Military Writers Society of America: 2013 Conference September 26-29 in Dayton
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August 6, 2013

Saving history one story at a time, Military Writers Society of America is a national organization dedicated to helping veterans, their families, and historians inscribe the complexities of military life and encourage writing to heal. Membership is open to anyone interested in books about military issues and the experiences of men and women in uniform. Membership benefits include monthly dispatches, listings and reviews of your… [Read More]

Using Facebook as an Author: Social Media Strategy Part II
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July 23, 2013

Facebook is important to your marketing strategy, but don’t use Facebook to sell books. Facebook is an online site that extends your social networks beyond face-to-face interaction. Despite the IPO (initial public offering) of Facebook and many attempts to monetize the site, most users ignore commercial advertising on the site. Don’t think of Facebook as a megaphone to try to sell your books or you’ll… [Read More]

What kind of editor do you need?
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June 18, 2013
Memoir Writing Workshop

It’s important for an author to know the differences between the various kinds of editing, and understand what professional services an editor may or may not provide. When you work with an editor, find one with whom you can clearly communicate your needs, expectations and working style.  Not all editors are the same. Copyeditors read your document and look for errors in punctuation, spelling, grammar,… [Read More]

How to Write Your Non-Fiction Book Proposal
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June 11, 2013
Writing Your Non-Fiction Book Proposal

There is more than one path to publishing today. Whether your plan is to seek a traditional publisher or self-publish, you need a book proposal. Consider it a business feasibility plan. Before you invest your time and intellectual energy to a book project, first determine whether there is market demand for your new product. Figuring out how you will harness that market demand and fulfill… [Read More]

Prose: Good, Better, Best
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June 4, 2013

Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd have co-authored Good Prose: The Art of Non-Fiction and opened a window into writing and editing, writer and editor. Author of Strength in What Remains, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World, Tracy Kidder won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1981 non-fiction narrative, The Soul of a New Machine. Kidder established… [Read More]

Twitter is a research tool for writers
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June 1, 2013

Many authors simply dismiss Twitter. They imagine Brooklynites and Los Angelinos strolling city streets while on their smartphones punching tiny keyboards. If the demographics of your book’s readers don’t match those who use Twitter, why bother? No one seems interested in tweeting what they ate for lunch, where they went shopping, or the funny thing their kid said. How can you say anything meaningful or… [Read More]

Using Citation Machine to Credit Information for your Non-Fiction Manuscript
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May 28, 2013
Using Citation Machine for Citations in Non-Fiction Manuscripts - Project Gutenberg Image

You may think you left citations behind when you finished writing college papers, but if you are writing non-fiction these little footprints of authority are more important than ever. In school, your references to others’ work is a matter of intellectual honesty and under Fair Use of the Copyright Act, attribution of the source is sufficient. When you are writing a book that will be… [Read More]

The Four Bs to Be: Social Media for Authors
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May 18, 2013

Social media marketing of books is an extension of the tried and true method of word-of-mouth advertising. Reviews and personal recommendations have historically  played a more fundamental role in a reader’s decision of what book to read than traditional advertising. Today friends and family share what they are reading on Facebook, GoodReads, Twitter. What technology adds to the mix is a way for authors and… [Read More]

Questions Every Author Must Answer
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April 20, 2013
Questions Every Author Must Answer

As a book development editor, I help writers’ books take flight. In order to do that, I ask potential author clients to answer a list of questions that an agent or publisher wants to know about a book project before they read one word of a manuscript. The questions are about your book, about your audience, and about you. Your answers to these questions provide… [Read More]

Makeover and maintenance: The Car Talk for book sites
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March 16, 2013

You’ve heard about the mechanic who never has time to change the oil, bang out the dings, clean out the pop cans or repair the ripped upholstery in her own car? I’m behind the dashboard seven days a week. I drive at high speeds and over rough terrain on the electronic byways of the internet. I keep clients’ motors running smooth and fix them when… [Read More]