Are you writing for fun or profit, is it a business or is it a hobby? Without evidence of published works and records of profits and losses, it is a hobby, so says the IRS. Why even ask the question? Why does it matter? All too often, in my experience anyway, we women deny the importance […]
How Authors Should Be Using Social Media
Why should authors use social media? If you’re self-marketing, social media is a free way that you can advertise yourself and your books. There is also the potential to reach a large number of people, as there are more than one billion Facebook users and almost just as many Twitter users. However, what social media […]
Marketing – Wise Investment or Money Pit?
My husband loves to watch a TV reality show called The Curse of Oak Island. Apparently people have been searching the tiny island in Nova Scotia for centuries in hopes of unearthing either buried treasure or the ark of the covenant. Rick and Marty Lagina are twenty-first-century explorers and hosts who frequently refer to their […]
The Rules of Writing – There Are No Rules
“John, I know you were a Marine, therefore you love rules. The rule you need to remember here is that there are no rules.” My husband is a psychologist and told me about this simple piece of advice from the head nurse of an inpatient psychiatric unit where he was working as an intern. That […]
5 More Tips for the Novice Novelist
In an earlier post, “Want To Write A Novel? 5 Tips to help you find out…”, we discussed the ‘why’s’ of writing a novel: tips for the novice novelist to ensure that the story and characters are liked, maybe even loved because of the amount of time needed with our stories. Now that you’ve decided […]
Targeting Age Ranges and Grade Levels: Children’s Books
Writing for the Children’s Book Market Many online retailers offer attributes that narrow the age / grade range of your target audience and increase your books’ discoverability. Like movie ratings, this feature enables the publisher to to choose the appropriate age and grade target for their book. In turn the retailers include your book into […]
How to Register a Copyright (USA) – How To Video
Although your work is copyrighted from the first stroke of the keystroke, you may want to pay to officially register your copyright. Here’s a short 5 minute video on how to register your copyright in the United States.