Self-Publishing for Beginners

self publishing for beginners

Over the past two decades, the doorway to traditional publishing has gotten more and more narrow, and the barrier to entry has gotten higher and higher. What’s an aspiring author to do? Enter your knight in shining armor: self-publishing. Did you know that 76% of the books published each year are self-published? The DIY route … Read more

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

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

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

Putting It In the River — Tama Kieves’s Inspirational Publishing Story

Tama Kieves

We recently attended an Emerging Women Power Party (highly recommended!) and heard author Tama Kieves give a talk about how her first book got published. It’s a brilliant story, brilliantly told, and it affirms that sometimes self-publishing is exactly the right thing to do. Here’s a very similar talk she gave at a TEDx event. Enjoy!

What the Heck Is Developmental Editing?

developmental editing

When we take on a book project, we most often take it on for a developmental edit in addition to a line-edit. A line-edit is an every-word, every-sentence kind of edit. We’ll be looking for clarity, flow and grammar. You might think of it as painting a house. A developmental edit, in that same metaphor, … 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