You are being called to greater things, feel stifled in the mundane and boring roles society has carved out for you, and want a grand adventure. You want to follow your passion but somehow make enough money to survive on. If you start talking with people about all your ideas, you’ll inevitably come across three kinds of people, and their …

Recently I recommended to an author that they review books in their genre. His concern was, authentic reviews are rarely all positive, and he doesn’t want to do bullshit fake positive reviews. The main point I was making, is – if you aren’t famous and nobody has heard of your book – blogging about yourself, your life and your books …

I was at a conference this weekend talking to a lot of smart people; many of whom wanted to write a book. They’d inevitably ask, “are you self-publishing?” and then scowl, because they “want a real, physical book, not just an ebook.” I explained that print on demand has been around for a decade and makes physical paperbacks and hard …

I started listening to positive affirmations/motivational mp3s and recordings years ago; my favorites are Kelly Howell and David McGraw. But I wanted something that was just for authors and writers, so I made my own. I made this first video to help authors struggling with finding time for their writing. Sometimes subconscious fears are the things that are really slowing …

I’ve been working with authors for a long time; as both book editor, book designer and sometimes even publisher. I’ve helped thousands of them try to improve their book enough to sell – either to an agent, or to self-publish and actually be successful. During all that time I’ve met a lot of authors whose books will fail. They’ll fail …

Yesterday I went for sushi with a friend of mine who’s clever and tongue-in-cheek witty. She loves Haruki Murakami and has dark humor. Today I read a blog post from another friend – a simple scene about relationship conflict (who’s going to pay the bill) but written in a fun, engaging style. I don’t doubt that both are better writers than …

UPDATE! I no longer recommend Thunderclap or similar programs – if you want people to support you by taking one action, there are better things to ask of them (like leaving a review of your book, sharing your book on their blog or website with links, etc). Social media isn’t really the place to sell books and promotional content doesn’t work …

Today I received this email: Sorry to intrude, I know you are very busy, but you are the best person to ask. I have recently placed my first book on Amazon.com  MERLIN 2035. Recently a Chinese book fair sent an email. No one has bought my book so far. Would it be worth $245 USD to submit my book to the Chinese …

I met a lot of people this week with excellent book ideas, they’d been sitting on for a year or more. I told them to get it done, so they can use it to build their platforms and traffic. And that they should finish this week. It’s much easier than you think, doesn’t have to take much time and effort, and …

I made this for an event recently, it was a handout – decided to post it here in case it’s helpful… #1 Write a book people want to read. #2 Connect with influencers or other authors in your genre/topic. Review their books. Share their stuff. Comment on their posts. Get noticed. #3 Set up a website that catches emails. Run …