Title Image: Judge a Book by Its Cover: How to SPARC Great Cover Design

Judge a Book by Its Cover: How to SPARC Great Cover Design

Welcome to the Author Marketing Toolkit, where you can learn from 20+ years of time-tested marketing and insights expertise, translated for authors. I’m Carol Van Den Hende, an MBA and strategist who’s known for bringing chocolate when I speak at conferences (surely, we’ll get back to in-person events one day!). I’m thrilled to be joining… Read more »

Title Image: Focus on the Story, Not Word Count

Focus on the Story, Not Word Count

I hit a wall halfway through writing my debut novel. This is not unusual; as writers, this happens to most of us at one time or another. When I get blocked, it’s often only for a few days. I know all the tricks to fix the stoppered bottle of my brain: get outside, go for… Read more »

Title Image: Discovering Ekphrasis Poetry

Discovering Ekphrasis Poetry

Getting Too Personal So I don’t want to get too personal here but when I noodle around with my poetry—that’s exactly what I do. My first drafts are awkward, embarrassing, dripping with messy feelings. What comes out is the emotional equivalent of the sticky, oozy goo that comes out of the bottom of my car… Read more »

Title Image:Life of a Writer—Episode 2: The Unthinkable

Life of a Writer—Episode 2: The Unthinkable

In this column, Life of a Writer, every 8 weeks or so I will share the next episode in my journey as a middle-aged woman who finally gets serious about her dream of becoming a published author. This episode is about continuing on after the unthinkable happens. In Episode 1 of this column, I wrote… Read more »

Title Image: How I Built My Side Biz as an Editor

How I Built My Side Biz as an Editor

2019. My literary agent was subbing my third manuscript to acquiring editors for publication. I had just completed manuscript number four with the help of a book coach to whom I paid upwards of a grand. As I pondered its publication path, I realized I needed a side biz to bring in some bread. A… Read more »

Title Image: Not Just Dudes in Tights: Lumberjanes

Not Just Dudes in Tights: Lumberjanes

Welcome back to Not Just Dudes in Tights, a column about our fave comics starring, well, not just dudes in tights. This time: Lumberjanes! It’s hard to express how much I love Lumberjanes. Yes, it’s technically a comic book for children about summer camp, but it’s so much more than that. It’s heartwarming, it’s funny,… Read more »