When it comes to being an indie author, it's good to think about having multiple revenue streams. Sometimes revenue streams can be related to digital content, but not necessarily writing. The Book Designer recently shared a post about making and selling your own photos. The article goes over the camera you can use (your smartphone is often good enough), processing your … [Read more...] about Photography as a Revenue Stream
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Keeping Up To Date With Social Media Platforms
We all know every social media platform is different, and as indie authors you should have different approaches for each. Each platform is constantly updating and evolving. Here's the latest on some of them. Twitter Some people use Twitter to tweet novels, one line at a time. People also use Twitter to share news and stay in touch. People also build bots and in some cases, … [Read more...] about Keeping Up To Date With Social Media Platforms
Tips and Tricks for Being More Productive
It's hard to be an indie author. There's always so much to do: writing, editing, marketing, and all the things that go with running a business. On top of that, a lot of people write as a side gig. With that in mind, here are some productivity tips to help you get the most out of your day, in no particular order. "How To Boost Your Creativity The Einstein Way—With … [Read more...] about Tips and Tricks for Being More Productive
20 Stories Related To Writing and Publishing
Sometimes I read stories, and just have to share them. Here's a list of recent interesting stuff (in no particular order): "13 Writers Who Grew To Hate Their Own Books" on Literary Hub: List includes Ian Fleming (The Spy Who Loved Me), Anthony Burgess (A Clockwork Orange), and Leo Tolstoy (War and Peace). "8 Notable Attempts to Hack the New York Times Bestseller List" … [Read more...] about 20 Stories Related To Writing and Publishing
Two Indie Author Choices: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Although Amazon works with a wide variety of industries now, it originated in books. And it still dominates the book industry. The Wall Street Journal recently wrote about how Amazon "commands an unrivaled customer base for the books, e-books and audiobooks it publishes." Part of what helped Amazon with ebooks is KDP, the platform where indie authors can upload and sell … [Read more...] about Two Indie Author Choices: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Editing in the Writing Process
Editing is an important part of the writing process. But sometimes, it's easy to get so excited about having a first draft, it's hard to take things to the next level. Publisher's Weekly has a post about how every writer needs an editor, even if the writer is an editor. In brief, it takes a lot of courage and perseverance. These worries can go both ways. The Write Life also … [Read more...] about Editing in the Writing Process
Becoming a Speaker
One of my goals this year is to do more speaking gigs. I've done a few, mostly about dinosaurs (but also about self-publishing). There are many articles out there about the benefits of public speaking. As an author, it can be a way to help sell more books, or vice-versa: you can publish a book in your niche to get more speaking gigs. Additionally, getting more comfortable … [Read more...] about Becoming a Speaker
Guest Post: How to Name a Character
By Emmanuel Nataf It’s the new year and you’re ready to actually carry out your resolution of writing a book. You’re excited and sitting down to put down the first word when you stop short — because you’ve realized that you’re missing one of the most basic ingredients of all: a name for your character. Though it might seem like a given, a name is actually one of the most … [Read more...] about Guest Post: How to Name a Character
Starting the New Year Strong: Writing Advice and Resources
Yes, I know it's now February, but it's still early in the year! Also, congrats if one of your resolutions for the year was to write more, and you've made it this far. There are many writing resources and articles out there. Here are a few that may help you with your next novel, broken down by theme. Conflict and Tension "5 Ways to Create Strong Internal Conflict" on … [Read more...] about Starting the New Year Strong: Writing Advice and Resources
Tips and Tricks for Content Marketing
Content marketing can be very powerful. According to Content Marketing Institute (CMI): Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. When it comes to the type of content to create, there … [Read more...] about Tips and Tricks for Content Marketing
Ideas for Promoting Your Book
Book promotion comes in all shapes and sizes. Here are a few things to keep in mind. Book Visuals and Pricing It starts with your book cover. The Book Designer talks about recent cover trends that may give you some ideas (what colors to use, how to use typography, types of images, and more). For print books especially, you'll also want to work on the spine and the back … [Read more...] about Ideas for Promoting Your Book
Subscription Box Service, A Way to Build Your Brand?
A while back, I came across an article about starting a subscription box service. I'd never thought of that as an option before, but the idea is interesting. One of the examples is Brave Roots Box, which sends religious items to kids and teens each month (the owner was cited in the article I read). Apparently, the subscription box business model is prevalent enough that … [Read more...] about Subscription Box Service, A Way to Build Your Brand?
Social Media Updates and Trends
It's the beginning of a new year, so it makes sense to revisit the world of social media and marketing. There's been a lot of updates. Some of them pertain more to personal use, and others can be handy for building your brand. Influencers and Content Trends It's good to stay on top of trends. CMO published an article about how people check email less, smart speakers are … [Read more...] about Social Media Updates and Trends
Tips for Writing a Series
I've had a series in the works for a while now (spoiler, it's about dinosaurs). I've been really slow in writing it, but I have been reading up lately on tips for how other authors write their series. Elizabeth Spann Craig has a post about evaluating a series, and deciding how long a series should be. Some things to consider are whether you as the author have fresh ideas, if … [Read more...] about Tips for Writing a Series
Useful Productivity Hacks and Tools
![By elian (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i0.wp.com/digitalpubbing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/cat.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)
For those of us who are multi-taskers and like to do everything at 1.5-2x speed (I've even started watching TV shows on fast forward), the New York Times has some bad news: "Sorry, you can't speed read." But on the bright side, there are many tools and hacks out there to help you speed up your productivity. I'll get into the writing-specific ones first. Author Specific … [Read more...] about Useful Productivity Hacks and Tools
