This week we asked our community on Facebook to answer this question: What do you hope readers will gain from reading your book? Here’s what they had to say: David Evans: My book “ONE GOOD IDEA” provides some simple, fun ideas to help readers find that One Good Idea that they need. (One of the […]
Back in 2003 when I quit my soul-sucking corporate job and opened a brick and mortar bookstore (which I sold three years later), one of my first initiatives was to start a writers’ group that met in the store every Saturday morning. I had decided that I wanted to finally pursue my life-long goal of […]
While there are a lot of rules around how to pitch traditional media sources, the rules for pitching online sources are often looser, and the opportunities could keep you busy for years. The good news is that bloggers have more influence than ever before. Consumers love recommendations, especially when it comes to what books to […]
I was advising an author recently about her book launch and realized that she was pouring all her time and energy into making sure this book was a success. What’s the problem with that, Mark? Well, first of all, my name’s Mike. But here’s the problem: books come and go. In five years, this book will […]
This week we asked our community on Facebook to answer this question: What is the title of your book and who is your target audience? Here’s what they had to say: Joel D Canfield: The working title is “Making Resistance Irrelevant: Why You Aren’t Writing and What You Can Do About It” It’ll be good […]
How can you change weak verbs into emotional or visual ones? One single practice presented here will transform your writing when you use it consistently. It’s this: Watch out for “is” words and their various cousins. Stay alert to phrases such as “is happening” or “was being good” and change them to “happens” or “behaved” […]
You should know that reporters, editors, and producers NEED story ideas. In other words, they need you as much as you need them! Yes, it’s perfectly okay to reach out to media pros, though before you do make sure you have a news-worthy pitch. A new book release rarely qualifies as news-worthy if you aren’t […]
This week we asked our community on Facebook to answer this question: What advice would you offer to new authors just getting started? Here’s what they had to say: Stephanie Chandler: Start now! Build a marketing plan before the book is finished being written and you will be ahead of the game! Marie DeHaan: Never […]
As writers, self-editing is one of the hardest things we have to do. We love our work. The way that we have expressed our ideas makes perfect sense in our own heads, and so analyzing it sentence by sentence can be disheartening and difficult. But it is essential. When you are in the flow of […]
Book reviews are essential because they help potential readers make a purchase decision. Sending out review copies is a strategy every author should include in their marketing plans. The more people who know about your book, the better the chance of building word of mouth buzz. Free Book Review Options: Amazon Reviewers – Reviews on […]
Recently there has been much discussion in the publishing community around whether authors should publish their books with both IngramSpark/Lightning Source and CreateSpace or choose just one publishing platform. Below we break down some of the pros and cons you should know about. But first, let’s clarify that IngramSpark is a publishing platform for indie […]
Leverage Social Media (Whether you like it or not)
Here’s the reality: social media is not a fad and isn’t going away. If you’ve been avoiding social media, consider this a gentle nudge to help you get serious. The good news is that social media is ideal for nonfiction authors—we write! And our readers want to hear from us! You also don’t have to […]
How Well Do You Balance the Business and the Art of Writing? by Rosanne Bane
You know how to take care of business as a nonfiction writer. You’re professional. You attend to all the details of putting your writing into the world from analyzing your audience to zeroing in on new ways to promote your writing. But all this serious business stuff is probably not why you started writing. You […]
Name: Janet Grant Book Title: Spirit Animals of the Chinese Zodiac: Using Spirit Animal Wisdom from Eastern Astrology for Self-Discovery Your book’s Amazon purchase link: Spirit Animals of the Chinese Zodiac What is your book about? By using the principles of the Chinese Zodiac along with the Native American paradigm of spirit animals, you can […]
Recently there has been much discussion in the publishing community around whether authors should publish their books with both IngramSpark/Lightning Source and CreateSpace or choose just one publishing platform. Below we break down some of the pros and cons you should know about. But first, let’s clarify that IngramSpark is a publishing platform for indie […]
Leverage Social Media (Whether you like it or not)
Here’s the reality: social media is not a fad and isn’t going away. If you’ve been avoiding social media, consider this a gentle nudge to help you get serious. The good news is that social media is ideal for nonfiction authors—we write! And our readers want to hear from us! You also don’t have to […]
How Well Do You Balance the Business and the Art of Writing? by Rosanne Bane
You know how to take care of business as a nonfiction writer. You’re professional. You attend to all the details of putting your writing into the world from analyzing your audience to zeroing in on new ways to promote your writing. But all this serious business stuff is probably not why you started writing. You […]
“Start to” and “Decide to”: Are They Flooding Your Writing? by Barbara McNichol
When you look back at what you’ve written, take time to find how many times you start sentences with the word “start” or “begin.” For example, in a 5,000-word document I edited, those two words appeared 14 times, while only five were deemed necessary to the meaning. That’s a lot of extra words flooding your […]
Meet the Members: Elva Anson, author of Wondering Around God
Author Name: Elva Anson Book Title: Wondering Around God Synopsis Because my friend, Kiyo Soto, started her memoir at age 80, maybe I could, too. I launched “Wondering Around God” five years later. Here is how one reviewer, Elisabeth Kersten, retired Director of Calif. Senate Office of Research, describes it. “Elva Anson is a first-rate […]
8 Hints on How to Effectively Promote Your Book on Social Media by Brandon Stanley
The rise of social media changed the way writers promote themselves. We’re seeing non-fiction and fiction books being promoted on all platforms. Some of these campaigns are truly successful in terms of creating awareness. Others fail. Effective marketing is what makes the difference. You might be wondering: how do you effectively promote your book on […]
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