Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Which is Right for You?

Woman with gray hair and tattoos looking at a laptop and writing on a notepad. Title of the blog posts is overlaid: Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing

Self-publishing and traditional publishing are both great options for getting your book out in the world, each with pros and cons. One option is not better than the other. It all depends on what you want and where you are at in your book journey.  Many authors actually switch back and forth between self-publishing and … Read more

Should You Build Your Author Platform or Write Your Book First? 

Should You Build Your Author Platform or Write Your Book First? 

It’s a classic “Which comes first? The chicken or egg?” kind of question: Should you build your author platform or write your book first? We get versions of this question ALL. THE. TIME. So buckle up, because we’re breaking it down just for you. ​​​​​​​ (By the way, we’re mostly talking to non-fiction writers on this … Read more

Promoting Your Self-Published Book: Publicity Secrets from Dawn Michelle Hardy

If you’re self-publishing your book, does that mean you can’t get publicity? Not according to my guest today, the publicist Dawn Michelle Hardy, who is also a friend of mine. She’s going to give us a good schooling in how a self-published author can and ought to seek publicity for their book. Dawn is a … Read more

Journaling Ideas That Will Make You a Better Writer

I was scrolling through my feed on Instagram when I came across a picture of a pile of journals by bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert. In the caption she wrote: “The journals of 2019. My companions, my teachers. Each book is a handprint in time that says: ‘I was here. And I took notes.’ I had … Read more

How to Write a Book: 12 Tips For Aspiring Authors

It’s a new year and a good time to reflect and create a new path, using writing as a tool. As writers everywhere are frantically pressing toward finishing their works in progress and fretting over whether their book babies will ever get to the bookshelves and reader hands they envision them in, it’s always important … Read more

How to Choose a Theme for Your Memoir

If you’re anything like me, you can while away an entire weekend with a bottomless cup o’ tea and an amazing memoir. And for us personal transformation junkies, memoir is a double hit of goodness. How so? The best memoirs center on the author’s biggest, most important process of transformation. That transformation may be positive … Read more

An 18-Month Book Launch Plan that Works!

By the time I launched my first book, I had already been in the industry for 20 years. So I’d had the great fortune of seeing what had worked for other people—and what hadn’t. Suffice it to say, I’d learned a lot. Including the fact that an author’s work doesn’t stop when the book is … Read more

How to Nail Your Book Cover Design (With Five Examples of What Not to Do)

If you’re planning to self-publish your book, we need to sit down and have a heart to heart. It’s about your book cover. I know, you probably don’t have a book cover yet. But that’s actually perfect. Now is the time for you to hear what I have to tell you. The tough-love truth goes … Read more

What It’s Like to Record An Audiobook (My Personal Story)

This has been a big year for me and KN Literary arts. Lots of growth and change on all fronts. (More on that as the year winds down!) But when I look back on some of my favorite moments, one stands out in particular: Recording the audiobook of The Book You Were Born to Write! … Read more

The Ultimate Author’s Guide to Creating an Audiobook: An Interview with Steve Morris

Steve Morris is the Senior Audio Engineer at Hay House. He helps create top-quality audiobooks for some of the best self-help authors in the industry. Not long ago I was lucky enough to get to work with him on my own audiobook for The Book You Were Born to Write! I learned so much in … Read more