book publishing

I haven’t published a *new* book for over a year. Possibly, Amazon took the wind out of my sails when I overextended myself and failed to meet preorder deadlines (thus losing my preorder privileges for 12 months). I have gone back and fixed up or completed some other titles – so I’ve probably written and published about 100,000 words in …

Like hundreds of other posts, I started this article in 2012 and only finished it in 2018. Why the gap? It took me six years to figure out how to make my blog profitable enough to start using it. I want to help you do it faster than I did. So here’s a massive list of tips and resources on …

Two things: First, I’m involved in an anthology called “write and grow rich.” I accepted because: A) I wanted to practice a story-based approach to sharing knowledge, so I shared a story I’ve never told before and focused on making it gripping. B) Think and Grow Rich is hugely influential, but few people appreciate the depth and specific tactics to …

I wrote a guide to publishing children’s books earlier, and wanted to make something about marketing children’s books as well – so I’m sharing this short guide and a video I made for a friend who writes children’s books – my tips on how to redistribute content to get more links and shares of her books are great for any …

Most of my author friends have spent the last 2 months freaking out about GDPR. I haven’t commented, because I’m not an expert and I’m not personally concerned. But since I encourage book giveaways to help authors build email lists of targeted readers, a lot of people have been asking specifically whether or not giveaways are still a good idea …

Tonight I made an hour long video, under the alleged topic “how much does publishing really cost” – however, the main focus of the video turned into a rant about certain publishing gurus or writing coaches who charge an extraordinary amount of money to help you write and publish your book. My own opinions are confused because, while I have …

This post has taken me six years to write. If I sound defensive, it’s because people keep calling me names. I get attacked because I write books that sell, and I do it on purpose. Writing is one of the only professions where people think if you consistently produce high quality work that readers love – and make a living from …

Picture it like this: you’re a poor orphan on a ship with a spoiled princess. Lightning strikes, the ship is going down. You spot another ship not far away. You have to convince the princess to trust you and jump together off the boat. YOU know this is the only way to save her, but she’s not convinced. That’s email …

From page 7, to page 3 in one hour… When I review other authors books on Amazon, I usually point out they need more keywords in their description, title, and even author bio. Why?  Because Amazon is a search engine. If you don’t have any WORDS in your description letting Amazon know what kind of book it is, it won’t …

I made a video review for Cassandra Arnold and it’s worth sharing, because she’s both and artist and a writer, and she’s struggling to get visibility on both or figure out how to sell her poetry books and short stories. I touched on some really interesting book marketing ideas for poets and artists, so I hope it helps some other …