If you’ve ever dreamt of crafting your own compelling story, this blog post is here to guide you on your writing adventure. In this article, we’ll explore the art of setting and achieving your novel-writing goals in a way that feels empowering and achievable. Whether you’re a passionate beginner or a seasoned writer looking for fresh inspiration, we’ve got you covered. So, get ready to unlock your inner novelist as we embark on this journey together. Let’s dive in and discover how to turn your writing dreams into reality!

Create a Writing Schedule

Establish a consistent writing routine that suits your lifestyle and commitments. Allocate dedicated time for writing and word count targets to cover within the set time frame and stick to it, treating it as a non-negotiable commitment.

Set Smart Goals

Setting specific, measurable, relevant, achievable and time-bound goals enhances efficiency and ensures effectiveness in the pursuit of desired outcomes. For example, instead of setting a vague goal like “I want to write a book,” set a specific goal like “I want to write a 75,000-word novel in six months.”

Breaking them down into smaller milestones to track your progress can also help, i.e, if your goal is to write a 75,000-word novel in six months, break it down into writing 1,250 words per day, or 8,750 words per week. This will make your goal feel more achievable and less overwhelming.

Develop a Detailed Outline

Craft a comprehensive outline for your novel, outlining the main plot points, character arcs, and key events. This will serve as a roadmap and keep you focused throughout the writing process.

Embrace Accountability

Find an accountability partner, join a writing group, or seek online writing communities to share your goals and progress. Being accountable to others can provide support, motivation, and valuable feedback.

Eliminate Distractions

Identify your biggest distractions and eliminate them during your writing time. This could mean turning off your phone, closing unnecessary tabs on your computer, or finding a quiet writing space where you won’t be interrupted.

Revise and Edit

Recognize that writing is an iterative process. After completing your first draft, give yourself time to rest and then dive into the revision and editing phase. Polish your work, refine the plot, and strengthen the character development.

Celebrate Milestones

Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements along the way, whether it’s completing a chapter, reaching word count goals, or receiving positive feedback. Celebrating milestones boosts your motivation and reinforces your progress.

In conclusion, setting clear and focused goals for your novel writing journey empowers you to unleash your potential and embark on a fulfilling creative adventure. With determination, consistency, and a clear vision in mind, you can overcome challenges and bring your story to life.

As an author, you’ve spent countless hours pouring your heart and soul into your book. You’ve crafted each sentence and paragraph with care, and now it’s time to showcase your hard work to the world. The book cover is the first thing potential readers see and it pulls considerably on their decision to proceed with reading the book. Previously we have presented 3 tips on how to make your book cover an eye candy.

Today we are introducing more advice to help you with creating a great, compelling book cover:

1. Use High-Quality Images

Consider using professional photographs or illustrations that are relevant to your book’s genre and theme. Note that the said image must either be legally bought on stock or is free to use due to its copyright to avoid rejections and disapprovals.

2. No Prohibited Content

Per the revised guidelines from Google and Apple, the visual depiction of books in the app must exclude certain types of content, such as nudity, sexual scenes, violence, and other illicit material. As a consequence, the platform reserves the right to modify the covers of books that were previously approved if they contain any of the aforementioned elements and reject newly applied ones. 

In case the changes are needed, the team sends an email to notify the author of the changes made to their book. So, don’t worry and check your inbox if one day the cover of your novel has changed.

3. Use Eye-Catching Fonts

The font you choose for your book title and author name can make a big difference in how well your book stands out. Bold, clear fonts that are legible and easy to read from a distance are usually the best choice. Ensure to use contrasting colours as well that make the letters easy to make out.

4. Use Colours Wisely

Choose colours that complement the image and convey the mood of the book. Bright and bold colours can be attention-grabbing, but they may not be appropriate for all genres.

5. Consider the Book’s Genre

Different genres have different conventions when it comes to book covers. For example, a romance novel cover may feature a couple embracing, while a thriller may have a more ominous, suspenseful image. It is important to make sure the cover depicts the content. 

6. Keep It Simple

Avoid overcrowding your book cover with too much text or imagery. A clean, simple design is often more effective at catching the eye of potential readers.

Conclusion

Remember, your book cover is the first impression that potential readers will have of your novel, so take the time to create a design that truly represents your story and captures its essence. With the right design, the cover can be the key to attracting readers and making your work a success. For exclusive contracts, the above are taken into careful consideration, thus the strict review may lead to rejection of the covers that might have a chance to be accepted for Non-Exclusive novels.

If the book shows good traction and there is a hypothesis that it could become even better with another cover, AlphaNovel team could contact the author with some options for a replacement. So, check your inbox and don’t miss the chance to get a new fancy cover for free!

As a writer, receiving criticism can be difficult to deal with. It’s not easy to hear negative feedback about something you’ve poured your heart and soul into. On the one hand, negative criticism can be hurtful and make you doubt your abilities, and on the other, it can help you improve your writing and grow in the pointed areas.

It is an essential part of the writing process, and learning how to handle it is key to becoming a better author. In this article, we’ll explore some tips for dealing with criticism in writing and how to use it to your advantage for growth.

Be open-minded

When receiving criticism, it’s important to approach it with an open mind. Try to see the feedback as an opportunity to improve your writing rather than a personal attack. Remember that every creator receives criticism at some point, and it’s a natural part of any process. It might be difficult to hear but it gives an opportunity for growth. Don’t take it personally.

Consider the source’s intention and determine if feedback is helpful or not

Before reacting to criticism, it is important to understand what the intention behind it is. Is it constructive criticism aimed at helping you improve your writing, or is it just someone being mean? Constructive criticism is meant to help you grow as a writer, so try to take it in stride and use it to improve your work. Take what you must and ignore the rest.

Look for patterns in critics

If you receive criticism from multiple sources, about the same thing, it’s likely that there’s some truth to it. Try to identify any patterns in the feedback. This can help you identify areas where you may need to improve your writing.

Remember that criticism is subjective

They are one person’s unique interpretation of your work, their thoughts and feelings. If one person doesn’t like it, it doesn’t mean that nobody does. What one person dislikes, another might love.

Pause

Taking some time off to reflect, to think from a different perspective, to think out the box matters. It could be minutes, hours, a couple of days – just take some time off that manuscript. Take down notes and consider what changes you can make in the next or previous drafts to make it better.

Respond kindly and ask questions for clarifications if needed

If you don’t understand the criticism or feedback you receive, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. This can help you better understand the feedback and how to apply it to your writing.

Accept it and improve

In conclusion, receiving criticism is an inevitable part of the writing process, but it doesn’t have to be a negative experience. By being open to feedback, listening carefully, and considering the source, you can use criticism to improve your writing skills and grow as a writer. And ultimately, the most important part of accepting criticism is taking action to improve your work. So, embrace the opportunity to learn and grow, and remember that the ultimate goal of criticism is to become a better writer.

Each book that is signed on AlphaNovel has a chance to be promoted. 

When the book reaches 50k words it will be promoted automatically, so there is no need to contact an editor or Partnerships team.

How does the promotion work?

There are multiple spots in the app, where your book could be promoted. However, their number is limited. AlphaNovel uses complex algorithms, which are based on AI and ML methods of info analysis to make sure that the books that are liked by the audience are well-promoted. All the books start in the same place, but you may wonder why some of them stay at the TOP of the homepage for a while and others do not.

Here is the answer:

All books that cross the eligible word count appear in the promotion list and could be found somewhere at the bottom of the thematic and recommendation lists of the app. The cooperation of the marketing and analytics teams gives a chance to define future bestsellers by analyzing different parameters of the book like how many people moved from viewing to reading and then paying stage, how frequently the readers are eager to engage with the book etc. If the book’s traction is good, the novel score increases and it helps it to move to better promotion spots and appear in reader’s recommendations more frequently. This process continues as long as the book performs well. 

Consequently, the process is automated and only the readers decide which books would stay in TOP positions and for how long.

If your story does not perform well on the platform, there might be a few reasons for it. It is always a good idea to communicate with the audience to define what they liked and disliked about the story. The easiest way – is to leave your questions for them in the comment section or make a small research on your social media. 

From what we could see, the most frequent reasons are:

1. The visual imperfection of the story. This means that the reader is not attracted to the book after evaluation of its cover, title, and annotation. Bad design, grammar/punctuation mistakes, and misleading info could negatively affect the first impression.
2. The plot is slow-paced. In this case, the readers get bored while reading free chapters and they don’t consider buying paid ones, which definitely influences the novel’s metrics negatively.
3. The target audience for your story is not presented on the platform or is very specific. It doesn’t mean that the book is bad, it just may be the incorrect time for it to shine!
4. Genres and tags are not selected precisely. We recommend the book to the readers if it is relevant to their interests. If you select too few or too many tags, target audience may not get the recommendation of your novel. So, make sure that you choose the most relevant genre and the tags for describing your story.

Now we work on the Statistics page, to give authors a more in-depth vision of the performance of their books. We hope it will help you to see, analyze and take the advantage of the promotions to maximize your profit and reader’s satisfaction with your novels. Stay tuned to the updates!

Readers do not only want to buy interesting books, they are also eager to learn more about the personality of the writer who has created their favourite stories. So, let’s talk today about your author’s profile. As it definitely influences the results of your promotion, here are a few tips how to make it an eye-candy:

Update your profile picture

It is always good to choose professional photos of yourself as a main picture. However, if you don’t want to share your real photo, the easy way is by adding a custom avatar to represent yourself. One more important thing – the quality of the image matters, so use pictures with an appropriate resolution.

Add the information about you

Take advantage of the “About me” section and use it as an opportunity to introduce yourself to potential readers. This is a great way to give them a glimpse into your personality, interests, and writing style. Do not limit yourself to one sentence. The more sincere you are, the more trust you can earn from the audience.

A well-crafted author’s profile can make a huge impact on your book’s traction and can help you connect with your readers. So don’t neglect it, take the time to edit and update your profile today!

AlphaNovel’s editorial team works to give the authors the best writing experience and users the high quality content. To make sure that there is a perfect match between fans of romantic novels and books, our team has prepared a set of rules for writers to get approved, and also described the conditions under which a book will not be able to get on AlphaNovel.

There is a detailed guide below!

To register on the platform and apply for a contract you need to fill in all the necessary information about yourself. Red asterisks indicate the fields that must be filled out. After entering your  full name, pen name, choosing the gender and writing a little about yourself it is important to leave the links to your social media and to your published stories. When you are applying for the contract, please enter your correct data, in order to pass the KYC check. Be sure to put your Passport/ID number and your correct email address. Each book would go through the review process. If all the requirements are met, you receive contract approval and a ready-to-sign agreement. In other cases, you receive the rejection with a specified reason. If additional clarification is needed during the review, our team will connect you via the email.

Possible reject reasons

Incorrect writer details

The details that you fill in while applying for the contract will represent you as a side of the agreement and it is later used in KYC check. Consequently, it is really important to put in the correct data that matches the fields. Here is short explanation of the info that should be given in each section:

Name: your full legal first and last name which could be proved by your ID.

Passport: your ID/Passport number.

Email: email to which you have access as it is a necessary part of the contract’s signing;

Citizenship: the name of the country whose resident you are;Address: your legal address of registration.

We sign the contract with a real person. Therefore, it is not possible to complete the signing process using your pen name or any other data that couldn’t be proved 🙂

Examples:

Compliance criteria (KYC)

KYC verification is a mandatory procedure for identifying a person. We do this check in order to protect the platform (authors and readers) from possible fraudulent activities. This check includes all identification procedures (passport data and other data that we request at the stage of applying for a contract), as well as their analysis.

If the given data doesn’t meet the requirements, the contract would be rejected.

If there are any issues with the confirmation of your identity, our team will connect you via email to ask for additional information.

Prohibited content

We truly believe that all genres should have a right to be published. However, some stories contain a type of the content which couldn’t be presented in annotation or chapters. Here is the examples scenes that could be rejected by our editorial team:

• Child abuse;
• Non-consent Sex/Rape;
• Pornography;
• Racism;
• Encouragement of any kind of abuse;
• Explicit violence.

Plagiarism

As plagiarism we define introducing the work or ideas of other people as your own with or without their consent, by including it into your content without full acknowledgement. All types of the content are covered under this definition.

As we are eager to defend the author’s rights, we take such cases very seriously, so the application would be rejected and the novel would be deleted immediately. 

If you’ve noticed any case of plagiarism on AlphaNovel, please let us know via [email protected].

Example of reject due to plagiarism

Novel’s title, cover and annotation have a significant impact on the reader’s first impression. That’s why it is crucial to provide readers with high-quality content during the first touch.

The background of the cover should have high quality and 600×800 resolution. Placing the book’s title and author’s name on it is also a necessary part of getting an approval. Find more tips on making your cover an eye candy.

Annotation gives your readers the opportunity to dive into the plot and decide whether they want to continue their reading journey or not.

Poor editing

This reject reason could be a stumbling block not only for aspiring, but also for experienced writers. Editing influences the design of the content in the app and plays a defining role in the reader’s perception of the content. To mitigate the risks of getting the rejection make sure that your novel meets such requirements:

• All the content is written according to English grammatical and punctuation rules;
• The spaces between paragraphs are equal and make the book easy to read;
• The novel consist of sentences with correct and various structure;
• The novel contains enough synonymous constructions to make the content attractive and interesting for the reader.

Make sure that all direct speech is properly designed, the toponyms start with a capital letter and dots are there.

Hello, Dear Writers 👋 

We are improving the quality of content for our readers and aiming to offer a better writing experience for our authors. In order to ensure the writer’s success for every author, we are sharing the updated rules for exclusive contracts ✨

Read the rules below if you are already an exclusive author of AlphaNovel or just planning to become one 🙂 You can also find more details in the Guide for writers: How to increase your chance of approval & not get rejected.

1. Reviewing of a contract up to 2 working weeks

Over the past 2 months, the number of AlphaNovel authors has increased significantly – and it’s a blast 🔥 We are happy that you trust us and choose us to publish your novels.

In order to thoroughly check the documents and give equal attention to each contract and book, the review of contracts for exclusive books will now take up to 2 working weeks.

We ask you to pay close attention to the data you add to the contract. Provide the correct data so that our legal team could check your documents faster and there would be no need to reject your contract due to data errors.

2. Ongoing bonus >>> MAB

The ongoing bonus will no longer be available to all writers from Dec ‘22. All authors who have received confirmation for the ongoing bonus from Sep ’22 to Nov ’22 will receive their payments.

Instead, we are launching the MAB: monthly attendance bonus. Every writer will get an opportunity to track the MAB from their personal account, view the attendance calendar, and more. Additionally, we plan to suggest you even better conditions 😎

Why? Unfortunately, our team has faced cases of book plagiarism, abuse and fraud. Since AlphaNovel is strictly against plagiarism and inappropriate communication, we have revised our bonus terms. We want to be the best platform for our authors, and we take your feedback seriously in order to improve our product and operations. That is why we see the MAB as a better way to incentivize the top writers.

3. KYC and plagiarism check

We continue to work on the quality of our content and, as previously, emphasize the importance of KYC and checking books for plagiarism. It allows us to be sure that the person who uploaded the book is its legitimate author, and that no one else would be able to receive the payment.

KYC means Know Your Customer and sometimes Know Your Client. KYC or KYC check is the mandatory process of identifying and verifying the client’s identity when opening an account and periodically over time. In other words, banks must make sure that their clients are genuinely who they claim to be.

In case something is still unclear to you, we have collected all the answers here. Check the Q&A for exclusive contracts and carefully read the rules above.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact your editor or our partnerships team at: [email protected]. 

Your fans can’t wait to see the next chapter of your book… but you’re hopelessly stuck and don’t know what to do. Let’s face it, every writer has been there, but there are practical tips on how to overcome the nasty writer’s block and stay productive. Go check them out! 

1. Build a Routine

Writers write best when they feel inspired, but you don’t really have to depend on that in your work. Start by figuring out the most productive times and days for you. Is it late at night or early in the morning? Does the weekend work better for you than the work days? 

Whatever the answer is, make sure you are consistently following your new schedule. It may seem difficult at first, but after a few weeks, your writing sessions should become a habit. And a habit is harder to break, right? 

2. Write a “Bad” Draft

Wait… bad? Yes, if you are a hopeless perfectionist and stall because you want it done 100% right from the first try. Don’t sweat over one sentence for half an hour; try to write what you’re thinking as it goes. Relax and leave the perfect phrasing for later, when the chapter is all but done. 

The (absolutely) hardcore way to keep on writing is to use this free app. If you don’t put in a word or two every few secs, guess what happens? All of your progress gets instantly lost. This may be cruel but can train you to stop overthinking – and start writing, at last.  

3. Swap the Perspective

Sometimes you’ll feel like going in circles with a character. Their perspective is all drained for the moment, and you just can’t think of what to do next. Your best action in this case? Switch to a different character and start describing the events from their point of view. 

When using this particular tip, try not to be repetitive. Picking another character as the perspective doesn’t mean you should go over the same events again, only through their eyes this time. Remember the classics? A rose is a rose, however you name it. Revisit the scenes only if it really drives forward the character development and plot. 

4. Eliminate Distractions

A noisy neighbor, the street traffic, or a loud fan are not the writer’s best friends. No wonder they retreat to forest cabins or seaside property so often in the movies. Writing is a tricky thing, and not every author has the superpower to shut out the rest of the world. 

Your job or other commitments can be a roadblock, too. Trying to write a chapter in between clients or calls can be (very) unproductive. If you’re an author who needs time to “warm up”, take that time after you’re done at the office – or simply on the weekend. 

5. Stay Positive

Sometimes the writer’s block is just too strong to overcome it in one day. Instead of torturing yourself and feeling lame, keep calm and use the tips above to make things right. Even if all fails, that doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer and can’t do it properly. The magic will return, sooner or later, and you’ll surprise the world with a real banger of a chapter. 

Just wait and see!

First chapter matters. In fact, it matters a great deal, and you don’t want to lose any potential readers, right? Give your book a real head start by writing a strong and engaging number one chapter. In this article, we’ll share a few working tips on how to do it. 

Grammar, Grammar, Grammar

Your novel may be an instant hit, but grammar errors are what makes it or breaks it for many readers. If an author doesn’t take time to proofread the text, they may feel it’s not really worth it. Avoid this mistake and double-check your work for any grammar fails. You’re welcome to use an online spell-checker; the more advanced ones will even give you some wording suggestions. 

One of the best ways to proofread your text is to find an editor. That’s what all publishing agencies do, after all. No need to pay a professional: ask your friend who’s good with the language to go through your primary chapter. You can also discuss the editing limits in advance to spare time and effort. Opt for grammar only – or ask for wording and style suggestions as well. 

Don’t Summarize Your Book

Think of your first chapter as a good movie trailer. On the one hand, you want to introduce the main characters, plot, and style of your work. But on the other hand, if you give away too much, what’s the point of watching the whole movie? 

In simple words, don’t include a plot summary or massive spoilers in your primary chapter. Find a way to hook the reader from the first few paragraphs – but don’t give away all that’s coming next. The plot twists and shocking revelations work best where there is a build-up, and the first chapter simply doesn’t have enough space for it. Instead, give the reader a solid reason to continue with your book.

Focus on the First Paragraph

Let’s be real: you don’t have the luxury of a reader’s infinite attention span. That’s why your first chapter must really hit the bull’s-eye. Think of an opening scene that will have them instantly hooked. Some writers even write such scene after finishing the book, but you don’t have to go to these lengths.  

A common first chapter mistake is dragging out the character/plot introduction. Unless you’re a 19^th century novelist, don’t be too wordy or reflective at the start of your book. The room décor or character’s appearance can be described in one-two sentences (and you can get back to that later in the story). Focus on showcasing your character’s goals instead: who are they? What drives and motivates them? How will this kick-start the plot? 

Action Set-Up Works

Have you thought of opening your book with a flashy action scene? Of course, this depends on the genre and style of your writing in the first place. But if the story does have a good fight or chase scene, why not simply move it to the start? Unlike in real life, a fictional story doesn’t have to start with the beginning. You can always pick one of your top scenes (no heavy spoilers though!) and proudly put it on the first page. 

Decided to go with an action opening? Make sure your fight/chase scene is not dragged out, doesn’t stray away from the overall book tone, and takes at least some time to introduce the main characters. This way, you’ll bring down two birds with one stone: hook the reader and deliver a proper introduction. If a decent movie trailer can pull this off, why can’t you? 

Penning a solid first chapter will take some work – and imagination, but we at AlphaNovel believe that yours will be a real smasher. So good writing luck! 

Judging a book by its cover is not so right, but let’s be honest: we all do this. A good cover can draw in more readers and give your novel a nice popularity boost. So, how do you make yours an instant hit? Let’s find out in this article!

1. Make It All About Your Book

Let’s be Captain Obvious: your cover should be about your book. We know it’s tempting to just throw in a picture of a hot guy you’ve googled up. Click-baiting does work, but do you really want to mislead your future fans? Try to pick the images that actually represent your characters and plot. It’s the best strategy that will pay off, unlike the random click-baity pictures.

Another good idea is to make sure that your cover reflects the book genre. Writing about a CEO billionaire’s romance? Make sure the man on the cover looks like one. A werewolf novel? Use some images of wolves, and you’re all fine.

The next tip is to give your readers a sneak peek into the book content. No spoilers, of course, but you can always add some hints at what’s to come. Even if your characters don’t get together in the second chapter, don’t be afraid to show them hugging or kissing (or both).  

2. Stand Out from the Crowd

There are hundreds of good covers around, so it’s always nice to be unique. Instead of a copy-paste solution, take time and think out: a) your character representations; b) the composition; and c) the title font. These are the key elements of your future sweeping success.

We’ve already talked about the characters, so let’s skip a) and focus on the composition. There are actually dozens and dozens of tips on how to do it right. If you’re new to this, your best bet will be to google them up (we suggest starting with the “rule of thirds”). In a few words, your composition should be of the right size, symmetrical, and not contain distracting details. The most common mistake here is making characters or objects too big or too small for the frame.

Now, let’s be straight about the title font: Arial or Comic Sans are not good. Your font must be unique to stand out – and, ideally, reflect your book genre and style. No army fonts for a romance novel, or horror blood drips for a friendship tale (unless you’re writing the next Stranger Things). Also, make sure that your cover has the correct book title and your pen name.

3. Quality Does Matter  

Your book may be the next best thing on this platform. But if your cover is poorly made, too blurry, or too small, this may be a bad signal to the reader. Think of it as a business card you’re giving to potential partners. Would you want it to be neat and professional – or clumsy and confusing?

Make double sure that the cover image is not blurry or pixelated in full size. It’s not the 1990s, right? High resolution images show that you love and care about your readers. They also look stunning on your book, so make sure you’ve got one.

Next, pick the right color scheme and double check if anything sticks out. Is your cover too light or too dark? Does it have enough contrast to catch the reader’s eye among the other books? The colors you choose must evoke the right emotions – and be palatable to the viewer.  

Got it all? Amazing! Our very final tip is not to make your cover overly spicy, even if that’s what you’re writing. The R-rated content is more than welcome at AlphaNovel, but it’s better to leave it for the book text, not the cover. Let’s show respect to the readers that come to us for different types of books.  

Now, go and make your novel cover a real champ!