Are you a member of the Authors Guild?
by,
October 6, 2015

The Authors Guild is the nation’s professional organization for writers, aiding and protecting author’s interest in copyright, fair contracts, and free expression since 1912. It supports working writers, advocates for author rights, and provides a community for its members. Any author who has been published by an established U.S. book publisher or by periodicals of general circulation in the US qualifies for membership. You may… [Read More]

Writer’s Neck
by,
September 29, 2015

Whether you are reading, researching, taking notes, or writing, your neck and shoulders are likely to get stuck at an angle which will make you tight, stiff, and eventually sore. Your head weighs about ten lbs. When you tilt your head forward, it will cause your neck and muscles to have to work as hard as if your head weighed 30 lbs., according to Erik… [Read More]

Is an Online Writing Class Right for You?
by,
September 22, 2015

Joyce Maynard found ads for James Patterson Master Class in her Facebook newsfeed and signed up to discover the secrets to writing a bestselling book. She wrote an article for The Observer about what Patterson had to teach her about writing – and selling – books. That she herself was a published author of a couple memoirs and a dozen novels did not prevent her… [Read More]

Managing the business of being an author
by,
September 8, 2015

To be an author is a status many work hard to attain. Most of that work is invisible to the reader’s eye. Much of it doesn’t involve creative writing. The roles and responsibilities of an author go far beyond producing a wonderful manuscript. Writer is one role and the manuscript is one important responsibility. There are other roles besides writer and many more responsibilities. The role… [Read More]

Adventures with the IRS
by,
September 2, 2015

Sharon Yntema, bookkeeper and author, shared her good experience with a small publisher in a recent blog and here she shares her story and good advice for the business of being an author. In 1981, I received my first author royalty check. Up until that point, my tax returns had been totally straightforward: one W2 was all I had to deal with, and so I… [Read More]

Behavioral Engineering for Writers
by,
June 2, 2015

If there were some easy ways to be more productive as a writer, would you want to know about them? If so, read on. “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.” —W. Somerset Maugham In the above quote, Maugham is getting at one of the critical distinctions between professional working writers and, well, everyone else (which here… [Read More]

How to prepare for a successful reading
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May 5, 2015

How to prepare for a successful reading Once your book is published, expect to schedule events where you read an excerpt of your work out loud to an audience. Reader engagement sells books and one of the tried and true methods for authors are public readings. How can you best prepare for a successful reading? If you have been to enough author readings you know… [Read More]

Connecting Writers with Readers: Fox Cities Book Festival
by,
April 21, 2015

The Fox Cities Book Festival is April 20-26 in Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, Kaukauna, Little Chute, and Kimberly, Wisconsin. This book festival aims to connect writers with their readers and readers with those who write the books they read. During my first week of residency in Wisconsin, I plan to partake in this celebration of books. Throughout the week authors share their works through readings, panel… [Read More]

Why You Need Your Very Own Writer’s Community
by,
March 31, 2015

  Writing is a lonely business. Sitting for hours, working and reworking the same scenes, trying your best to deal with rejection and still maintain some kind of hope… A caring partner or friend may give encouragement and support. But eventually, the hardworking writer will need more than even the most sympathetic supporter can provide. When this happens,  the writer needs to set up her own… [Read More]

Writing Memoir: Author, Narrator, Protagonist
by,
March 17, 2015

Writing Memoir: Author, Narrator, Protagonist Memoir has become nearly as popular a genre as fiction. It’s the stuff of which movies are made. Almost everyone I meet thinks they have a story worth telling.  And today nearly everyone thinks they can publish their memoir. Brooke Warner, publisher of She Writes Press, recently suggested in The Huffington Post the pursuit of publication is a birthright. Finding… [Read More]