This is one of my favourite quotes:
Less is more.
For example, my love of coffee needs no introduction and I’m very particular about how I prefer it. My two local coffee shops know me by now and I need only walk in the door and someone fires up the machine. Some gurgling and spluttering later and I’m handed a regular Americano, just half full with two shots, and a dribble of maple syrup to sweeten my hit. When they hand my drug over, I know from the weight of the cup if there’s too much water in it, or it’s just right.
Why half full? Because I’d rather have a cup of stronger, and therefore better tasting coffee than a whole cup which is watered down.
Less is more.
This train of thought can also be applied to books. Over the past couple of years there’s been a noticeable trend towards shorter books. Concise reads are winning fans because we, as authors, have less pages to impress and grab the reader. Also, some are readable in a day, perhaps even an evening. They’re ideal openings, teasers, to what an author is capable of, and we hope our readers are tempted to buy our longer works as a result.
I took this approach to heart with my latest book, Travelled Far. A collection of short hiking stories from my trips overseas, and in the UK. It seemed to work, the reviews are great and the Ebook is free, so it’s my most popular download.
Recently I stumbled across a writer called Jack Moscrop, who has also embraced the more concise approach and penned a great book called Blue Ice White Powder.
Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the French Alps, and a draw to many mountaineers. Blue Ice White Powder follows Jack and his mates as they attempt to tick off this French beast from their mountaineering portfolio.
Any writer who places me right in the heart of their adventure has my vote. For a few hours I also climbed it with him, felt the cold, the pain, and the danger. It’s well worth a read.
Jack plans to put Blue Ice White Powder on Amazon soon, at a price, but he’s given me a link where you can get it FREE. If I were you I’d grab it before he changes his mind, click the link if you’d like a copy.
Remember, less is more!
Best wishes.
Keith