Be original! If you’re going to rehash an over-used plot vehicle, give it a new twist. If your story is too predictable, you’ll lose readers. If you must use a theme that’s not original, such as zombies, vampires, space battles, or swords and sorcery, make sure your characters are real and interesting enough to carry the story. You see this in romance novels all the time. There’s nothing new about falling in love, but engaging characters who pull you into their emotions make it work.
If you write science fiction, don’t violate the known laws of physics without providing rationale for doing so. Invent new laws if you like, but make them believable. A lot of technical folks are likely to be in your audience and you’ll lose them forever if your science isn’t credible. Noises in the vacuum of space (like the explosions you hear in movies), earth-like gravity on a small asteroid, and unrealistic orbits are some of the things to look out for. If you don’t know something that relates to science, look it up or ask someone who does. Satires (such as “The Worst Man on Mars”) have a bit more latitude.
All fiction needs to be convincing and seem real. Create any possibility you want, just make sure the reader will be convinced. If you’re writing fantasy or science fiction, you need to build a world that your readers will believe is possible. Spend sufficient time creating your story’s environment to a high level of detail and it will pay off later, perhaps in even providing new plot twists.
If something throws you out of a story you’re reading, figure out why. Then make sure you’re not guilty of the same thing. You can learn from all writers, whether more or less skilled than you are. Typos are one thing that really jolt me out, though blatantly inaccurate science is a close second.
Read your work out loud as part of your editing process. If you find yourself saying something different than what’s written, consider rewording it accordingly. If it’s awkward when read aloud, it’s not the most natural wording. Even better, read it aloud into a recorder and then listen, especially if you’re an audio-type. This is very effective for catching redundancies.
Editing is essential, but it’s extremely difficult to edit your own work. Letting your work rest as long as possible before revising and/or editing helps view it more objectively. If you absolutely can’t afford an editor, arrange a beta exchange with another author, preferably one who’s seasoned, not just someone who will praise your work. Make sure both of you are skilled enough to do the job and clarify your expectations.
Know your genres and sub-genres so you can categorize your book properly. This helps you get them into the hands of your target readers.It’s a total waste of time and often money to promote your book in venues where your readers aren’t involved. If you’re not sure, read popular books similar to yours to see how they’re defined, then follow suit.
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Giving promotional graphics a bit of “zing” helps them stand out and draw attention, which is always a challenge in today’s glutted market. If you have Photoshop, it’s a cinch to create automated gif files. I created the ones you see here when I purchased 
advertising on a site that had dozens of other ads, most in the postage stamp size you’re looking at. (Making them in a larger size is no problem–the final product is based on the size you start with. The dimensions of these are 225 x 150 pixels with 300 dpi resolution.) I wanted mine to stand out, videos weren’t allowed, so I decided to put together gif files.
I have an older version of Photoshop, not the new and improved version that now requires a subscription. That’s a bit rich for my current author income, so I make do just fine with my old-faithful version. The directions for creating a gif that I originally found were apparently for that newer version, but it was similar enough it didn’t take me long to accomplish it on mine. Rumor has it that you 
can achieve the same thing with Power Point, but I haven’t tried that. I suspect the process would be much the same.
You can include as many frames as you like. The only limit will be the file size of your final product. Each of these is around 450K, but they are quite small.
Here’s how it’s done:
These are a natural for cover reveals and new releases to grab a little extra attention for your Facebook and Twitter posts. It also works well for highlighting reviews or excerpts, special deals, or upcoming events.
Indie authors on a budget like myself get to use their creativity in their marketing efforts as well. This is one way to do just that. Have fun!
