Whether you are an aspiring author or on your sixth or seventh book, professional development comes with the territory. The business of being an author can be overwhelming for many people who don’t have the background. How can you best prepare for today’s marketplace? I’ve worked with writers on their craft for decades and these are the secrets to the success of their writing and publishing efforts. Read. I mean read a lot. Obsessively. Read deeply in your genre. Read broadly beyond your comfort zone. Read for craft. Read for fun. Patronize your local public library. Volunteer. Get to know your reference librarian. Attend events and participate in programs there. Shop at your local brick and mortar bookstore. Befriend the bookseller and encourage others to frequent the store. Give books as gifts. Attend author events and buy a copy for the author to sign. Join a book club. Reading titles you might not otherwise is good practice. You refine your sense of what you like and learn what other readers like, or don’t, and why. Take a class or writing workshop. Continuing professional development is always encouraged. No matter how many books you’ve got under your belt, you continue to grow your writing talents. Join a writer’s group. Meeting with other writers who commit to improve their work has many benefits. Not the least of which is the support and accountability you provide to one another. Read your work-in-progress or poetry to an audience. Or tell your story at a…
A new year begins and it offers authors an opportunity to set calendar goals and prepare a budget for the coming year. Here are 10 things to help you in your business of being an author in 2016. 1) Prepare a list of business expenses you anticipate. Look over last year’s expenditures. Postage, webhosting, submission fees. Consider what new expenses you may require to achieve… [Read More]
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When writers come in for a massage, they rarely ask the therapist to focus on their legs. Understandably, it is the neck, back, and arms that usually feel the brunt of long hours working. But legs have some of the biggest muscles in our bodies. Most of us depend on them to get around: walking, climbing, playing sports, dancing, and supporting our upper body as… [Read More]
The last week of the year is a book orgy for me. No distractions. No interruptions. It is the time of year when I can indulge in reading works I have set aside because I know I am going to enjoy them. Some of these might have ended on my list to wrap up for 2015 if I hadn’t set them aside for my end-of-year reading… [Read More]
When I was a teenager, I was a little hurt when my mother commented that I was a daydreamer, as in “just a daydreamer.” Apparently I spent more time than my siblings sitting and staring off into space. If I were Catholic, I would carry a bit of guilt for daydreaming, but my mother gave me Buddhism, from which I learned that reflecting on things… [Read More]
This past year had many wonderful new titles and as the year comes to a close you’ll see many Best Books of 2015 lists in your newsfeed. Belarusian writer, Svetlana Alexievich won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015 and things are looking up for nonfiction writers. Elizabeth Kohlbert won a Pulitizer for The Sixth Extinction in 2015. There are many award lists of books,… [Read More]