Self-publishing gives you freedom, but it also gives you… everything else. You’re the writer, the editor, the marketing strategist, the social media intern, the customer service rep, and sometimes the book cover and interior layout designer. You’re also the one refreshing your royalty dashboard at 3am, wondering if any of this is working. At first, […]
Having been in the publishing space for nearly forty years, I’m still amazed at the endless stream of scams aimed at self-published authors. Hardly a week goes by without some new variation—whether by email or phone. The names and approaches may change, but the tactics share common threads that should immediately raise red flags. At […]
As the British Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo first embarked on writing novels instead of poems, she soon realised that, unlike with poetry, she needed to think about story structure to give her books a sense of direction (Evaristo, 2021). Indeed, for a novel to work well and to keep readers’ attention, narrative structure is […]
A debate rages in literary circles about using artificial intelligence (AI) art in cover design. Is it ethical? How much AI should you use? Some people call it stealing from artists whose work trained AI models. Others feel you have to come up with creative and specific prompts to develop the art, and thus, it […]
As an expert or entrepreneur, coach or consultant, speaker or leader, you are standing on a gold mine of knowledge and experience. Hidden underground is the precious substance that shines out in your work with clients; the mighty foundation you’ve built your business on; the deep source of energy that powers your mission and vision. […]
The Question That Keeps Coming Up Since I write emotionally intense fiction that touches on topics like mental illness, queerness, obsession, and trauma, and because I’m actively involved in communities like StoryForge, people often come to me with questions about sensitivity readers. They want to know if they need one, when it makes sense to […]
One of my biggest struggles as a beginning writer was navigating the publishing world. With so many literary magazines and contests around, I was overwhelmed by the options and would take a shot at anything that came my way, unsure of where to submit my stories. My creative writing students often face the same dilemma, […]
My first inclination is to stop her, to reach out and fold my hand around the girl’s fingers. She’s holding a soft 2B pencil instead of the regular HB grade and she’s sketching while she should be writing. I am offering a guest workshop on creative writing in the final year at my former secondary […]
Marketing your books as an indie author is hard and most of us dread it. The idea of constantly promoting our work can feel overwhelming, exhausting, or make us feel like we’re the cliché of a sleazy salesperson. But marketing doesn’t have to be about hard sales and endless self-promotion! In fact, the best book […]
Your book cover is what makes a strong first impression on potential readers. Grabbing the attention of Generation Z presents some unique challenges. Although individual Gen Zers, aka Zoomers, have some similarities with one another, they are a diverse group with multiple interests and unique personalities. So what does this mean for authors, and how […]
