Welcome to my last bimonthly guest post. I started this series as a “those who can’t do, teach” writer with no books of my own. I am finishing as an experienced author and seller; my first book, Where Light Dawns: Christian Poems of Hope for Hurting Hearts, is now available by direct request at $10/copy….
Author Archives:
Making the Most of Social Media
Social media, according to many entrepreneurs, is the best thing that ever happened to small business. It streamlines market research, makes it easier to locate valuable contacts, allows for completely-free-of-charge “advertising,” and helps new customers find you. However, as with any popular venue it’s easy to pass unnoticed unless you work hard to stay visible….
Book Events That Really Sell
You’ve arranged a book signing, or reserved an expo table. You’re counting the days to the big event, dreaming every night of mile-long customer lines and overflowing cash boxes. Unfortunately, that scenario really is “in your dreams” for most writers. If you aren’t sufficiently popular to draw interest on pure name recognition, you may be…
More Deadly Attitudes That Kill Writers’ Chances
My last guest post discussed five “Deadly Attitudes that kill writers’ chances,” attitudes closely related to the mechanics of writing and selling. This installment presents one more, plus four additional “DAs” in the “pure attitude” range. 6. Deadly Gimmicks. No story ever sold solely because the text rhymed; plot and characters are what count, and…
Deadly Attitudes That Kill Writers’ Chances
Everyone has the perfect story idea at one time or another. And everyone who writes down that story expects publishers and the public to snap it up. That expectation is regularly disappointed. Whether you’re selling your work to an agent or publisher, or directly to the public, it can take years to get noticed among…
Want to Sell? Go Where the Buyers Are!
The top advantage of modern publishing technology is that now any book can get published. And the top disadvantage of modern publishing technology is—now any book can get published. Including a plethora of shoddily printed, unedited books that only the writers’ mothers find interesting. So few bookstores or libraries give serious attention to self-published titles;…
Every Day a New Day
January is the month for new beginnings. And February is the month for falling back into old habits. Every fitness center manager knows that the volume of new and attending members swells early in the year, but things soon go back to normal. And the author or entrepreneur whose twelve-month marketing/business development plan is still…
Becoming a Bestselling Author is Hard Work!
Ready to write your first book? More power to you. Ready to live in luxury from the royalties? Time for a reality check. I won’t waste space with a lot of statistics on how hard it really is to make money writing. That approach is not only boring and negative, it’s futile. Everyone who conceives…