Dialogue Rules
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June 5, 2012

Writing dialogue is about capturing a character’s voice and revealing her or his motivations. Good dialogue engages the reader in a dynamic exchange between characters. It quickens the pace when there is no action and moves the plot forward. Bad dialogue only relays expository information, which doesn’t feel real to the reader who can’t believe your characters would talk like that to each other. Although… [Read More]

Writer’s Keyboard Shortcuts: Control A to Z
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May 26, 2012

Okay, there’s no real shortcut to writing, per se. Writing requires you sit down, collect your thoughts, organize them, and turn them into text. But as a writer, I sometimes wonder what button or link I inadvertently touched that made my computer do something wacky and unexpected. Then I realize my knowledge of a set of shortcuts on the keyboard may help me get out… [Read More]

Smart tools for smart bloggers: writers who self-promote to reach readers
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May 19, 2012

If you are a writer with a book project, book proposal or complete manuscript, you absolutely must have a website. Why? Publishers and readers demand it. The world must be able to find you on Google. Writers need a professional online presence, beyond the personal Facebook profile and e-mail account. If you are going to publish, you need to have a public persona. Not the… [Read More]

Something for Nothing: Snagging Free Stock Images
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April 14, 2012

Even the most poignant blog post is virtually unreadable without a little visual appeal. On one hand, text matters most because content is KING of SEO. However, the queen in this strategic game toward publishing flanks the important part of your content – key words, headings, and links generate your SEO. Your ideas are what will make people keep coming back and your visitors come… [Read More]

Using Bit.ly for Twitter and beyond
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April 7, 2012

Twitter will automatically shorten any link you put into your tweet for you, but how do you know if anyone actually clicked on your link? Facebook will translate a link in your status update to make it clickable, but how can you track who actually clicks? Neither Twitter nor Facebook can tell you that.  You can get a “read” receipt from an email you send, but… [Read More]

2012 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market: Your Ticket to the Secrets of Kidlit
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March 31, 2012

The best reference you can buy on the subject of publishing children’s books is the Writer’s Digest publication, 2012 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market, edited by Chuck Sambuchino. For the best publishing tips, the first 175 pages are a gold mine. In the 2012 edition of CWIM (the acronym used for this desk reference for the past 20 years), Sambuchino added lots of new  instructional… [Read More]

Writer’s Secret: Good Reading Group
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March 27, 2012

If you are an author, you ought to be in at least one good reading group or book club. Writers read good writing. You’ve heard that before. You know it’s true. And yet, you’re afraid reading a lot of good books right now might be just one more way to procrastinate the hard work of writing. At least you’re honest. But I want to urge… [Read More]

Developing a Marketing Strategy for your book proposal
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February 11, 2012

If you have a have a nonfiction book project or a completed fiction manuscript and you want to publish it traditionally, you need a book proposal. To get a publisher’s interest, you need to provide information about your book, your audience, and yourself. Though introduced by a query letter, the book proposal explains the nuts and bolts of your book: number of chapters and their… [Read More]

Writing Your Non-Fiction Book Proposal: A Workshop next weekend
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February 4, 2012

Agents talk. Editors talk. Publishing is a small world and your book proposal only gets one shot at success. Learn which mistakes to avoid while preparing a winning proposal that will command a contract from an agent or publisher. Last November, Swenson Book Development, LLC offered a workshop outlining what to include in a book proposal. This February, we continue the adventure with an intensive,… [Read More]

Why authors use social media
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January 21, 2012

Too often I hear writers say they don’t see the point of social media, while others say they will use it after they’ve written their book. It’s a common refrain: writers just want to write. Many writers shy away from social media because they think it is nothing more than hype and sales. These are the same people who use Google search engines, rely on online… [Read More]