Blog - Nick Marone

Best Podcasts for Writers, Editors, and Publishers

By Nick Marone 29 December 23Writing, Editing, and Publishing

Do you listen to podcasts? If you are a writer, editor, or publisher, podcasts are a great way to stay updated on industry news and build your knowledge and skills. They're also a time saver—you can multitask by listening to them while your hands are busy. This page lists the[…]

Story Behind the Story: The Editing and Publication of Nahla: Warrior of the North

By Nick Marone 1 December 23Story Behind the Story

This is the “story behind the story” for the editing and publication of Nahla: Warrior of the North. The first part in this series recounted the writing of the first draft, whereas this part shows the final stages. If you are unfamiliar with the many stages of the publishing process, this[…]

Why Do We Love Pure Escapism in Science Fiction?

By Nick Marone 16 July 23Writing, Editing, and Publishing1 Comment

What Is Pure Escapism? Pure escapism is a form of storytelling that provides a complete departure from reality, a temporary mental or emotional escape for readers. The deliberate creation of immersive and fantastical worlds, characters, and narratives that transport readers away from their everyday lives and concerns are key features[…]

Story Behind the Story: Space Trip II

By Nick Marone 29 June 23Story Behind the Story

What's better than one funny book? Two funny books! Space Trip II follows in the same hyperspace lane as Space Trip, and I think it's even better than the first book. This post gives you the story behind the story of how Space Trip II came to be. WARNING! This[…]

10 Tips for Better Proofreading

By Nick Marone 17 May 23Writing, Editing, and Publishing

Proofreading is a crucial component of the book production process. It won't matter if a book has a striking cover, a fantastic blurb, or is written by a stellar author—if the product is littered with typographical and layout errors, then readers instantly identify it as low quality. Read on for[…]

Story Behind the Story: Space Trip

By Nick Marone 10 May 23Story Behind the Story

Space Trip has always been something of a joke in my family. But it is a joke I hope to share with everyone for many years. I certainly had a lot of fun writing it, so here are some background details about the first installment of the series. Genesis I[…]

Science Fiction Subgenres and Themes

By Nick Marone 5 May 23SF Resources

Science fiction encompasses quite a number of subgenres and themes. More often than not, a novel, short story, movie, or TV show will straddle multiple subgenres and deal with more than one theme at once. This contributes to a rich, thoroughly entertaining, and highly intuitive genre of fiction. What follows[…]

Science fiction colony world with buildings and vegetation.

What Is Science Fiction?

By Nick Marone 5 May 23SF Resources

Science fiction, coming under the umbrella of speculative fiction, is a broad genre that is not easily defined. So many interlinked subgenres and themes make it difficult to define succinctly. Science fiction grand master Isaac Asimov defined it as “that branch of literature which deals with the reaction of human beings[…]

Story Behind the Story: The First-Draft Manuscript of Nahla: Warrior of the North

By Nick Marone 27 April 23Story Behind the Story

This is the "story behind the story" for the first draft manuscript of Nahla: Warrior of the North. The idea spent several years in my mind before being written. Read on to learn more about it! This is Part 1 of a two-part series. READ PART 2 The Story of[…]