Foray into a Facebook Party I recently launched my eighth novel, Three Strand Cord, and decided to add a new dimension to my launch day plans. I hosted a Facebook party! While this may not be new to some, it was new to me. I had participated in an authors’ online party before as part
Hiding in Plain Sight Yes, that is me, incognito on Canada Day here in my little town, Why ever are you dressed like that? Because I can, Because, though highly visible, I am hidden in the crowd, Don’t point fingers at me; you do the same thing. It’s got nothing to do with the hat,
Mention the name Samuel Langhorne Clemens and people will scratch their heads and ask, “Who is that?” But say the name Mark Twain and they’ll break out in a smile and nod. He smoked at the age of nine, detested school and led a group of boys in wild pranks. Hmmm. Sounds a lot like
Writers want to grow in skills, become more professional, and be published. Some of us may still be amateurs, but all of us want to improve in every area of the writing profession. Whoa! Wait a minute! Every area? Is that realistic? Is that doable? Is that even wise? I know some people are described
Didn’t we all suspect this? Best Seller Lists are a scam. Artificially bumped-up sales have nothing to do with actual books. Apparently some authors pay huge money to make the lists. Where does that leave us who have no money but wouldn’t try this trick even if we had any? It leaves us in the
Any writer who is working on marketing a book or other product should know some basics about news releases. For a quick overview, check out this video. News releases are short articles that give the major facts of a news story in a style familiar to journalists. That means it should read like a news
Last Sunday I spoke twice at a small-town church with a congregation of about 150 people. I sold 60 books—an average of one book for every 2.5 people. The net income from the book sales was double what I received as a speaker’s honorarium. Having kept track of book sales for tax purposes I know