Writer Resource Library

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Write, edit, FINISH your book NOW!

Welcome writers!

Hello from Apollo Grannus Books! My name is Maya Rushing Walker, and I am the founder and creative director of Apollo Grannus Books, as well as an indie author and trained developmental editor.

The world of independent publishing has undergone a massive transformation in just over a decade since the emergence of ebooks, and anyone who has a story to tell can now do it just as professionally as any author with an agent and a book contract.

But it can be a long, difficult road between conception and publication, and the difference between indie publishing and traditional publishing lies in the freedom the indie author has to decide exactly how to take that road.

This resource center was created in order to help people write their books, finish their books, and edit their books so that their creative work is as good as it can possibly be. You don't need an army of staff in order to put your work out into the world, but you do need to polish and prepare your masterpiece for its debut. Please check out the free resource library for articles on writing and editing, as well as examples of masterworks that I've put through an editorial process so that you can see what a page-turning book looks like under the microscope. I've also got a list of reference books and recommended courses in indie publishing and marketing that you can look at, as well as a list of tools and recommended technology.

I want to extend a helping hand to all hard-working writers out there, people who have something to say, and perhaps for the first time ever, have a way to say it! I know you are probably intimidated by all the work involved, and not sure that you know what you're doing. You can do this, really. It's not easy, but why should it be? The journey is rewarding and you'll never regret it.

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Writer Resource Library

Are you trying to write a book and feeling like you need help?

Sign up for the Writer Resource Library. There's no cost, no obligation, nothing. Just free resources, continually updated, to help you to reach the goal of publishing your work.

3 Modules

How to Finish Your Book

Hi ,

If you're in despair over this book idea that is beating at you from the inside, if you're surrounded by kids, dishes, co-workers, guys in the locker room, or whatever other distraction is hounding you...yes, you can finish your book.

Writing your first book is a monumental undertaking. Sometimes you can't plan it. Sometimes it plans YOU.

If you feel like giving up, don't! Take a step backwards and look at what you've done and think about what you can do. Here's a short guide that may help.

1 lesson

1 How to Finish Your Book

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Story Grid Articles

Hey, ,

If you keep trying to write a novel but somehow never managed to finish it, you're in the right place. My name is Maya Rushing Walker, and I'm the founder and creative director of Apollo Grannus Books. I'm also a trained developmental editor. I can help you to get inspired and get to work.

8 lessons

1 Heading Into 2018 With a Writing Plan That Works 2 Turning the Amateur First Draft into the Professional First Draft 3 The Story Grid Diagnostic: What It Is (and Isn't) 4 Look In the Mirror: Ten Principles for Authors 5 Where's the Finish Line? 6 Five Story Grid Lessons Learned from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein 7 Write Better Novels Using a Masterwork to Guide You 8 More Than a Love Story

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How to Analyze a Complete Book

As a developmental editor, one of the things I do is to read complete manuscripts to give feedback on whether the story "works."

What does this mean? How do we know if something "works?"

One of the worst things a beta reader or editor can do is to tell you that something is "off" but not why. This is why I use Shawn Coyne's method of "the 6 Cs" to deconstruct a completed manuscript. This will tell you what is missing or weak, as well as whether the story is properly "balanced." A little further on in the process, an editor might put the manuscript through a complete spreadsheet analysis to see if there are individual scenes that can be strengthened, but when I read a manuscript for the first time, I am looking for overall story structure, not details.

So one of the most instructive things a writer can do is to examine a well-written example of their genre. These masterworks can show you empirically how a skilled author abides by the conventions of the genre, and how she or he can lead the reader through the story. Take a look at the examples in this module. You can apply the same analysis to your own work, but it's much easier after you've done it on books that definitely "work."

3 lessons