Writing Your Book: Synergy With the Web
You’re writing your book, and you’re a bundle of nerves: what if no one wants to read it? These days, you can lay those fears to rest. I’ve been recommending that you blog your book on this blog, but...
View ArticlePortable ebook reader: which one will you buy?
Are you thinking of buying an ebook reader? Amazon’s Kindle Wireless Reading Device (6 has been out for a while, and is hugely popular. However, there are many other options, with new ereaders...
View ArticleWrite a book: give readers a taste to whet their appetite
Are you writing a book? Great. Here’s the best tip I can offer you: build your readership as you write. The easiest way to build your readership is by blogging. You can also build your readership by...
View ArticleOnly Readers Matter: Focus On Readers and Conquer Rejection
Readers are right. Everyone else is WRONG. In this blog post,, I said: * Sometimes editors are wrong * Sometimes literary agents are wrong * Often ALL buyers of your writing are WRONG. (By which I...
View ArticleToo Clever: Use Craigslist to Get Beta Readers
Every so often you come across a tip which is just BRILLIANT. In this post, “Patience, Patience: Publish In Haste, Regret at Leisure”, I suggested you get some beta readers. All well and good, but what...
View ArticleYour Novel (or Short Story): How to Create Experiences for Readers
When you write a short story, or a novel, you’re trying to give your readers an experience. You want to involve them so deeply, that they’re there, right in your story. I’ve found Lisa Cron’s Wired for...
View ArticleEasy Book Promotions: Are You Making the Most of Goodreads?
You’ve written a book. Now what? Many new authors freak out at this stage. Don’t. You don’t need to spend four hours a day on Twitter and other social networking sites begging people to buy your book....
View ArticleGoodreads: Back to Reading, Forget Attacking
Goodreads is a wonderful website. It’s useful resource for readers, and for authors. Sadly, over the past year or so, barely a week goes by without some nasty story developing about something or other...
View ArticleSelf-Publishing: 3 Easy Tips To Write a Book AND Publish It Fast
How long does it take to write a book and publish it? If you asked that question a few years ago, the answer would have been two years, or longer. Nowadays, you could conceivably write and self-publish...
View Article3 Fiction Tips: Write Stories Readers LOVE
Want to write stories readers LOVE? If you do, you need to make your stories satisfying. Consider your favorite story. Why do you love it, and read it again and again? I’m a huge P.G. Wodehouse fan. I...
View ArticleEditing Your Book: Cleverest Tactic EVER
Editing your book can take forever, or at least, it can seem like forever. What if you had not just one editor, but many? You’d get the pesky editing out of the way faster. J. Travis Washburn writes...
View ArticleFiction Writing Basics: Scenes, Narrative and Chapters
Let’s take a look at fiction writing basics: scenes, narrative, and chapters. Several readers asked “What’s a chapter?” My response, “Whatever it needs to be,” isn’t all that helpful, so let’s clarify....
View ArticleBestselling Fiction: Create Characters Readers Love
If you want to create bestselling fiction, you need to pay attention to creating characters readers love — or at least like. Firstly, a word about words. Fiction isn’t words, it’s feelings New authors...
View Article5 Bestselling Fiction Tips: Start With Heart
Want to write bestselling fiction? There’s one simple rule: keep readers reading. Authors have more challenges with story beginnings than they do with anything else, except perhaps the dreaded middle...
View ArticleEbook Pricing: 3 Tips For Today
Writing ebooks? If you’re a new author, you’re concerned about ebook pricing. Established authors, who’ve built up a catalogue of titles, tend not to worry about pricing individual ebooks. They’re...
View ArticleKindle Author: Improve Your Ideas And Sell More Ebooks
You’ve published an ebook, or perhaps more than one. Congratulations: you’re a Kindle author. I work with many authors and they all want one thing: more sales. We all want guaranteed bestsellers. But...
View ArticleSelf-Publishing: 3 Easy Tips To Write a Book AND Publish It Fast
How long does it take to write a book and publish it? If you asked that question a few years ago, the answer would have been two years, or longer. Nowadays, you could conceivably write and self-publish...
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