Why the beginning is not always the best place to begin. You’ve thought about it forever, and this is it. You’re jumping in. You’re writing your first book! So what do you do? Put on a shabby sweater, pour yourself a scotch and open a new doc on your laptop. Then—it dawns on you. You […]
Anyone familiar with my book marketing coaching for indie authors, knows that I love Goodreads. After all, Goodreads has been critical to the success of many self-published authors who want to get their books noticed in a very crowded playing field. Indie authors know this site is a great place to interact with readers. I […]
Small Business Saturday, the day after Black Friday, and two days before Cyber Monday, is a relatively new national campaign to drive business to stores once known as Mom & Pop Shops. While we think of Black Friday as the day to shop department store deals and Cyber Monday as a day to shop online […]
When I self-published my book, admittedly, it was the last resort. It was the backup plan if I had failed to sell it to a trade publisher. I promised myself that if I couldn’t sell it, or find an agent to represent me, I would not tuck it in a drawer and […]
photo by Tina Franklin Do you ever wonder this? Have you ever asked yourself in the middle of the night, as you turn to look at your husband or wife in bed next to you, “Do I know everything I should about this person?”? This is exactly what makes the “marriage thriller” (GONE GIRL, THE […]
photo by Corey Harmon A debut novelist wrote to me the other day about his manuscript. I had first “met” this author a year ago through email. A friend of a friend. The email he sent me back then, I’ve received many times over, albeit from different writers. I’ve even sent that same email myself, […]
photo by Lionel Martinez This post was originally published on Women Writers, Women’s Books. The other day my daughter walked into our family room and asked me for a ride somewhere. I didn’t turn my head; The other day my daughter walked into our family room and asked me for a ride somewhere. I didn’t […]
photo by drburtoni During a recent interview for a book blog, I was asked what was the best piece of advice I had ever been given. The interviewer most likely meant writing advice, but all I could think of was the time a dentist told me it didn’t matter when someone flossed their teeth, just […]
photo by MTA The day my book made it to the number one spot on the best seller list of psychological thrillers, I knew that meant it finally bumped The Girl On The Train off the perch it had practically owned for the last year. That was a big deal for me. Mostly because my […]
photo by theilr I was recently asked if I’d consider participating in a program at a local college that aims to pair professionals with Honors students who are pursuing similar careers. The goal is to forge a mentoring relationship. After hearing some of the details of the program, I expressed my interest. It sounded like […]