By Dana Leipold/ Here’s an interesting question: should authors or writers have an email list? The answer is, absolutely. But, why? Isn’t a website, a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a GoodReads account, or a Google+ account enough? No. While it’s important to have accounts on social networking sites, you still need an email list. Email is Not Dead If you Google the term, “Email is not dead,” you will come up with tons of results containing statistics on why email marketing is still a trusted method for reaching customers. Customers? YES! The people on your email list are YOUR CUSTOMERS. The fact is, as an author, you are in the business of selling content. The content you sell happens to be in the… read more →

By Emlyn Chand/ So apparently people are intrigued by my writing process. Let’s put that in quotation marks, shall we? “Process.” There, that’s better. I’ve received numerous remarks over the past two years that I’m crazy efficient or write faster than people can think. First of all, thank you! Second, so NOT true. In an effort to decode the mystery, I’ve decided to write a completely–and perhaps embarrassingly–honest post about my “process.” I expect this post to accomplish many things, including: 1. Giving me actual content on my blog. JOY! 2. Trying to make sense of my unusual habits 3. Inspiring others to go easy on themselves 4. Showing that writing can’t really be classified as a “process,” after all Ready?… read more →

By Pavarti K Tyler/  Editors, Book Covers, Blog Tours, eBook Formatting, Advertising, Free Giveaways, Attending Conferences, Marketing, Marketing Marketing, Marketing!  Sometimes it feels like all I do is SPEND money in the attempt to make a little off the books I’m writing! Ahhhh-Ahhhh-hhhh All the things I could do If I had a little money It’s a rich man’s world Having a budget as an Indie Author is essential, but more than that, having a realistic budget is an absolute must.  Don’t forget to feed the dog and pay your mortgage in the interest of getting some more ad space on one of those big sites!  As much as you have to spend money to make money, take care of… read more →

By Emlyn Chand/ Today, I’m going to talk about a very controversial topic among authors:  Whether or not it’s okay to write negative book reviews. I say yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Many people consider this bad manners, because “as authors, we understand all that goes into writing a book, and it’s just not fair to tear apart all that hard work.” Others may feel compelled to write bad reviews but feel as if their hands are tied, either for fear of backlash against their own works or because they worry they may lose a friend by being too honest. Well, I say, “It’s time to stop living in fear!” Do I write negative reviews to be mean? Of course,… read more →

By Falcon Storm/ Let’s face it, sometimes being an author sucks. Sometimes it’s hard, lonely work. So what do we do when we get bad reviews or when someone obviously doesn’t understand our vision? Here are a few ways to deal with the stress that comes with being an author. Take a deep breath. Hold it. Keep holding it… All right, let it out. Phew. Okay. Breathe in again. Breathe out. Keep doing that. It helps. Something about oxygen that just makes me feel alive, y’know? Style 1 Now, who has you down? Is it a reviewer? Is it a critic? Well, we’re going to deal with them in a very unhealthy, but totally safe (speaking from a PR perspective) way. I… read more →

By Emlyn Chand (as Melissa Storm)/ Yesterday, I wrote about my 10 biggest mistakes as a self-published author. Today, I’d like to acknowledge that not everything I’ve done as an author has been bad, horrible, or wrong. I’ve actually done quite a few things right, and I’m going to take those lessons and triumphs forward with me as I begin again as my *real* self, Melissa Storm. Below, I explain 7 of my greatest triumphs as a writer… #1. Studied the Craft I’ve read at least a couple dozen writer how-to books and countless blog articles on topics from tightening prose to plotting with aplomb–and every bit helped. From the very start, I knew I wanted to write books that readers enjoyed,… read more →

By Emlyn Chand (as Melissa Storm)/ Today’s post is all about why I decided to throw away an author brand I’d worked on developing for over four years, easily spending over $35,000 in the process. Why say goodbye to my fiction career as Emlyn Chand when I’ve clearly invested so much in it? Because I made mistakes, lots of mistakes–in fact, I count 10. Were they irredeemable? Probably not, but sometimes it’s just best to get a fresh start, and that’s what I’m doing now. Mistake #1:  I diluted my brand by genre-hopping. As Emlyn, I wrote Young Adult Paranormal, Literary New Adult, and Children’s Picture Books hybridized with Lower Grade Fiction. I also had ideas for, and was raring to write, Alternate… read more →

By Naomi Leadbeater/ What follows is not at all about eating.Get ready, some work at home karma is coming your way. Well not quite. It simply some thoughts on how to manage working from home, if you ever get to live the ‘dream’ of never having to leave the house. You’ll have loads of inspiration, and tons of time to write that masterpiece you’ve had in your back pocket for…years? Right??? There are some definite perks, don’t get me wrong. I think all of us look forward to working in our pajamas, drinking and eating while we work. Choosing our own schedule as much as possible. At the end of the article is my short list of ways to get as much… read more →

By Karol Krol/ Writing seems like a fairly straightforward kind of a job, isn’t it? Essentially, you just have to sit in front of your computer, fire up some text processing software and craft a quality chapter. But things are always much easier said than done, and in practice, writers have to face many challenges on their way to success. We can all use tips to improve our productivity, and what follows may not work for anyone, but hey – you might as well give it a try if you’re stuck! In my work schedule, there are days when I absolutely have to write a certain number of words and any sort of writer’s block is simply out of the question.… read more →

By Linda Carlson/ Many people like to read books their friends or people they identify with have recommended. That’s why book publishers try to get favorable comments from book reviewers, both professional and amateur. This praise can be used on the back covers, on the first page inside the book, in ads, online, the pitch letters sent to wholesalers and distributors, and in catalogs and sell sheets. Besides finding people to comment on your book, there are two other significant challenges that I’ll discuss in this guest post: – Getting specifics – Getting variety in the specifics “Oh, it’s wonderful,” someone will say, while someone else adds, “Love it! You’ve gotta read it.” What you really need instead, however, are details about… read more →