authordanielrobinson57

Today’s post – Inside the Story: Exclusive Insight to my writing start

Good day to all.

Welcome to the first edition of my weekly newsletter! If you love fiction, behind-the-scenes insights, and writing tips, you’re in the right place. Let’s dive in!

📖 Book Updates: What’s Happening?

Exciting news! My latest book, The Lost Coast: The Revenge of Mad River Billy, is now available on Amazon. This one has a long history—I started it three years ago, hit pause to finish Mission Earth, and then came back to it with a vengeance over the last 60 days. I’m thrilled to finally share it with you.

Also, if you’ve read The Barilla Chronicles (soon to be on Audible), Severed Ties, or Mission Earth, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Reply to this email or drop a comment on Facebook or Instagram. I always enjoy chatting about my characters and stories!

🎬 Behind-the-Scenes: Inspiration & Challenges

I’ve always had a knack for storytelling. Not the sit-around-the-campfire kind, but the sit-down-at-a-keyboard-and-let-my-mind-wander kind.

Oddly enough, my first genuine attempt came when working with my big sister at my father’s company. We always had a strong bond—teasing, supporting, laughing—and one slow day at work, I wrote a silly story about her – (on a typewriter, no less – remember those?). Totally made up, full of wild tangents and nonsense. It was only a few pages long, but two things happened:

1. She laughed until she cried.
2. I realized I loved creating stories.

That was 40 years ago (yikes), and though the story was grammatically a disaster (I still have issues with that), it lit the spark. I never thought I’d be the next Grisham or King, but I did wonder: What could I accomplish if I just kept writing? Don’t all authors, especially new authors, feel like that?

🧠 My Writing Process: Ideas Everywhere

One thing I’ve never lacked is ideas. They swirl around in my mind constantly. The challenge? Focusing on one long enough to finish. More than once, I’ve gotten 40 or 50 pages into a project before jumping to a new idea. I’ve learned the hard way (I wrote a great beginning for a couple of stories and now can’t remember where I was going with them) that outlines are essential—now I always write down enough notes to ensure I know how the story starts and ends.

🛠 Publishing Lessons (Some Hard Learned)

The Barilla Chronicles took four years to write. Real life (aka paying the bills) got in the way, and there was a mountain of historical research to get right. On top of that, writing a time-travel novel presents its own special challenges. But it was during this time that my father, who was in his late 80s, was having health issues. I had previously sent him an unfinished version of the book, and he had constantly asked me when I would finish. His illness was my impetus to finish the book – and I did!

But then came the big question: How do I publish?

I made several mistakes:

• Hired a terrible editor without doing proper vetting
• Used a self-publishing company that charged thousands and didn’t deliver

When the company finally declared the book ready to be sold, the publishing company priced it too high, never reviewed it for typos, and made no real effort to market it. It sold about 70 copies. It was painful, but it was a learning experience.

Since then, I’ve re-edited The Barilla Chronicles, changed the cover, and lowered the price. It’s now in much better shape—and so am I, as a writer.

📚 Let’s Talk Self-Publishing

Now, here’s the real meat and potatoes of this week’s blog: self-publishing with Amazon.

Disclaimer: I do not work for Amazon.

Unless a traditional publisher signs you (and if they do, please tell me how you did it), Amazon’s self-publishing platform is your best bet. It costs nothing upfront. The program walks you through each step, and they print your books on demand—whether one or one hundred. After my first debacle with the overpriced “self-publisher” I now use this platform for all my work. But be sure you use their formatting tools from the onset – it will make your life much easier when it comes time to publish and sell.

Also, and this is so very important – Get your book professionally edited – and by someone who provides references.

Most of you probably know how to use the Amazon program, but if you have questions, I’m happy to help. Just drop me a line –

Danrobinson1957@gmail.com.

🗓 What’s Coming Next

Over the next few weeks, I’ll discuss how I developed the stories and characters for The Barilla Chronicles, Severed Ties, Mission Earth, and The Lost Coast. I’ll also share some writing tips and more behind-the-scenes stories about my journey.

📢 Let’s Connect!

I’d love to hear from you!
Reply to this email, comment on social media, or just say hello.

Thanks for reading—and see you next week!

Until next time—keep turning those pages!

Dan Robinson