I talk a lot about book cover design, but when you start out with that blank canvas and your eager imagination, you’re bound to get lost in the possibilities of what to put on your book cover. So let me simplify things for you, a lot. First you can write down all the stuff you
I spent the day at the Budapest Book Fair listening to Jonathan Franzen talk about birds and writing, and making jokes that nobody laughed at because they were waiting for the translation to come through their headphones. I jotted down a few pearls of wisdom that should be useful to writers everywhere. #1. Writing is an
You may have heard of the idea of giving away free books. Yes, it works wonders if done correctly: you can giveaway a book for a short time and get lots of downloads – it’s a great way to gain new readers. You can offer one book (usually in a series) “permafree” to entice readers
This isn’t my first book conference, but I’m definitely an outsider here. The London Book Fair is the first book fair I’ve been to that’s firmly for publishing professionals. As a concession to the self-publishing authors who have won themselves a piece of the publishing pie, the London Book Fair has provided a whole...
I was chatting with friends at the London Book Fair when one of them reminded me of a presentation on book cover design; which I felt duty bound to attend. Frankly, I wasn’t expecting much, since I consider the cover design strategies I recommend for indie authors to be avant garde and not mainstream. But Damien Horner
Most book marketing tips and strategies are for non-fiction authors. When publishing experts are asked, “well what about fiction writers,” the answer is usually, “um, I don’t have experience with that, but it should work too.” Here’s how to sell books: build a platform and an email list. BUT HOW?! Usually by...
A weekend artist, who secretly supports himself with a real estate job because he can’t make a full-time living with his paintings, meets a divorcee and hobby painter with a unique style. They try selling cheap at weekend markets. They can’t get into the art galleries because they’re only looking for modern, abstract stuff. So...
I spent the last few days driving around France looking at chateaux and castles for sale. I rarely have that much time for reflection and introspection. It may have been due to the dismal weather or the fact that the French landscape is totally dead in March, but I find myself dealing with disappointment and
Jeff Goins has a new book that he’s giving away to help you find your life’s purpose called “The Art of Work” with $250 worth of bonuses. If you like ‘The War of Art’ you should click here to check out his offer. All of Jeff Goins’ materials and websites are super professional and well-designed, so make...
I wrote my Master’s thesis on Harry Potter, and I’m currently in Europe shopping for a castle to use as a writer’s retreat, so I was excited to see that a Polish-Danish coalition of HP fans have put together a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGogo to run a 3 day Live Action Role Play (Larp) in the
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I was living abroad 10 years before “The 4-Hour Workweek” came out. Back then, I was strange and unusual. People asked, “But why would you live abroad?” I did my Junior year of high school at an art school in Argentina, in Spanish. Then I moved to Malta to
I’m reading “Go Bold” – which you should totally read – and it’s getting me excited about launching my Kickstarter campaign to buy a castle and use as the world’s best writer’s retreat and coworking space. It’s easier to do something huge and exciting than something medium sized. There is...
