Write! Daydream, Type, Profit, Repeat!

by James Maxey

Being a novelist is a pretty sweet deal.You daydream, you type, and people pay you. There are possibly a few additional steps, but that’s why you need this book. It will walk you through the process of turning your imagination into polished, professional stories that people will pay to read. Make money doing what you really want to WRITE!James Maxey has more than twenty years of experience publishing novels through mainstream publishers and the indy press. He's taught numerous workshops, been a guest speaker at libraries and museums, and been honored as a Piedmont Laureate. He writes stuff. You can too."Positive, solid advice offered in a breezy, useful way. It's going on my small shelf of writing books." — Gary Cohn"A must read no matter where you are on the journey!" — Airian Eastman

152 pages, Paperback

Published July 14, 2020

About the author

I've been an avid reader since I first picked up a book. Luckily, I was within biking distance of three different libraries growing up. I was a skinny kid. If only I had maintained that link between biking and reading, I might be a skinny adult.

I'm also a writer. I wrote my first book as a kid, an adventure about pirates and ghosts. When I was a teenager, I used to write superhero adventures. Then I went to college and was steered toward writing "literature." It took me several years to shake that off, and today I write the sort of books I devoured by the shelf when I was sixteen, fast-paced fantasy, SF, and superhero adventures, which I use to explore deeper questions about life. My goal is to always be thought-provoking and always be fun.

I've had short stories in about a dozen anthologies and magazines. My novels to date are:

Nobody Gets the Girl

The Dragon Age trilogy
Bitterwood
Dragonforge
Dragonseed

Burn Baby Burn

The Dragon Apocalypse
Greatshadow (January 2012) -- A team of superpowered adventurers are recruited by the Church of the Book to extinguish the primal dragon of fire, Greatshadow.

Hush (July 2012) -- An effort to complete a quest for a fallen friend, the warrior woman Infidel stumbles onto a plot to kill Glorious, the primal dragon of the sun, and plunge the world into permanent cold and darkness, the elemental domain of the dragon Hush.

Witchbreaker (January 2013) -- A young witch named Sorrow has lost control of her magic after tapping into the spirit of Rott, the primal dragon of decay. Her desperate quest to save what remains of her humanity leads to an uneasy alliance with an amnesiatic warrior who might be the legendary champion of the church known as the Witchbreaker. But can there combined powers prevail when they trigger the wrath of Tempest, the primal dragon of storms?

Reviews

[Heather Mattern · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun book to go through! Loved meeting the author at Shakori!! Definitely inspired!

[Jim Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Have you ever dreamt of writing a novel?

About a decade ago I was challenged to participate in National Novel Writing Month where the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel during a single month. I listened to podcasts and read many books from prolific authors about their processes in filling the written word. In doing so I prepared character and plot outlines (I’m not much of a Pantser) and completed my goal. I bring this up because I am no stranger to books about writing or listening to the nuts and bolts of the writing business.

This book is packed with practical, useful tips, and knowledge from someone who has cranked out dozens of entertaining and original novels. I’ve read most of his work and am even a beta reader for him so I get to see some of his manuscripts before they are ready for public consumption then re-read them when they are done to write reviews like these. I get to see his process in action and actively discuss with him why he made Decision A instead of Decision B.

This book is the real deal - it will help you germinate the seed of an idea, populate it with characters, approach genres that interest you and hopeful your future readers and quickly guides you along the process of writing, revision, formatting and preparing for sale. Then doing it all again. He even has sections discussing the pros and cons of when to keep or quit your full time job.
I think anyone who writes or wonders if they want to be a writer could benefit from reading this book. Even if you are not a writer yourself but want to peek behind the curtain of the life of a writer will come away educated and entertained.

I know Narrator Eric Chauny from the Dragon Age books and fortunately here he only has to voice a singular human which he does very well. He conveys the text in an inviting voice that never gets bogged down by the material.

[Mark Brad Barlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get writing!

As a writer myself, James has always been one of the writers that I try to emulate, and this is a book that will help any writers or would-be writers out there. Interesting and has all the little details you might not have even considered when getting into writing.
Recommended

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very straightforward book about writing, marketing and development.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was WAY better than I thought it was going to be, reading it on Kindle Unlimited!!

I highlighted way too much. I will likely buy a physical copy.