Six weeks of sabbatical from blogging this summer passed quickly. Too quickly. Sweetly slipped through my fingers. Like melting ice cubes. Rippling waves against ancient cliffs on Lake Superior’s shores. Finding the time and space and inspiration to write and do research without worrying about what anybody else thinks. Need I say more? The website redesign gave me the perfect excuse to pause and reflect after more than 300 posts in the last three years. I took the opportunity to read more blogs by authors, editors, and publishers. Here’s a list of tips I compiled from the best practices used today by successful authors on their blogs. You can use it as a checklist for writing your next post. Write a catchy headline. Brief. Clear. Play on words. Lists are popular. Hyperbole is not. What will hook readers’ interest? The headline needs to include your keywords to pull the right readers. Start with a vibrant photograph. Pictures pull people into your writing. When you share your blog posts on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, your image will load along with your headline. The photo is as important as the catchy headline to motivating readers to click through to read. Be caring and careful of copyright on images. Use your own photographs or make sure you obtain copyright permission to use others’ images. Like a news story, let the reader know who, where, when, and what in the opening sentence. Hook your readers with a sentence which gives them…
Although the majority of the traffic to your site will come through social media engagement, an author can’t ignore getting found through Google and other search engines. Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, refers to practices used to get a higher rank in search engines – in plain English, it’s the difference between being on the 1st or 7th page of Google results. But, you might… [Read More]
Filed Under: Google, google rank, search engine optimization, SEO, technology
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The alternate title to this blog could be “Why do I keep getting my irritating cousin’s political rants in my Facebook newsfeed?” There’s an answer to that question if that’s happening to you, and it comes in the form of a question: “Do you engage with your cousin’s Facebook rants?” Because if the answer is YES, boy, are you in for a revelation – engaging… [Read More]
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]
Filed Under: Copyeditor, Development Editor, editors, Fact-checker, Ghostwriter, Line editor, Technical editor, Writing Coach
Growing up in a home with books explains, in part, my love of books. My father has always had a library. That Bob Swenson read Ariel and Will Durant’s 11 volumes of The Story of Civilization and William Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, meant I surreptitiously read them too, in junior high. Cold War novels, international espionage thrillers, an occasional mystery, Michener,… [Read More]
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]