By Matthew Felix “Why do you write?” I had just walked into a busy café. The only seat available was the one across from the man now asking the question. A scruffy septuagenarian with colorful but suspect stories about giving up millions, living with Navajos, and unwittingly making an award-winning documentary, he had also been
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Why you should consider an author “brand”
Did you know that as an author you have a “brand?” Yep, just like Nike or Starbucks or Reese Witherspoon, your books are a product with a reputation. Part of your brand is the thing readers will come to expect from your writing style. Dark themes? Snarky female voices? Soulful prose and lush settings? We
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Why A Pro Never Does Her Own Promo
Marketing pro Sharon Spaulding has promoted tech startups, authors, international nonprofits, Fortune 50 companies and celebrities. But when it came to promoting herself—establishing her author brand, building a platform, and cultivating a devoted following of readers—she was flummoxed. “I’m very good at what I do but cannot do it for myself,” Sharon says. “I was
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Get Inspired by Art: The Power of Silent Reflection
By Mary Rakow INTRODUCTION This is a startling sculpture by the German Expressionist Rudolf Belling. It was the start of a journey in my writing as I wrestled with story of Cain, an ancient, iconic story given at the start of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. In the last post we saw how a family
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The Literary Craft of Accessibility
by Rebecca Hunter What makes an “easy read” easy? Why are some books that are labeled “low-quality” still so popular? The answers to these questions lie in the concept of accessibility. An accessible book is one that is easily understood and appreciated by a wide audience. The idea itself is straightforward, but it can be
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Grassroots Marketing–Meeting your readers on their turf
by Amanda J. Clay One of the toughest things independent authors face when starting out is the hard reality of marketing their book. You might have written the next Hunger Games, but if no one ever hears about it, you’ll fade into the dark hole of books never to be seen again. I’ve mentioned before
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