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Shameless Self-Promotion – With a Heart
I have a friend who talks about “shameless self-promotion.” She thinks it’s a great thing, and something that most of us just don’t do enough. Most authors I know are afraid to promote their books. Why? I think it is because our books are very personal to us. They are our babies. And promoting our…
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Perfection Paralysis
Do you find yourself writing, writing, writing; always adding another chapter, thinking of a new small piece of information that just must go into your book, changing a sentence only to change it back again … and again … and …? Well you get the picture. At some point it is time to say, “Enough,…
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Are You Sabotaging Your Book’s Marketability?
Here’s an example we hear so often: “I don’t need to hire an editor. My mother is a retired English teacher. She knows all about good grammar.” Open Door Publications doesn’t care if your mother is the world’s greatest expert on grammar, she should not edit your book. Why? Because she loves you, and she…
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Phenomenal Marketing Your Book Deserves
By Nicole Loughan Earlier this year I was standing in front of a six foot tall picture of Jodi Picoult hoisted three stories high in the sky over a conference center in Manhattan. Behind her were banners for Lena Dunham, Amy Poehler and even James Patterson. Below those banners were thousands and thousands of books…
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To Smile or Not To Smile
by Laura Pedrick Recently, just before shooting a portrait session, my client expressed great anxiety and dread about being photographed. As I raised my camera for that first shot I swear I heard a sigh that silently seemed to say, “Go ahead, just shoot me and get it over with.” Not all portrait shoots begin…
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Bridging the Gap: A Simple Guide to College by Chelsea L. Dixon
Do you want to go to college but don’t know how to start the planning process? Bridging the Gap: A Simple Guide to College is an easy to read, easy to follow guide that gives you the information and confidence you need to get started. Its useful and practical information will get you on the…
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How Do You Sell 10,000 Books in a Year?
That’s just one of the things you will learn at the 2015 Winter Writers’ Weekend. I can’t give you all the answers to that question, but Nicole Loughan, author of the All Saints Mystery series, has sold 10,000 books in a year and she can. Nicole understands that writing a book is just the beginning…
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Is It Too Soon To Market My Book?
That’s a question I get asked all the time. The answer is: No, it is never too soon to start marketing your book. But that is also a little too broad an answer. The real question is how should you market your book at different stages of pre-publication? Here’s a schedule to help you get…
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Winter Writers’ Weekend Hall of Fame
Kesha Cox attended last year’s Second Annual Winter Writers’ Weekend to find out more about writing a memoir. She and I began working together in March, and I am proud to say that she will be publishing her book Never Settle for Less in March of 2015. Kesha’s story is powerful and she has a…
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Ideas, Plans and Materials You Need to Promote Your Book
The plans for Open Door Publications’ Third Annual Winter Writers’ Weekend are well under way. Since you have asked for it, the 2015 event will have even more information and speakers. We are offering two separate tracks: One for writers who have not yet published, or possibly even finished, their books; and a second track…
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A New Social Media Site for Authors
A new social media site, Chapter See, has recently appeared. In fact, it is so new that when I checked it looked like there were only 14 members (make that 15 now, because I just joined). So what is Chapter See? According to its website it is “an exclusive social networking site for writers, publishers,…
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Copy Editing, Content Editing or Proofreading: Which Do You Need?
When first-time authors look for editing services they often confuse the terms editing and proofreading. These are actually two different animals. In fact, editing is not just one animal, it has cousins. Make sure you know what you are asking for when you speak with a professional about these services. If you aren’t clear, you…
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Recovering from the Recovery by Anil B. Bhatt
Recovering from the Recovery: A Recipe for Survival The economic crisis of 2008 and its aftermath altered the lives of millions of people across the globe in a profound way. Although we are on a path to recovery, the rate of growth has been less than satisfactory. Recovering from the Recovery: A Recipe for Survival…
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Planning a Successful Book Event
The first thing many authors think of when I suggest they plan a book event is a reading: Afternoon tea, a quiet bookshop, the author sitting at the front of the room quietly reading from his book. Does this sound like fun to you? Okay, we are writers, maybe it does. But take a look…
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Who Are You Writing For?
Who are you writing your book for? If you don’t know who your reader is, how can you write your book? It seems obvious, but it’s a question that constantly comes up when I speak with new authors. In fact, I’ve talked about just this subject twice in the past two days. The first answer…
