There are very few indie author gurus whom I would consider worth quoting. The indie author commentariat has declined even further in recent years, since the indie publishing field has been swamped with pornographic romance novels.
Dean Wesley Smith is one of the exceptions. He got his start in trad publishing in the last century; and he tends to view the indie author guru orthodoxy with even more disdain than I do.
For example, Smith has coined the term “review begging”. This refers to the practice of indie authors doing backflips, somersaults, and mass giveaways in order to solicit as many random reader reviews and ratings as they can.
Smith is also an ardent proponent of discovery writing, which he has codified into a process he calls “Writing into the Dark.” (Smith considers the more common term “pantsing” to be a little too cutesy; so do I.) He’s put decades of thought into the art and process of discovery writing. Even if you are a dedicated outliner (as a fiction writer), you owe it to yourself to at least give Smith a hearing.
**View ADVANCED WRITING INTO THE DARK on Amazon**
I recently purchased and read Dean Wesley Smith’s Advanced Writing into the Dark. This book was a follow-up to his 2015 title, Writing into the Dark.
Overall, Advanced Writing into the Dark is a worthwhile read, but the title is a bit of a misnomer. While there is some new content, much of the book simply restates what was contained in Writing into the Dark. Advanced Writing into the Dark would have been more properly labeled a second/revised edition.
I admire Dean Wesley Smith for his vast experience in the publishing industry and his original ideas. He is not always adept at organizing those ideas, or—in this case—labeling them.
That said, I’m mostly content with this minor purchase. (I used some of my accumulated Amazon points.) Advanced Writing into the Dark could have been a bit more advanced, but it’s still a good edition to every fiction writer’s library—even if you already own the 2015 edition.
-ET