Mark O'Neill & O'Neill Media http://markoneill.org/articles/ The latest articles from Mark O'Neill and O'Neill Media Sun, 08 Mar 2026 13:33:41 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://markoneill.org/wp-content/uploads/cropped-chess-king-2-32x32.webp Blog articles by Mark O'Neill on writing, books, and more http://markoneill.org/articles/ 32 32 The Rise of Shadow Catalogues and Off-Platform Readers https://markoneill.org/shadow-catalogues/ Sun, 08 Mar 2026 13:33:38 +0000 http://markoneill.org/?p=84588815 Discover the rise of shadow catalogues and off-platform readers—how readers preserve controversial or banned books and why digital archiving matters.

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]]> Jack Maddox Will Return In March With The Black Atlas https://markoneill.org/jack-maddox-black-atlas/ https://markoneill.org/jack-maddox-black-atlas/#respond Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:36:43 +0000 http://markoneill.org/?p=84589148 I was starting to plan a new series soon, but suddenly I couldn’t be bothered. All the work with setting up that “world” with the characters, then readers have to read it, get used to the new series, etc. I just couldn’t face starting another one (at least, right now). So instead of reinventing the ... Read more

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]]> https://markoneill.org/jack-maddox-black-atlas/feed/ 0 Free Fiction – When Time Began to Fold https://markoneill.org/free-fiction-when-time-began-to-fold/ Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:51:04 +0000 http://markoneill.org/?p=84589138 The first indication that something was wrong appeared so quietly that no one noticed it at first. Morning had settled over the station with the dull, predictable rhythm of a weekday commute, the kind of morning in which nothing ever seemed to happen and everyone behaved as if they were following an invisible script written ... Read more

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]]> Notes from a Reluctant Protagonist https://markoneill.org/notes-from-a-reluctant-protagonist/ https://markoneill.org/notes-from-a-reluctant-protagonist/#respond Sun, 22 Feb 2026 10:48:09 +0000 http://markoneill.org/?p=84589076 I first became aware of my author when he deleted my trousers. One moment I was standing in a respectable Victorian drawing room, delivering what I believed to be a cutting observation about the moral fragility of empire, and the next moment there was a brief flicker—like someone had dragged the universe across a desktop ... Read more

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]]> https://markoneill.org/notes-from-a-reluctant-protagonist/feed/ 0 Why Your First Ten Books Rarely Matter https://markoneill.org/first-10-books-rarely-matter/ https://markoneill.org/first-10-books-rarely-matter/#respond Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:44:12 +0000 http://markoneill.org/?p=84588302 When you think your books are flopping and you want to give up, remember the first ten books rarely matter. Here's why.

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]]> https://markoneill.org/first-10-books-rarely-matter/feed/ 0 Pricing Your Books on Amazon – Tips to Maximise Your Sales https://markoneill.org/pricing-books-amazon/ https://markoneill.org/pricing-books-amazon/#respond Sat, 24 Jan 2026 13:46:29 +0000 http://markoneill.org/?p=84588251 Pricing your books on Amazon is a strategy, not wish fulfilment. Get this wrong and you've shot yourself in the foot.

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]]> https://markoneill.org/pricing-books-amazon/feed/ 0 Why Back Catalogue Is King — Not Your “Next Big Idea” https://markoneill.org/why-back-catalogue-is-king/ https://markoneill.org/why-back-catalogue-is-king/#respond Thu, 22 Jan 2026 10:46:32 +0000 http://markoneill.org/?p=84588235 Instead of focusing on your 'next big idea', you should be instead on exploiting your back catalog for continued long-term profits.

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]]> https://markoneill.org/why-back-catalogue-is-king/feed/ 0 TikTok Is Not Going to Boost Your Writing Career https://markoneill.org/tiktok-not-boost-writing-career/ https://markoneill.org/tiktok-not-boost-writing-career/#respond Sun, 18 Jan 2026 12:38:09 +0000 http://markoneill.org/?p=84588220 A lot of authors think making TikTok videos is going to make their writing career explode. I hate to break it to you, but it won't.

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]]> https://markoneill.org/tiktok-not-boost-writing-career/feed/ 0 How To Deal with Negative Reader Reviews https://markoneill.org/negative-reader-reviews/ https://markoneill.org/negative-reader-reviews/#respond Sat, 17 Jan 2026 23:08:43 +0000 http://markoneill.org/?p=84588211 If you’ve never had a one-star review, you’re either unpublished, invisible, or your mum is your audience. But negative reader reviews are a good thing.

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]]> https://markoneill.org/negative-reader-reviews/feed/ 0 What Are Beta Readers? Are They Worth It? https://markoneill.org/what-are-beta-readers/ https://markoneill.org/what-are-beta-readers/#respond Wed, 14 Jan 2026 22:10:07 +0000 https://glassdaggerpress.com/?p=84586697 If you hang around writing forums long enough, you’ll start to believe beta readers are some kind of sacred rite of passage. They're not.

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