New Rules of Book Publishing — Platform. Publish. Promote.

5 Ways to Build Your Online Authority and Expand Your Readership

April 26, 2010

You’ve set up a blog, written some pillar content, and started tinkering with social media, but the traffic isn’t exactly pouring in. So, what comes next? Building an online platform for your book is no easy task. But by establishing yourself as an authority in your niche early on, you’ll be able to build a [...]

Read the full article →

Growth Mindset and a Man Named Earl

April 10, 2010

I’ve been reading Carol Dwyer’s Mindset: the New Psychology of Success on the recommendation of Sonia Simone at Remarkable Communication. This book contains a great comparison of folks that have a “fixed mindset,” where we are born with a fixed amount of intelligence (success, skill, etc) and there is no chance of improving this, and [...]

Read the full article →

Everything New is Old…Five Top Tips for Successful Submissions

March 17, 2010

When I began freelance writing, my first job was writing a weekly column for the Daily Review, a regional newspaper. It was a fabulous training ground and for years I recommended the experience to novice writers seeking advice on how to get started. Times sure have changed. Now, I would give those same novices slightly [...]

Read the full article →

Watching the Launch of a Book

February 19, 2010

My friend Sean Platt is about to go to press with his new children’s book, Penny to a Million. The amazing thing is, that prior to it coming hot off the press, he’s giving it away for free. It’s true. Go check it out. You may say to yourself, “why would he do that? Is [...]

Read the full article →

Anatomy of a Beautiful Page

February 9, 2010

Self publishing features a unique combination of emotions: exhilaration and terror. Why? Because self publishers wear so many hats. You have to write compelling, clear prose. You have to know enough about marketing that you can build your own audience and following. And often, you need to design your own pages for printing. I’m here [...]

Read the full article →

A Duck, Pink Hair, A Potty Mouth: Do You Need Those to Find Your Style?

February 4, 2010

Finding your own voice, with your own personality, is your goal as an author. What sets you apart? What is your style? You may not know the answer to this yet, but to be effective, you must use your OWN voice and style. It will not work if you simply try to copy someone else. [...]

Read the full article →

How to Become a Well-Known Author

February 1, 2010

Looking for ways to get the word out about your new book? In this post we talked about the challenge of book publishing, and the importance of establishing an audience before you actually write the book. Yes it seems backwards, but it really does make sense if you think about it. If you ran a [...]

Read the full article →

Reach Your Audience With Your Own Voice

January 29, 2010

When you’re a writer, it’s easy to forget how many people are intimidated by the craft. But sometimes an odd thing happens to writers. You find yourself needing a bio or promotional copy, and suddenly you get stuck. Your voice changes. You lose your natural flow and sound like you’re filling out an application for [...]

Read the full article →

To Book Or Not To Book?

January 26, 2010

Many people are under the impression that publishing your book will a) instantly make you famous and b) you will be so rich you can retire to the beach. Sorry, a little reality check is in order. What publishing your book can’t do for you: Make you rich Make you famous Make your name a [...]

Read the full article →

How to Stand Out From The Crowd: Define Your Target Audience

January 19, 2010

Hundreds of thousands of books are published every year, very few of which most people will know anything about. If your name is not Sarah Palin, J. K. Rowling, or Stephen King, you’ve got a lot of work to do in getting your book to break through the clutter. Imitation may be the best form [...]