“I don’t feel ready to write this post, but I’m going to anyway.” That’s how I started this post; these are things I’m still in the process of learning and accepting. In 2022 I’m aiming to be less ambitious, but there are some insights here. There’s something I want to say, or maybe want to
2018 was a banner year in productivity and growth for me. I finished 15 books, my most ever by a long shot. On top of that, I also completed and launched three courses, which meant I completed 18 total projects in the year. I have never pushed myself harder than I did in 2018, and I was
Last year we visited the Charles Dickens house in London, which is when we found out there was a movie about the author’s life called The Man Who Invented Christmas. I only watched it recently – it’s available on Amazon Prime – and then I watched it again and took notes. These are tips based on
“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.” – Michel de Montaigne “The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.” – Lois Lowry “The greatest thing about loneliness is you choose your own company.”...
We’re having a discussion in one of my Facebook groups, after someone asked how much they should pay to hire a freelance writer to do some ghostwriting for them. I suggested $500 for 50K. That’s not a lot of money, at all. Some people in the group are frustrated by people (like me) devaluing the
Indie publishers are slowly coming to realize the importance of an amazing book cover. Since many self-publishing authors are starting out on a very small budget however, homemade, DIY book covers are still a popular choice. But be forewarned: although book cover designs come in a wide variety, publishers consistently use reliable, time-tested...
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
BRILLIANT! Positively BRILLIANT. Most comprehensive outline I’ve ever seen anywhere. Thank you Derek! A few years ago I made the Plot Dot (now free on Amazon!) – my simple 8-point novel writing template, with the major dramatic twists most stories need to hit. I always wanted a more in-depth book outline and plotting cheatsheet, but...
Let’s say you make cake, but you don’t want to conform to a type of cake. You create an epic masterpiece, but it’s not quite chocolate, or carrot, or red velvet… it’s a mashup of everything, with layers and structure and everything is new and different. It’s ART. But now that it’s done, how
Let’s get serious for a moment: writing a book is a long-term project and it’s not going to magically happen for you until you stop browsing useless listicles that focus on everything except the actual writing part. You know the ones – they focus on motivation or lifestyle organization and give pithy highlights like...
Picture this: You’re at your favorite cafe, sipping on a freshly brewed cup of coffee, typing away, and occasionally pausing to marvel at your ever-growing blog stats. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, it’s time to make that dream a reality. Let’s delve into the secrets of supercharging your blog’s growth without burning...
Author Jessica Pierce does some amazing Instagram promotion and wrote this awesome post about it. I often get asked questions such as, “Jess, what the heck is this Instagram stuff and how can I use it to sell my YA book?” or “Plz halp me because I don’t get Bookstagram.” Have no fear! I’m not
