Not Sure How to Approach Social Media? CARE about Your Readers
Author and social media expert Frances Caballo discusses the CARE acronym and how to use it to guide your interactions with readers on social media.
The Complete Guide to Query Letters
This post was originally published in 2014; it is regularly updated with new information. If you’re seeking one-on-one help with queries, I offer a critique service. The query letter has one purpose, and one purpose only: to seduce the agent or editor into reading or requesting your work. The query letter is so much of a sales […]
Using Twitter to Make Powerful Connections as a Creative Professional
Author Daniel Parsons offers five tips for improving your Twitter interactions as a creative professional.
Making Peace with Your Ghosts
When writers talk about where their ideas come from, the answers are as varied as wildflowers
My New Series of Columns on Self-Publishing
I’m writing monthly for the IngramSpark blog, which is focused on the concerns of self-publishing authors and small presses.
Join me at Digital Book World 2017
I’m working with Digital Book World 2017 on a full-day of programming devoted to indie authorship and digital publishing.
What It Means to Be Fierce on the Page
The way we write can define (and transform) the way we live. Author Sage Cohen believes ferocity is our best compass for finding our true way forward.
Should You Pay for a Publicist?
Author Dorit Sasson discusses the services publicists offer and whether you should opt to contract for a publicist’s services for your book.
A Simple Tip to Feel More Empowered in the Business of Writing
You can find depths of meaning in the shared language and goals you’ve developed with the writers around you.
How to Be Active on Social Media without Losing Your Mind
Author and social media expert Kirsten Oliphant explains how to manage your platform-building activities on social media sites.
My Pop-Up Strategy, Part 2: The Autoresponder Series
How do you treat subscribers after they sign up for your email newsletter? An autoresponder can usefully and effectively welcome people to the community.
6 Ways to Vet Freelance Editors
Author and freelance editor Maya Rock offers six pointers for vetting a freelance editor.
How to Get More Speaking Gigs (Even If You Don’t Have a Lot of Speaking Experience)
Author and speaker Dorit Sasson offers tips on how to build author platform through local speaking engagements.
Why I Started Using Pop-Ups on My Website
Pop-ups have long been despited by the Internet world, but the difficulty is: They work. Here’s how to implement them in a way that won’t annoy visitors.
Literary Agents and the Hybrid Author: A Conversation with Bob Mecoy and Kristin Nelson
Sangeeta Mehta interviews agents Bob Mecoy and Kristin Nelson about how agents can assist the hybrid author.
How to Find and Reach Influencers to Help Promote Your Book
Writing coach Angela Ackerman discusses how influencers can help you market your book, how to identify potential influencers, and how to reach them.
How Much of Themselves Do Authors Put in Their Fiction?
Why are we so curious about authors’ own lives in relation to their books, and the ways that they do (or don’t) bring their own stories into their work? Why do we wonder what’s “true”?
2 Keys to Unlock Your Momentum
Before you can take someone else’s advice, you have to develop a realistic picture of who you are, what your tendencies are, and what you’re willing and able to change.
5 Ways to Keep Writing When Life Intervenes
Author and editor Jessica Strawser offers guidance on how to write through illness, grief, and other major life events.
A Definition of Author Platform
Author platform is one of the most difficult concepts to explain, partly because everyone defines it a little differently. Here’s what agents and editors mean by platform, plus a clear definition of what platform is NOT.
How to Grow Your Email List
Kirsten Oliphant discusses various ways to grow your email subscriber list.
3 Myths About the MFA in Creative Writing
Most writers want an MFA for one of three reasons: They want to teach writing, they want to get published, or they want to make room in their life for writing. It turns out these reasons for doing an MFA are actually based on myths.
5 Ways to Develop Your Writer’s Voice
Author Jennifer Louden offers five tips for developing and strengthening your writer’s voice.
Learn an Overlooked Writing Skill: Free Training on July 27
Join me for a live training to learn to write sales copy that’s as impressive as your story; you’ll improve book descriptions, ad copy and reader emails.
Internal Dialogue: The Greatest Tool for Gaining Reader Confidence
The greatest tool for gaining reader confidence is internal dialogue—because when a character reveals his thoughts, he’s confiding in the audience.
If You Just Keep Writing, Will You Get Better?
Author and writing expert Barbara Baig discusses the lessons about deliberate practice that writers might take away from Anders Ericsson’s book Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise.
5 Steps to a Killer Book Talk
Every author dreams of having a successful book reading in a roomful of admiring fans. Yet too few actually spend enough time planning what they will say.
5 Pieces of Writing Advice You Should Ignore
Novelist James Scott Bell identifies 5 common “rules” that writers would do best to ignore—such as “Don’t start your story talking about the weather.”
Do You Lock Your Best Ideas in a Vault?
Writers can be like misers with their money when it comes to ideas—and ultimately that behavior can prevent you from producing great work.
5 Common Mistakes That Even Longtime Bloggers Make
Wondering why you don’t have more blog traffic—or if it’s worthwhile to continue your blogging effort? Here are the mistakes that commonly afflict authors.
Before You Start a Podcast: 4 Tips for Authors
Podcast producer Devon Fredericksen offers four tips for authors creating podcasts.
5 On: Rosalie Morales Kearns
Author, editor, and publisher Rosalie Morales Kearns discusses why she started a feminist press (and what it takes to run it), favorite writing exercises, the deeply held interests that fuel her own writing, and more.
What Should You Put in Your Email Newsletter?
Learn about the various types of email newsletter that are sent by authors—with pros and cons of each—plus how to choose which type YOU should send.
Book Cover Redesign as Marketing Tool
Cover designer Alexander von Ness explains the value of a book cover redesign and walks through several cover redesigns and their goals.
When Less Is More on Social Media
Social media expert Chris Syme explains why less is more in social media, and how to make the most use of primary and secondary social media channels.
Should You Self-Publish or Traditionally Publish?
Should you self-publish? There is no single right answer to this question—it’s always situational. It depends on you, your book, and your career goals. This post outlines the key questions you should ask.
How to Create an Internal Mindset Conducive to Writing
As a product of the human brain, writing is particularly influenced by emotions, moods, and worldviews. Learn how to create a mindset conducive to writing.
My Latest Advice on Book Publishing and Marketing
Get links to my latest interviews and Q&A sessions where I discuss the publishing industry as well as marketing and promotion.
5 On: R.J. Keller
Author R.J. Keller on the notion of the “second-book slump,” how she dealt with a book idea similar to her own beating hers to the market, why to write the things that scare you, and more in this 5 On interview.
What’s Your Genre? A High-Level Overview for Writers
Learn how to determine what genre you’re writing in and why it matters—plus the difference between commercial and literary.
How to Finish Your Book in Three Drafts
Stuart Horwitz explains how you can complete your book in three drafts: the messy draft, the method draft, and the polished draft.
An Alternative to ACX for Audiobook Production and Distribution
If you’re looking for an alternative to ACX and more control over your audiobook production and distribution, then ListenUp Audiobooks is worth a look.
12 Tips for Improving Your Description
Think in terms of “telling details”: details that let the reader see your characters while also revealing something about their minds.
The Question I Hate the Most
It’s the question I dislike the most from writers, and that I try to avoid answering—because it lays a terrible burden on me.
5 On: Massimo Marino
Author Massimo Marino discusses what it’s like to read science fiction as a scientist, his experience with the Booktrope publishing collective, the mission of BookGarage, and more.
How to Customize Your Email Newsletter Sign-Up Forms to Increase Reader Engagement
The connection with your email newsletter subscribers starts much sooner than you think, in a place that many gloss over or ignore: your signup forms.
Using Video for Author Marketing: What Beginners Need to Know
In my latest post over at Writer Unboxed, I discuss what writers need to know if they’re considering video as part of their marketing and promotion strategy. In brief, here’s what writers should avoid: Don’t do book trailers. Don’t talk at length in a static shot. Don’t post unedited video longer than a minute or […]
Crowdfunding Usually Doesn’t Work for Writers—But It Can
Over 70% of author crowdfunding campaigns fail, but you can beat the odds if you embrace your role as chief marketing officer of your book.
Q&A about Crowdfunding for Authors with Bethany Joy Carlson
Jane Friedman interviews author Bethany Joy Carlson about effective crowdfunding campaigns for authors.
What to Expect When Hiring a Ghostwriter
Author and ghostwriter Stacy Ennis discusses the process of working with a ghostwriter and how to know if hiring a ghostwriter is right for you.