If you're still not publishing on Kindle, you might want to consider it. Even small books that only sell a few copies a day can still earn you a $100 or more per month in passive income. And if your book becomes a hot seller, you can do far, far better. Here then are some tips for making your next Kindle book a best seller: … [Read more...]
Instill a Love of Books by Reading to Your Child
Did you grow up loving to read? If so, chances are that love was encouraged by the adults in your life: parents, teachers and others who introduced you to books. My mother read to me from a very early age. She says that I had memorized “The Night Before Christmas” by the time I was three, because she read it to me so many times! Books were and are an important part of my … [Read more...]
What Qualifications Should a Ghostwriter Have?
When hiring a ghostwriter, you might be most concerned with what qualifications they should have. However, you may not need to be quite as concerned about their formal education and credentials as you are about their skill level in certain areas. This is because writing is not necessarily an art form that someone professionally trained for in college. Many good writers never … [Read more...]
Sell More Books at the Back of the Room
As an author, you may have many opportunities to speak to groups, present at conferences and instruct classes. Making your book available for purchase at these events can build your fan base and put cash in your pocket. Even giving a free talk to a small group can be profitable. I have given many talks at morning meetings where I walked out the door with hundreds of dollars … [Read more...]
What Fiction Writers Can Learn About Marketing from Non-Fiction Writers
Marketing fiction can be more challenging than non-fiction. You can make it easier by adopting techniques used by non-fiction writers. Yes, these marketing methods work for novels, too. Tie your book to a hot news story. One client’s novel about the oil industry came out right when gas prices were spiking. He used that as a hook to land lots of radio interviews and create … [Read more...]
Editing Resources for Writers
Making your manuscript the best it can be is a critical step in your book's success. We can not recognize all of the issues in our own work, so it is important to hire a professional to edit your book before you self-publish it or submit it to a publisher. (No, it is not the job of the publishing house to turn rough drafts into polished prose. Your work should be the best you … [Read more...]
Words are, like, important?
Anyone who appreciates the beauty and utility of language will enjoy this poem by Taylor Mali. There are people who will tell you that the meaning is what matters, not the way it is expressed. But when words are used carelessly and incorrectly, how do we know what the speaker or writer is trying to say? Words have meaning. The words you use, and the manner in which you … [Read more...]
Prepping for NaNoWriMo
NaNoWritMo is coming! Here is a fictional look at one writer's approach to this annual November event. I got a kick out of it, and I hope you do, too. Mike, the writer, shares a bit of his fractured take on life at bikeswine.com. More and more you hear the stories of preppers – men and women who are preparing for the end of existence as we know it. Some have built luxury … [Read more...]
How To Write a Book Without Writing
Here's what happens when most people sit down to write a book: First, they procrastinate because they don't know where to start. Next, they finally get going and they even manage to write a chapter or two, but then they get stuck. Finally, they shelve the book to “finish later” and it never gets done. Frustrating, right? But if you have a system, writing a book can be … [Read more...]
Who or Whom? Which is Correct?
This is possibly the trickiest confusion-causing grammar rule imaginable. So many of us see the two words “whom” and “who” and our eyes begin to cross because we can’t even start trying to figure out the difference between them. I see many people try to sound correct by using “whom” even when they should use “who”! Let’s explore their uses and how to properly put them in a … [Read more...]