Something my students hear from me all the time, and which I’ve probably written about in one or more of my DIY MFA columns, is that writing doesn’t occur in a vacuum. At least, our best writing doesn’t. What I mean by that is, even the best and most seasoned writers have always found it… Read more »
As authors, surviving rejection is one of our top challenges. However, by reframing rejection, we can bolster our dedication instead of allowing it to chip away at our souls. What is Reframing? Reframing means looking at something from another angle. When we use our imagination to view an issue from another direction, the fear or… Read more »
Greetings, Speculators! Last time, I made my public autism disclosure. That article was written in the middle of August and since that time, I’ve been struggling creatively. Autistic burnout has made my go-to place of joy largely inaccessible. It’s ironic that the very thing that’s pulled me out of depression and anxiety in the past… Read more »
Welcome back, friends. In my last article, I discussed my long and difficult road to becoming a freelance editor. In this part, I’m going to give you some tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the last year and a half about what it takes to run your own freelance editing business. If you haven’t… Read more »
Social media. A necessary evil? How important is it? Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tiktok, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, to name a few. I mostly troll on Facebook, but every now and then I crawl out from under the bridges of my personal pages to post something. I don’t use my writer’s FB page at all, but it… Read more »
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 »
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. In Episode 3 of this column, I wrote about how I completed the manuscript of my first novel… Read more »
As a professional book launch coach and an author myself, I’ve discovered the biggest obstacle to having a successful career is…drumroll…your writer’s brain and its propensity to think dramatic thoughts. Yes, the same brain that creates a brilliant and complicated plot for your novel will also try to sink your career before it even leaves the… Read more »
In an age where smartphones ensure every minute has the potential to matter, serial publishing is making a comeback. For constant readers, devouring digestible installments in their latest cerebral adventure is the perfect way to pass the time spent in carpool lines or waiting for a child to finish up on the field. For authors,… Read more »
They say the eyes are the window to the soul… but hardly anyone talks about how a book’s cover is the window to its contents. The common maxim, of course, is “don’t judge a book by its cover”—but there are some sales-killing cover design mistakes that indie authors can’t afford to make. Readers will judge… Read more »
