For years writers who are launching into the book world have been speaking up about why they want to go the route of self-publishing, or indie publishing. Below, a young writer with some real success, Kaitlyn Davis, tells us why she self-publishes. Her reasons are a good representation of the market. Next week I’ll play […]
The One Thing You Can Count On
January 16, 2014 by
A lot of writers would like to get their first book published by a New York house. There is good reason for that. It stamps your ticket. It makes you feel as if you’re on the playing field with the big boys. When your spine reads Macmillan, or any of the other big houses, […]
Yes, You Do Need An Editor
January 11, 2014 by
You want to publish your book on Kindle and its brethren. Meredith and I see a blizzard of digital books, and many are a mess. More than 25,000 books are being published each week, and, yes, that’s definitely a blizzard. Each snowflake is said to be unique and beautiful. But yours is just one […]
Aaron Pogue, an Indie Publishing Success Story
January 3, 2014 by
We’re kicking off our series on self-publishing with a guest post from Aaron Pogue, author of the Amazon best-selling fantasy novel TAMING FIRE. His success is particularly remarkable since he got his master’s degree in Professional Writing from the University of Oklahoma only in May, 2012. Because he took only a course in […]
Get Ready!
December 22, 2013 by
Get Ready! Whether you’re being published by a traditional house, or self-published, marketing makes it happen: Read some 2014 predictions, and get ready for our Business of Professional Writing classes in the new year. Best! Meredith & Win
Crazy Horse, My Teacher – plus a heartfelt gift from me
December 19, 2013 by
Today I offer you a gift. Crazy Horse gave it to me, and now I pass it to you. My story of his life, STONE SONG, is free to all Kindle users for the next three days, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, December 21, 22, and 23. I send it to you from my heart. […]
I’m Selling my Husband for Christmas
December 16, 2013 by
It’s true. I am selling my darling husband, and editor extraordinaire, Win Blevins. But only to five writers, or as a gift to a writer. Win will take a spin around a book you are working on, an idea that you’d like to mine, discuss how best to market your book… Whatever you’d like […]
The E-Book Tempest — At Home on a Sea of Words
December 14, 2013 by
Readers say they’re afraid the book is disappearing. Writers are going nuts trying to figure out what to write and how to publish it. Both have gone flibber-flabber. I wear a T-shirt that can bring all the solace of assured truth. It says, MEMBER OF THE WORLD’S OLDEST PROFESSION… STORYTELLER. What we need is […]
It’s Easy to Make Sense of Change
December 13, 2013 by
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and join the dance.” –Alan Watts ENJOY THE NEW PUBLISHING DANCE! — Meredith and Win
Go Crazy and Get a Life
December 6, 2013 by
Pulitzer-Prize winner James Michener gave me this piece of advice: No matter what, don’t give up your day job until you’re sure of enough writing income. I say to you, to hell with that. Go crazy, throw caution to the winds, turn your security into chipped beef, hurl yourself into WRITE-WRITE-WRITE mode, and end […]
Lucia St. Clair Robson, Pro Writer and a Warm Heart
November 25, 2013 by
“Few novelists working now have a better grasp of early American history than Robson.”–Kirkus Reviews on Shadow Patriots We’re fortunate, very fortunate. We have some writer friends, quite a few of them, that are real artists. They bring us, and their other readers, glory, joy, and deep insight through their books. Plus, we have great […]
Need Inspiration? Ten Fail-safe Tips.
November 24, 2013 by
You’re staring at the blank screen. You’ve got mud mind. Your brain is fried. Doctor, doctor, I’ve got writer’s block. Stop. Giving it that name makes it worse. You’re just stuck. Ten tips for jolting your creativity free: 1. Go for a walk. For me this one has been fail-safe. Discovered doing a four […]
Fear of the Blank Page be Gone!
November 23, 2013 by
Suffering from writer’s block? Afraid of the blank page, virtual or real? Let’s figure that out, and get past it. 1) Don’t get into an arm-wrestling contest with your story. Did it take a turn that led you down a dicey, unfamiliar alley? Celebrate! Yes, that creates
Pick One. Show or Tell?
November 17, 2013 by
In any fiction-writing class, writers hear these words over and over, “Show, don’t tell.” We were intrigued last week to see my friend Richard Wheeler, a first-rate novelist, declare that he believes in “Tell, don’t show.” He says it gets more story into fewer words, and cites nineteenth masters like Charles Dickens and Joseph Conrad […]
Three Ways to Make Blogging a Breeze. (No Kidding!)
November 16, 2013 by
Some writers do it, and they don’t get results. Some complain that they’re out of ideas, and they let it go. But, others dash into the fray with flags flying. These are the word warriors who use their voices and find their reading audience. You can get that blog post done, you can write it […]
Stop! The Last Five Steps Before Manuscript Submission
November 10, 2013 by
THE LAST FIVE THINGS TO DO BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR BOOK
Okay, you’ve gone to the mat with your manuscript for months or years, and you’ve finally won the match with yourself. Your book gleams like a Rolls Royce. You’re throbbing with desire to submit it.
STOP! It needs more work.
Filed Under: Edit your manuscript, Get your book ready for publication, How to Write a Professional Manuscript
The Magic of Words
October 3, 2013 by
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”—Goethe
Pro Writer’s Blog
October 2, 2013 by
NOW HEAR THIS—
It’s coming soon, and then you’ll want to SIGN UP FOR THE PRO WRITERS’ BLOG.
Why? It’s shop talk. Conversation among pro writers, developing writers, and beginning writers about the entire universe of writing and publishing. Books, movies, magazine articles, everything. Trading ideas with people who understand–other writers. A coffee klatch with colleagues.