Other Stuff

For years I’ve been wishing for some kind of automated, daily accountability to keep me inspired and motivated – and I’ve heard a lot of other authors asking for the same thing. The problem is, writing can be a very personal goal, and sometimes it’s hard to self-motivate, especially if nobody else really cares about what you’re trying to do. …

Almost always, if an author isn’t selling, it’s because their page isn’t converting. You need 3 things to succeed, a great blurb, cover, and enough reviews to offset skepticism. I can help you fix those things; I can also help craft your pitch or hook – which is critical for your amazon page. I can also do keyword and category …

I’m reposting this news to give it a signal boost – concern was raised by author Katie M. John who shared this image:   This is alarming, since so many of us use Facebook as part of our book marketing and promotion strategy. Katie wrote a great summary so I’m posting it here: Okay, I’ve seen the beginnings of a wildfire and …

Recently I’ve been learning about story. Specifically, using story architecture like a Trojan Horse: getting people to pay attention and disarm resistance, so that you can give them enough information to start liking (sympathy) and trusting (credibility) you. Because if they don’t like and trust you, they won’t keep reading – but unless you start with story, they won’t pay attention enough …

I’m sharing this because I enjoy it: the struggle of putting down feelings into words. Hugo von Hofmannsthal The Letter of Lord Chandos THIS is the letter Philip, Lord Chandos, younger son of the Earl of Bath, wrote to Francis Bacon, later Baron Verulam, Viscount St. Albans, apologizing for his complete abandonment of literary ac­tivity.     For it is, …

I was taking a look on my blog for early posts and discovered I have HUNDREDS of saved drafts for post ideas I began but never finished… I started this blog in 2011 and didn’t actively start using it until 2014 – what’s interesting is that my focus and ideas haven’t changed much, but I was surprised to have 90% …

I’m editing a non-fiction book today and making notes on what went wrong. Unfortunately, some of the things missing are things I also don’t do in my own non-fiction books, so here’s a short list. #1 – make it a community effort The easy way to publish a bestseller is to include stories by other people. The more people you …

I didn’t start speaking until I was ready for full sentences. I don’t like making mistakes and hate being laughed at. Like most people, when I got into art or writing, I wanted my work to be “finished” before sharing it. Even though I’ve learned to share work earlier to get feedback before committing to something, I still feel like most …

I started this post years ago, but the topic came up again recently at a business conference in Saigon. The speaker, John Logan of Consulting Unleashed, said something like this: Why would you want to grind or hustle? Don’t force it if it’s not working. There was a lot of confusion in the room, because entrepreneurs are familiar with stories …

  There are generally two places when writers quit. The first is after their first, second or third book. They expected everything to be easy and found out that publishing is hard. They assumed their book would be successful on its own merits, despite having an unprofessional cover, blurb and website. They thought it would connect with readers even though …