Building an Author Platform: Show Them the Money

building an author platform

Lately I’ve been working closely with a client on a book proposal for a self-help book. A proposal, if you’re unfamiliar, is a marketing document used to sell your book. It includes everything a publisher will need to know about you and the book in order to acquire your project for their company—or not. One … Read more

Five Tips for Actually, Really Writing That Book

writing that book

You’ve been thinking about it for years. Maybe even talking about it with a few select friends. So tell me—why haven’t you written that book? According to one survey, a whopping 81% of Americans believe they have a book in them. That’s basically everybody, people. But how many of us actually sit down and write … Read more

How I Worked the Publishing System (And You Can, Too!)

publishing system

This past weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at the Hay House Writer’s Workshop in Chicago with Reid Tracy and Nancy Levin. The headliner for the weekend was Mike Dooley, creator of “Notes from the Universe,” a daily email I’ve been loyally reading for several years. It was pure entertainment to hear him recount … Read more

A New Nonfiction: Let’s Get Practical

Some people love to read fiction—they want to be swept away into a different world where they get to experience an entirely different sort of existence. Some people love to read memoir. They are riveted by the real-life story of another human being—the ups and downs, the deaths and rebirths of someone living a very … Read more

What’s In a Word Count?

A couple years back, I started writing a novel. (It’s still…in progress. Ahem.) I remember assigning myself a daily word count—I wanted to write 1000 words a day minimum. That’s one of the “do’s” I recommend to our clients: When you’re writing a book, it can be a great help to assign yourself a daily … Read more

Do You Need to Write a Book Proposal?

write a book proposal

Back when I was an editor in NYC, I read a lot of book proposals. Good ones, bad ones. Boring ones. Exciting ones. Proposals for memoirs, self-help books, how-to guides, business advice, diet manuals…you name it, it came across my desk. In my dozen-or-so years as an acquiring editor, I probably read over a thousand … Read more

Is It Good Enough?

Is it Good Enough

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending the Hay House Writing from Your Soul workshop with Dr. Wayne Dyer. It was a high-energy, dream-big-like-you-mean-it event with over 500 eager participants ready to live their vision of having a copy of their very own book in their hands. I gave a little talk about … Read more

Ghostwriters, Co-writers and Collaborators, Oh My!

co-writer

One of the questions we get a lot has to do with the difference between “ghostwriting,” “co-writing,” and “collaborating.” This post is meant to help differentiate. But first, the similarities. All three titles refer to getting writing help. The difference is what type of help you’re getting, and how that help is credited (or not). … Read more

Why Do You Need an Editor?

Need an Editor

The work of an editor goes way beyond looking for grammatical mistakes. (Though we do that, too.) A great editor will be your book’s best friend. We will help you develop your ideas so your story or message hangs together perfectly, from intro to conclusion. We’ll keep you accountable to your goals, so you don’t … Read more