr’Dan, and the fantastic creatures who live there. Based on the unique fantasy universe of the novel, The Warden of Everfeld: Memento.

Go to Wattpad to read it for free: https://www.wattpad.com/story/163684352-the-grand-mythos-of-%C3%BAr%27dan-volume-one

Steve D

Awesome Con 2019: We Have a Table!

On By Steven D'AdamoIn On Publishing, Writers - Steve D'Adamo2 Comments

It’s official. We’ve gotten our table assignment for Awesome Con 2019! So, who’s going to be around DC on April 26-28 to visit M.L.S. Weech, Jessie, and me?

I guess it’s time to start laying out my con plans. Continue reading “Awesome Con 2019: We Have a Table!” →