Want to know what knocked my socks off this week?

An Excel Stylesheet. 

Yep, good old Excel. Okay, maybe I’m impressed easier than you. 

A stylesheet can make your novel appear more professional.

Why? Because writing a massive novel is hard and keeping track of names, places, hyphens and more can get confusing. This is where a stylesheet comes in handy. And most editors require one. Who knew? Not me. Not until this past week.

What you put add to a stylesheet is up to you. You can keep it simple or add a column for everything under the sun.

Stylesheet purpose? 

To prevent mistakes that stand out like a pimple on your nose.

Ever read a book and a name changed midway? Cathy, Kathy, Kathie or Katy? Glaring mistakes like that will pull your reader out of the story in a flash.

I’m compiling my stylesheet as I…

Happy Monday, SEers!  It’s a new week and a new subject. Lately, friends, family, and I have been discussing social media. Even co-workers. I’ve come to realize many people have a love/hate relationship with social media, or at least some of the platforms, and the bulk of activity that takes place there.

I’m not here to debate the merits of social media, rather to offer some suggestions on how to best use it as an author. As writers, we need to have a social media presence. The world exists online, therefore it’s a necessity we’re there too. Obviously, there are tons of social media outlets available, but when does your message become diluted?

In the world of advertising—regardless the nature of your product or service—the goal is to achieve Top of Mind Awareness. TOMA is the golden standard everyone hopes to attain.

If I say “dandruff shampoo” you’ll probably think…

By Derek Haines  on Just Publishing Advice:

Writing is now a popular way to make money either as a full time or part-time job

Self-publishing and becoming self-employed

With the technology that is now available for writers to publish their work online, there are many options when it comes to earning an income from writing.

While most would immediately think of self-publishing as publishing ebooks and books on Amazon, this is only one of many means available to publish and get paid for your writing.

A lot of writers are now learning to mix and match their publishing to maximise the return on their work.

Yes, publishing ebooks on Kindle is one way to sell your writing, but blogging has now become a very lucrative means of deriving an income.

Let’s start with books and ebooks.

Selling books and making money

As authors, we are always looking for new ways to reach our readers. I was contacted by these two lovely ladies, through friends made on Lisa Burton Radio, to promote their startup on YouTube. Check out what they have to offer, and there are some pretty decent prizes available here too.

CraftQuest 2018 Launch

Co-Founders: Maria Tureaud & Ari Augustine

Motto: We are warriors of the written word.

This month, Maria Tureaud and I are launching CraftQuest, a LIVE YouTube webinar series for serious writers. We wanted to create the equivalent of The View for seriously determined writers willing to transform their failures into successes and want to “get shit done”.

Each month, CraftQuest will host between five to ten writers to chat about their unique writing lives, creative processes, and lessons learn from rejections. We will share tips, perform open critiques, and collaborate with other humans who want…