The final domino has fallen. I'm done. Finished. Elvis. Gone forever. Twitter was the last platform standing in a long-fought war with social media marketing. I had resisted the killing blow due to a misplaced understanding of what I needed from...
Writers have a lot of opinions about writing. I know that may sound like a pretty deep concept, so I’ll give you a minute (cue Jeopardy theme). Welcome to the Zeedub Inkwell, my catch-all for author-related brain droppings.
The Joys and Perils of Writing Humor
I am a science fiction humor writer. As of this post, I am about to launch a new sci-fi comedy series. And while I am very excited to get it into the hands of readers, I am also dreading the inevitable backlash. This is because all humor suffers...
Where in the World is Zachry Wheeler?
I honestly don't know how some authors do it. It seems like they're everywhere all at once. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, Twitch, MySpace, Arpanet, the Moon, and lurking around my basement. Social media icons litter their websites like...
Let’s Talk About Writer’s Burnout: No Tips, Just Talk
Now that the dumpster fire of 2020 is officially in the rearview, I have enjoyed an unexpected resurgence of motivation. I'm back in the writer's seat and plowing through edits on the latest novel. Back in the summer, I was finishing up the first...
Embrace the Trinity of Ownership: Website, Blog, and Mailing List
In a previous post, I outlined my decision to abandon Facebook (and why you should too). I cited numerous reasons, one of which was ownership, i.e. focusing on the marketing venues that I can actually control. In the online world, that amounts to...
No, I’m Not on Facebook (And No Author Should Be)
I am fully aware that I will receive a lot of flack for this post, but it's one that I feel needs to be written. Most of my author friends are on Facebook. Hell, many of them have created their own communities on the platform and depend on it for...
To The Horses! The Heartbreaking Reality Behind Doren’s Tragic Toast
It's all too common to say "cheers" or "salud" when raising a glass in celebration. Within that arena, "To the horses!" may sound a tad bizarre, but it's been my default toast for the last 15 years. Whenever my wife and I raise our glasses, those...
What Does It Mean to be an Amazon Best Seller?
Few accolades are more coveted in the writing world than "Best Seller." It's regarded as the pinnacle of success, the peak of the mountain, the most glorious achievement obtainable in the meta realm. (Sorry, got a little nerdy there.) However, in...
Reclaiming Ennui: A Referendum on Social Media Usage
Anyone who reads my blog knows that I am not a fan of social media. I use it begrudgingly as an author because I need to maintain a presence. At least, I thought I did. Over the last year or so, I have been working through a pseudo experiment with...
Staring Into the Void: An Author’s Take on the Great Pandemic
I find it oddly fortuitous that The Mortal Vestige was released shortly before COVID-19 brought the world to a grinding halt. As a spoiler-free explanation, let's just say that the nature of the story has given me some serious deja vu over the last...
Transient 2.0: How a Fresh Edit Exposed a Hidden Writing Crutch
You may have noticed that your Kindle copy of Transient now has an update available. This is a big one, so I encourage you to click that "Update" button. (Kill those notations! Kill them, I say! Muhahaha!) But before I get into the details, I...
A Marketing Breakdown for Indie Authors
Ah, marketing. We all hate it. Seriously, I have yet to encounter a single author who can utter the statement "Why yes, book marketing is a rip-roaring good time and I enjoy every second." At least, not without immediately rolling their eyes. It's...