on Just Publishing Advice

Getting a publisher is every author’s dream.

But beware of book contract nightmares.

Never sign a book contract with a publisher without doing your homework first.

Find out more HERE

by Ryan Lanz

For some writers, editing strikes fear into their hearts. Okay, perhaps not fear, but some discomfort. At least a stomach ache, right?

Before you reach for the antacids, let’s discuss the different methods of editing and introduce some ways that might make it less intimidating.

 on Just Publishing Advice:

As a writer, you need to understand the importance of fixing your spelling errors and grammar mistakes.

Most programs do have a spell checker built in, but not many have a grammar checker.

There are many ways you can check your grammar and make sure you publish content that is correct and engages your audience without the distraction of improper writing.

If you are not familiar with the common grammar mistakes, you need to do your research first. Once you are aware of these, you have a better chance at identifying the uncommon ones.

There are many free grammar checkers online, but you have to be careful when selecting one.

Continue reading HERE

by Lynne Cantwell  on Indies Unlimited:

Recently, I was invited to join a Facebook group whose membership includes a lot of new authors.

I’d forgotten about some of these newbie concerns.

I’d also forgotten how everybody asks the same questions over and over, to the point where those of us who have been at this for a while get kind of tired of answering them. So I thought I’d pull together some of these typical questions and answer them.

Continue reading HERE

No matter what we dream of in fantasy land, reality is always waiting to jump out from the shadows and remind authors that there is more to the job than just writing. It sucks. Many of us wish that the work will speak for itself; that readers will catch on and spread the word like wildfire.

Lala land is a nice place to visit, but it doesn’t create sales. Books are everywhere. More people are ‘writers” than ever. The market has expanded to include sub genres for sub genres but even so there is so much reading material to choose from that many bookworms stick to what they know.

Names are important in writing. When polled, readers still list the author as the most important factor in deciding to purchase a book. That hits indie authors hard when the industry is already built to favor mainstream artists.

The cutesy, “as…

I wanted to address a situation that might be concerning to you.
Facebook – yikes. There are a lot of questions rolling around.

Is my information safe? Is it going away? Should I delete my account? What the heck is going on?!?

Here’s the deal: there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered, and more information will be coming out over the next few weeks.

So what can you do until then?

If your ideal reader uses Facebook as their main social media outlet, there are ways that you can protect your information moving forward – which I’ll address in a minute.

But here are a few things I would encourage you to consider:

1. If you begin to see a dramatic decrease in engagement and growth of your Facebook Page, consider trying another social media outlet. I would encourage you to ask your audience…

This is a guest post by Mollie Porein,  a highly skilled web content writer. She knows what an expository essay is and can help you write this kind of assignment. She is interested in topics about education, writing, blogging, motivation, etc. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow her on Twitter.

I, for one, have always struggled with using LinkedIn to promote my books. So, I found her post particularly intriguing. If you do try her tips, please let us know how they worked out for you!

Using LinkedIn To Promote Your Book

1. Selling yourself

Image: TipScrew

In this day and age, self-promotion can be a rather daunting prospect. Digital marketing in the modern world calls for a rather personal approach to boost your online presence. One of the best ways to do this is through professional networking websites such as LinkedIn.

This multifaceted business-oriented service operates for professional…

There are a handful of commonly held misunderstandings about creative people that I regularly encounter when talking with leaders. Like any stereotype, there are some elements of truth in all of them, but they oversimplify reality and create a lot of roadblocks to healthy collaboration. In addition, when you hold any of these myths to be true, even subconsciously, it can affect your ability to give your team what it truly needs from you.

Myth 1: Creative people just want total freedom.
I hear this all the time from leaders who come from less traditionally “creative” roles. There is a standing belief that creative people want to remove all boundaries so that they can have a wide-open field to play in. This perception is often the result of creative people on their team having pushed back against overly constrictive boundaries or challenged a direction with which they disagree, but it’s…