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Troubleshooting Your Novel

Essential Techniques for Identifying and Solving Manuscript Problems

Foreword by Steve Berry
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Paperback
$25.00 US
5.5"W x 8.4"H x 1"D   | 16 oz | 20 per carton
On sale Sep 20, 2016 | 368 Pages | 978-1-59963-980-2
Take your story to the next level of excellence!

You've completed the first draft of your novel--now what? Chances are, it's not perfect...at least not yet. In order to increase your chances of getting a literary agent, selling your manuscript to a  publisher, or garnering an audience for your self-published work, you need targeted, practical instruction on tackling the problem areas and weak spots in your story. You need Troubleshooting Your Novel.

In this hand-on, easy-to-use guide, award-winning author Steven James provides helpful techniques and checklists, timesaving tricks of the trade, and hundreds of questions for manuscript analysis and revision. You'll learn how to:

   • ADJUST elements of story progression, from causality, tension, and setbacks to plot twists, climaxes, and endings.
   • DEVELOP authentic, riveting characters by exploring their attitudes, desires, beliefs, and more.
   • LEARN narrative techniques for elements such as dialogue, flashbacks, suspense, voice, subtext, and flow.
   • ENSURE reader engagement by aligning with their expectations, fulfilling promises, and instilling trust.
   • CHECK issues with context and continuity.
You owe your book more than just a polish and a proofread. Strengthen your story, prepare it for the marketplace, and make it the best it can be with Troubleshooting Your Novel.
Steven James is the national bestselling author of a dozen novels, including the critically acclaimed thrillers The KingOpening Moves, and The Queen. He has won three Christy Awards for best suspense and was a finalist for an International Thriller Award. His thriller, The Bishop, was named Suspense Magazine’s book of the year. Publishers Weekly calls him “[a] master storyteller at the peak of his game.” James has a master’s degree in storytelling and has taught writing and creative communication around the world. View titles by Steven James

About

Take your story to the next level of excellence!

You've completed the first draft of your novel--now what? Chances are, it's not perfect...at least not yet. In order to increase your chances of getting a literary agent, selling your manuscript to a  publisher, or garnering an audience for your self-published work, you need targeted, practical instruction on tackling the problem areas and weak spots in your story. You need Troubleshooting Your Novel.

In this hand-on, easy-to-use guide, award-winning author Steven James provides helpful techniques and checklists, timesaving tricks of the trade, and hundreds of questions for manuscript analysis and revision. You'll learn how to:

   • ADJUST elements of story progression, from causality, tension, and setbacks to plot twists, climaxes, and endings.
   • DEVELOP authentic, riveting characters by exploring their attitudes, desires, beliefs, and more.
   • LEARN narrative techniques for elements such as dialogue, flashbacks, suspense, voice, subtext, and flow.
   • ENSURE reader engagement by aligning with their expectations, fulfilling promises, and instilling trust.
   • CHECK issues with context and continuity.
You owe your book more than just a polish and a proofread. Strengthen your story, prepare it for the marketplace, and make it the best it can be with Troubleshooting Your Novel.

Author

Steven James is the national bestselling author of a dozen novels, including the critically acclaimed thrillers The KingOpening Moves, and The Queen. He has won three Christy Awards for best suspense and was a finalist for an International Thriller Award. His thriller, The Bishop, was named Suspense Magazine’s book of the year. Publishers Weekly calls him “[a] master storyteller at the peak of his game.” James has a master’s degree in storytelling and has taught writing and creative communication around the world. View titles by Steven James