Title: Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (and live to tell about it)
Author : Rochelle Melander
Genre: Writing Reference – Nonficiton
Format: (print, ebook, or both) – print and ebook for Kindle, Google Books
Links to buy: http://www.amazon.com/Write---Thon-Write-Your-About/dp/1599633914/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319575049&sr=8-1
Link to trailer: (if applicable) http://bit.ly/WriteathonTrailer
Tell us the story behind the story. What inspired you to write this novel?
I’ve always liked marathon style writing. In college and graduate school, I chalked up my all-night writing marathons to procrastination. But in the past 15 years, I’ve been blessed with publishers who have given me insane deadlines! I’ve completed nearly every one of my thirteen finished books (ten of them published) in less than three months, most in 6 weeks, and one in just nine days.
When I found out about National Novel Writing Month, I discovered that I am not the only crazy person who likes to write marathon style. Every November (and now during the summer Camp NaNoWriMo), a whole bunch of folks attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I signed up, figuring it would be one way to finish my mystery novel. I failed miserably—my poor victim is still languishing naked in a hunting cabin in the mountains of western Pennsylvania because I couldn’t find the courage to have my murderer kill him.
So, I tried to figure out how to succeed at writing marathons. I began researching writing, how famous writers worked, and what psychology had to say about how writers could work faster more efficiently. In 2007, I taught a class to help other writers successfully complete National Novel Writing Month. I have taught that class in local bookstores every year since. In the meantime, I began collecting all of my research and ideas in a project notebook. I had been thinking about writing a book on writing since 2006, but I was not sure what kind of a book I wanted to write. Then it hit me: I’d write about writing books fast. But could I do it fast?
I wrote Write-A-Thon during the 2009 NaNoWriMo (in just 26 days)! In January 2010, I wrote the book proposal for the book. During the long Wisconsin winter, I revised the book—cleaning up prose, clearing out repetition, and adding new material. Writers Digest Books accepted the proposal in February 2011. I had a month to add 25,000 words to the book and finish revisions.
Tell us about the book cover. How does it represent your book? How did you choose the artwork?
The cover was designed by a team at Writer’s Digest Books. The graphic and colors represent the fast moving world of marathon writing!
Synopsis:
Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days is a compendium of writing tools, performance techniques, problem solving—plot, structure, voice, dialogue, encouragement and life skills for writers. Detailed dos and don’ts for the writer about query letters, agents, publishers, writer’s platform and marketing.
Where can readers find out more about you and your work?
www.writenowcoach.com or www.write-a-thon.com