As I mentioned in my previous article on this topic, one question that I often get from new authors and writers is “How much does writing and publishing a book cost?” The answer is that “it varies.” One thing that I strongly recommend is that you never pay for something you can get otherwise. Most people have knowledge and skills …
Each writer and author has a message that she or he wants to communicate to readers. He or she must also find his or her own unique approach to sharing ideas, stories, and information with readers in a manner that captures and holds attention. This is sometimes referred to as the author’s voice and means nothing more than your style …
Most writers that I know have encountered what has been termed “writer’s block” at some point in their career. This often occurs for a variety of reasons but typically revolves around four factors: (1) Planning, (2) Environment, (3) Competing priorities or distractions, and (4) Knowing when to stop. Planning. Like any other successful venture in life, it is crucial to …
Many nonfiction authors come up with great ideas for book topics and often have a lot of knowledge, experience and expertise. Even so, they still need to spend some time doing research on their intended content areas in order to be successful. This is because there is typically not a lot of original ideas out there; just variations on a theme. …
A question I often hear from new authors and writers is “What does it cost to write and self publish a book cost?” The answer is that “it varies.” With electronic technology, if you have a computer and know how to use it, you can get a lot of the material and information you need and you already have most of …
If you do decide to produce your own marketing materials or blogs to promote your books, products, services or company, you should consider using images. As the old adage goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” You need to do this for the following three reasons: Words alone are not enough to hold reader attention. The majority of people in a given …
After writing and publishing books for the past couple of decades, I have experienced a number of “ah-has.” If I had known them in the beginning I might have saved a lot of time and frustration while developing my books and articles. They might have even helped me better capitalize on my works earlier in my career. One thing I learned …
If you have struggled with a topic for your latest article or for a book that you are planning, you are not alone. As the saying goes, ideas “don’t fall out of trees.” The next time you are struggling to come up with a theme or topic for a writing project, try doing an idea excursion. That is to take …
I’ve recently come across what I think is a really useful author tool. Since I started writing books in the mid-90s, my process has been to do research, collect articles, create outlines, write, edit, identify graphics and images for possible use and perform other related writing functions. Typically, I keep a manila folder to store articles, notes and other material …
There has been a lot change in the publishing industry in the past decade related to how electronic rights are exercised and compensated to authors. If you are going to sign a contract with a major publishing house, always be sure you understand the contractual agreement related to what you are giving away and what you will receive in exchange. …