"Where does this notion come from that just anybody can write a novel, if they could only get around to it? I never hear the claim that just anybody can be an Olympic athlete, or a brain surgeon, or a space shuttle commander. Even if we did "have the time" to raise capital and invest wisely, few people could manage to be as rich Donald Trump. But somehow, publishing a novel apparently involves nothing more than unskilled labor, stringing a lot of sentences together until you fill enough pages with words." ~~ Kevin J. Anderson
"If you've been reading like crazy, you will know what audience you are striving to gather. Again, all opinions can be valid, but the opinions that matter are the ones that come from those who can buy your book." ~~ Heather Graham
"Don't ever stop. Don't ever, ever let anyone tell you that it's a pipe dream. Dreams are lost because we believe they can't be reached. Believe in yourself. Think Nike. Just do it." ~~ Heather Graham
"You will never be perfect. Never. You will eventually finish stories and novels and achieve a sense of accomplishment, of satisfaction, even. You'll start to get confident in your work. But the story will never appear on the page the same way it did in your head. And that's OK." ~~ Mer Lafferty
"To me, a hack is someone who is writing so freely and unselfconsciously that the material is flowing from some deep inner fountain, a place where true beliefs and feelings dwell. Such a story will automatically have resonance if you have learned enough of the basic writing skills to communicate your soul." ~~ Scoot Nicholson
"The internet is particularly sneaky because you feel like you're working when you're online. You are not working -- even if, like me, a small part of your business comes through the internet. You're not doing your core business. I have number of writing friends who refuse to remove the internet from their computer. Those friends get very little done. All of them have spouses who work, and so the writer doesn't have to bring in a lot of money. All of them frown at me when I suggest removing the internet from their writing computer. Everyone has these leaks, as the poker players call it. A leak is something that drains your income, something that has nothing to do with your work. And it's often something you're not willing to give up." ~~ Kristine Kathryn Rusch
"If you want a successful freelance career of any kind, you'll overcome the things that get in your way. You can't do it all at once. You have to tackle one problem at a time. But you're willing to work on those problems. If you're not willing to solve the problems years of trying, then you probably don't want this freelance career (whatever it is) as much as you think you do. Discipline is not about forcing yourself to improve. It's about wanting to get better." ~~ Kristine Kathryn Rusch
"While the amount of lousy writing that finds its way to the shelves of bookstores can be a source of encouragement, it's a mistake to think that if you write a novel that's better than 90 percent of the crap out there, it will be a surefire success. The fact is, while quality is certainly an important factor in determining a book's success, it's far from the most important factor. There's only one surefire way to write a bestseller, and that's to be famous before you write it." ~~ Robert Kroese
"The good and bad news about marketing fiction is that beyond being a celebrity (or at least a known author), no one really knows what goes into making a successful novel." ~~ Robert Kroese
"Write the book that you want to read. If you can do that, you're long way toward creating successful book. Too many writers worry about getting 'published' when they should be worried about writing a book that people want to read. Write what you are excited about. No matter how eclectic your interests, there are other people out there like you - and they have friends." ~~ Robert Kroese
"The time to know what your book is about is before you start it, and you damn well better know what it's about by the time it's finished." ~~ Alexandra Sokoloff
"Develop a routine. Writing every day isn't necessary, but you should regularly schedule time to write, and stick to that schedule." ~~ J.A. Konrath
"If you get a story or novel rejected over and over again, MOVE ON. There's no conspiracy keeping you from getting published. You've been rejected because your book isn't good enough, or it doesn't seem profitable to the publisher. Get over it and writer something else." ~~ J.A. Konrath
"All of us, even those of us with many books in print, are still learning. Anyone who says he knows everything there is to know about writing is either lying or a fool. Approach your first novel as a leaning experience, not as your surefire plan to become rich and famous. Don't even think about hitting a bestseller list. The odds of you writing a bestseller your first time out of the gate are so astronomical that you'd be better off playing lottery." ~~ Brandon Massey
"It's much easier to find what is failing rather than explain what makes a piece of writing succeed." ~~ Scott Nicholson
"Write what you love, what you are passionate about, (or as King says, what scares you), then figure out how to sell it when you finish. Let me repeat: SELL IT WHEN YOU FINISH!" ~~ Dean Wesley Smith
"Never let anyone tell you to shelve a book for any reason. ANY REASON. NEVER let anyone tell you to NOT market a book. Not your spouse, not your workshop, and certainly not some stranger who has a business card that says agent on it. Put your work in front of people who can buy it and keep it there. That's good business. Nothing short of that is." ~~ Dean Wesley Smith
"Be professional and not too personal. No one really cares what you had for lunch unless you had that lunch with Dean Koontz." ~~ Dean Wesley Smith
"The more books you have on Kindle, the greater your chances of being discovered. And if someone discovers you, and likes you, they'll buy more of your ebooks." ~~ J.A. Konrath
Hope you enjoyed reading this collection of quotes.
