Writing and Publishing News

My webmistress sent me a print-out this morning reflecting the number of visitors to my website and my blog. It seems that 347,843 people have visited my website during the last two years and I’ve had over 25,000 visitors to my blog. I’m happy and I want to thank all of you for your interest. [...]

What do you see when you look at your book sales ledger? When you review those figures, do you feel like celebrating or do you want to cry? If the latter fits your situation, maybe it’s time for a change in tactics. You know the concept—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; but if it [...]

Have you ever noticed how different we are as writers? Some of us write for pleasure. Some write for therapy. Others write for a living. There are fiction writers, poets, authors of children’s stories, memoirists and ‘just give me the facts ma’am’ types writers. We write for our ego, our health, our state of mind [...]

Yesterday, Angela Hoy, editor of Writer’s Weekly, passed along an email from a reader. Josie (not her real name) had read my recently published piece on establishing a platform. She wanted to know how to establish a platform for a poetry book. It always surprises me when authors of fiction, poetry or children’s books seem [...]

As an author, you’re quick to tell others about your fabulous book. You beg and bribe your friends, reviewers, site hosts, magazine/newsletter editors and everyone else you meet to promote your book. And you expect radio personalities, librarians, educators, bookstore managers, newspaper columnists and mere acquaintances to spread the word about your upcoming signings and [...]

For me, when Christmas is over, it’s time for a fresh start. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to pick up the publishing pieces that were left far behind during the holiday preparation frenzy. What tasks are waiting for you in your office? What new ideas have manifested with regard to your writing [...]

Miracles come in all shapes and sizes. They don’t always materialize when requested—at least in the way or form we desire. And they often arrive when least expected. Sometimes miracles go unnoticed because we simply don’t recognize them. According to Wikipedia, the word miracle means “something wonderful.” It indicates “an interposition of divine intervention by [...]

It’s a real stretch for me to write the blog entry this morning because Christmas and family activities have become all-consuming. I am baking and cooking, running around delivering gifts, entertaining and cleaning up between events like crazy. Our family celebrations started Friday night with my youngest daughter’s birthday party and will conclude Christmas day. [...]

What writing or publishing attribute are you asking Santa for this year? Would you like to be more skilled in character development, have a larger vocabulary or be more daring when it comes to promoting yourself or your book? Do you need a larger measure of writing talent or publishing know-how? Or maybe you should [...]

I love it when I receive a magazine/ezine with one of my articles or visit a website and see my article posted. After all of these 30+ years, I still appreciate the thrill of it all. Article-writing was my mainstay for many years—I earned my living by writing articles for magazines. I guess you’d consider [...]