Tom Rance's blog

It's February... Spring will soon be in the air and thoughts turn to Romance. As part of our Valentine's Day special, we take a look at 50 of the greatest romantic novels of all time.

Le Grand Meaulnes - Alain-Fournier

When Meaulnes first arrives at the local school in Sologne, everyone is captivated by his good looks, daring and charisma. But when Meaulnes disappears for several days, and returns with tales of a strange party at a mysterious house - and his love for the beautiful girl hidden within it, Yvonne de Galais - his life has been changed forever.

Don’t get me wrong. Social Media is a great innovation. It’s a phenomenal way to communicate. It’s quick, free and easy and gives you good opportunities for feedback. Social Media and book marketing services for authors like the book promotions we do at Book Hub are really important and serve a vital purpose for authors who need to promote their books.

But is an author's social media all you need to promote yourself online?

Enter one of the largest literary awards geared toward the Indie press!

Enter on or before March 31, 2014 and your entry will receive a bonus 5-month, full color listing in your category on USABookNews.com! Open to all 2012-2014 titles.

Winners and finalists will be announced November 2014 just in time for the busy holiday retail season!

Joel Friedlancer from The Book Designers say that the most important selling tool self-published authors have in their book marketing toolkit is the book cover.

Your book cover represents your book to the world so you'll want to be sure it is shown off in its best light with its most professional image. For most authors, this is going to mean that you have to hire someone to create a really good cover for your book.

You're all over the definitions of "low lights," "ruching," and a "tankini." But can you spot a "Mrs. Potato Head" when you see one?

That's where Anna Lefler's The Chicktionary comes in. With the help of Anna Lefler and her collection of 450+ must-know words and phrases, you'll be in the know when faced with terms like Aberzombie, Bandeau, George Glass, and Puma.

This Armed And Dangerous writer’s guide to weapons comes from Michael Newton in the Whodunnit Series.

If you’re aiming to write the next 50 Shades of Grey here's three little sneaky books that will help you on your journey.

1001 Sexcapades To Do If You Dare

Bobbie Dempsey says that an exciting sex life isn't just for Playboys or Playboy bunnies anymore. With this book on your nightstand, you will be challenged to throw away your inhibitions, increase your pleasure, and keep boredom out of your bedroom for good! There's plenty to keep the passion alive with new positions, new locations, and new twists on old favourites.

The First 50 Pages by Jeff Gerke probably is one of the best writing reference books I have read. It is littered with different coloured post it notes sticking out the side for a quick jump back into it at any time. Why one of the best books? Oh dear, where do I begin? It’s the kind of book you want to read and re-read and re-read. You want to force every sentence to stay permanently fixed in your writing head.

Create good 'Baddies' when you start building fictional characters for your novel with agro bullies, nasty bastards and dangerous bitches.

How do you start to build fictional characters when you're an an aspiring writer or author?

Using Victoria Lynn Schmidt’s archetypes will help you make sense of your character and their world. It certainly will help you to address, explore and deal with current situations coming out of your plot.

Before you are put off by the word ‘Archetypes – they are, quite simply, unconscious image patterns that cross cultural boundaries.