The writing business has changed drastically over the past twenty years. The internet has revolutionized and wreaked havoc with this business. Writing is no longer a "sit in the garret with ink-stained fingers and churn out reams of prose" that someone else will sell for you. Ain't happenin' kids. 

In today's world, writers not only write and polish their work, but they also have to get out there and SELL IT. If you want to be a success, you need to start getting your name out there BEFORE you have a book to sell.  

The regular Wednesday night chatters hear me lecture on this topic every week. If you use an ID on the internet, how will anyone find your work?  It may be cute to call yourself Bunny69 in chatrooms and groups, but how will the people who know Bunny69 make the connection to author Penelope D. Smithhaven?  Bunny69's online friends will walk right past her books in the store and never give them a second look. Bunny just threw away her entire market. 

If you are serious about being a writer, you need to be known. People may browse books by genre, but they tend to buy by name. If nobody knows you, why would they throw money your direction?  

Many new writers feel that their work is so wonderful it will sell itself. Sorry hon. You may have written the best book in the world, but if nobody hears about it, your sales don't exist. If you expect to make sales, you have to start marketing your name BEFORE your book comes out. 

I've heard from several agents and small press publishers who will no longer look at a submission unless the author has a working website. As one publisher said, if the author isn't bringing a market with them, there won't be any sales.  

Many writers whine and complain about marketing. They want to write, and leave the selling to someone else. Once upon a time that was possible, but no more. Today, authors who don't market don't sell.  

So start with the easy stuff. Use your writing name when chatting or participating in online groups. If you use a pen name, make sure you use that name. Get known under the name you want people to buy.  

"Build it and they will come" is so last century. Today, you have to build it, promote it, and give them a reason to come back over and over.  

So who are you? A bunny or a writer?  

It's my hope you'll stick with me and partake of the monthly grammar techniques and usage examples that should make grammar a lot less frightening and potentially (egad!) enjoyable. 

Let's dive into the pond with the less/fewer differences. Less is used with mass nouns and fewer is used with count nouns. A mass noun, also considered an 'amount word', is something that is measured in bulk - clutter, water, snow, milk, syrup, etc. A count noun, also a 'number word', is something you can count - books, pens, cards, paperclips, oranges, etc.  

Examples to follow: 

There are ____ kids in class than on the roster.

            Can you count kids? Yes. Use fewer. 

There was _____ snow this year than last year, so the kids had _____ snow days to make up.

            Can you count snow? No. Use less. Can you count days? Yes. Use fewer. 

Try these: 

____ grapes to eat   [Can you count them? Yes.]  

____ flour to bake with   [Refers to bulk as written. Cups of flour can be counted.] 

____ frozen meals to thaw   [Can you count them? Yes.] 

____ tomatoes to slice   [Can you count them? Yes.] 

____ orange juice   [Refers to bulk as written. Cups of juice can be counted.] 

____ coffee to make   [Refers to bulk as written. Cups of coffee can be counted.] 

____ cups of lemonade   [Can you count them? Yes.] 

____ water in the lake   [Refers to bulk as written. Gallons of water can be counted.] 

____ fish for dinner   [Can you count them? Yes.] 

____ clutter on the table   [Refers to bulk as written. Piles of clutter can be counted.]  

Exceptions. There are always exceptions, aren't there? Even though you can count hours, dollars, and miles, you want to use less.

            Examples: We traveled less than twenty miles.

   The reception lasted less than two hours.

   We made an investment of less than a hundred dollars.

If you refer to individual units, then use fewer. Example: I have fewer than six state quarters. 

You know how there's usually a lane at the grocery store with the sign "10 items or less"? It sounds better than "10 items or fewer", doesn't it? "Less" is grammatically wrong because you can count items. 

So, the general rule is: if you can count something, use fewer; if you can't count it, use less. 

If you have grammar topics you'd like to see covered, please contact me! 

This month's recommended grammar book is: Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty

THE GRAIL CONSPIRACY
By Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore (November 9th chat guests)
Copyright 2005 by Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore
Published by Midnight Ink, a division of Llewellyn Publications

Mystery

Move over Dan Brown, you lose. Sholes and Moore took your basic premise and did it better.

Rookie SSN reporter Cotton Stone will go as far as she has to, to get a story. Right off the bat, we land in Northern Iraq as Stone is tossed from a vehicle and abandoned in the desert. At night. Alone.

Stone doesn't waste time crying or moaning about her predicament. She gathers up her precious video tapes and starts walking. Of course, she walks straight into the story of a lifetime. A story that could end her life.

A man is killed in front of her eyes. The survivor dies of a heart attack in Stone's arms. With his last breath, he speaks to her...in a secret language spoken only by Stone and her dead twin sister. He shoves a wooden box in her arms and tells her "You are the only one".

The box contains what may be the Holy Grail, the cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. And there are people who want it, and Stone.

Stone joins with Biblical scholar and priest John Tyler to figure out the story of the cup...and to stay alive. Tyler is on leave from his priestly duties, trying to find his purpose. He feels there is something important he should do with his life, but he can't figure out what it is. Is Stone his answer? Keeping her safe is definitely a big job.

Cotton Stone is not a weak woman. She's young and confused, but she has inner strength that brings her through everything. Including a family history she never knew.

John Tyler is a man with a mission. He just doesn't know what the mission is. He discovers that everything he's learned and done in his life has been preparing him for this adventure.

Sholes/Moore have created strong characters that we care about, and an adventure story you can't put down. Remember all those long, boring lectures Dan Brown put in his book? Forget about them. The closest Sholes/Moore come to a lecture is the less than two page prologue. All the other history you need to know is scattered through the book in an interesting fashion.

No droning lectures in this book. Sholes/Moore have given us a whirlwind adventure story. Grab it quick, then get the next book in the series! Number 4 just came out, so hurry and catch up.

Audrey Shaffer    Renee Barnes    Kim Richards      Lisa Haselton