I found an abandoned blog last night.
There were no signs of wear or peeling paint. All the pieces were still intact. Nonetheless, it was obvious by the posting dates that no one had lived there in quite a while.
What a shame! The ideas presented were well thought out and interesting. I even learned quite a few things. In fact, I wanted more! Continue reading
Need a dose of inspiration? This quick video about self-published children’s author Dallas Clayton shows how ideas put into action–and print–can change not only your life, but others’ lives as well!
What are you waiting for? Make your dreams of becoming a published author a reality. The first step: Start writing.
Don’t make readers dig for the lesson in your writing.
A writer recently asked me for advice on how to make her writing more effective. She’s working on a book about her personal story, and a smart reviewer suggested that she continue to share her story (descriptive details), but also add in how-to’s (prescriptive details) that others could use to overcome the same issues she dealt with in her life’s journey.
She wanted to know how to best combine descriptive and prescriptive details. That’s a great question! Continue reading
A somewhat frustrated author told me recently, “It feels like I have to sell every book.” She’s right. Getting noticed is tough business, even for the best of authors published with the “big” houses.
To have a hope of getting your potential readers to pay attention, you need a strong marketing plan. As guest blogger and owner and executive producer of Trailer to the Stars Misty Taggart puts it, you have to be creative and you must meet people where they are. One way to do both is by adding a video book trailer to your promotion tools. Read on as Misty explains how a book trailer can help boost your book sales. Continue reading
One of my favorite books as a child was The Value of Believing in Yourself. It’s a story of Louis Pasteur, the scientist who is probably best known for inventing the pasteurization process for milk. This particular book is about his discovery of the cure for rabies.
The Value of Believing in Yourself offers quite a few life lessons including the importance of:
A few years ago, I read a comment from a retiring magazine editor who said she had been on a deadline for four decades. In the midst of my own personal deadline crisis, my heart raced at the thought. My mind screamed: I don’t want to be on a deadline for the rest of my life!For months, I wracked my brain trying to think of ways to write without deadlines. After all, I reasoned, I’m much too free spirited. Life is busy. Surely, writing will be effortless if I just work at my own pace.
I was delusional. Continue reading
Copyright laws can be confusing. So it’s no wonder that one of the most common questions I hear from clients is: Do I have to get permission to quote a line from a book/song/speech in my book? The answer: It depends. Continue reading
You have an idea for a book. Or maybe you’ve already written a book (or two). Now you need an agent, right? Well, maybe. In this guest post, Molly Blaisdell, a prolific children’s book author, explains when and why you might want to engage an agent. With all the changes going on in the publishing industry, you may find that moving forward without an agent is a viable option. Continue reading
Enjoy this quick video and be inspired to act on one of these
creativity-boosting ideas today.
Happy writing!
29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.
Writing a travel book sounds glamorous and exciting. Imagine getting paid to travel! The thrill of exploring new places, and then telling other people where to go (or avoid).
In this post by guest blogger, freelance writer and travel book author Deborah Huso, you’ll read an insider’s perspective on travel guidebook writing. You might be surprised by what you learn.
Read it, and let us know what you think in the comments below. Continue reading