If you’ve spent any time in the kidlit writing community you’ve probably seen the acronym ‘SCBWI’ pop up. It stands for Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, a professional organization dedicated to supporting everyone who creates books for kids. You may be wondering what qualifies a person for membership and what the drawbacks and… Read more »
Happy Friday, Word Nerds! And happy five year anniversary to our “Five on a Friday” series! Last week, I took you behind the curtain to talk about the submission and publication process for these articles. This week, I want to talk about why guest posting is such an awesome opportunity. Because the truth is, guest… Read more »
Hi, friends! Summer is officially here and we’re halfway through the year. Pretty crazy, right? Before we start heading towards fall, winter, and the end of the year, take some time to evaluate your author brand goals and progress. In a previous post, I talked about building your brand and one of the points I… Read more »
This August, we’re celebrating an awesome DIY MFA milestone—five years of our “Five on a Friday” series. The Five on Friday column is one of my favorite things that I get to work on every week. Why? Because while everything we do here at DIY MFA is for Word Nerds, these articles are often by… Read more »
Self-publishing is many things: creatively empowering, professionally challenging, fun. One thing it’s not? Free. Okay, through the miracles of modern technology it’s possible to publish a book for virtually nothing, but you won’t produce a product people will want to buy. Remember, self-publishing is a business. If you want success, you’ll have to spend some… Read more »
We’ve talked before about red flags when your social media following is growing too quickly, but you should always see a little steady growth happening month to month. That said, theory and practice rarely align perfectly. As your following grows, it’s also inevitably evolving. Which means you will have times when what has worked for… Read more »
It was such an incidental, fleeting moment…one that didn’t warrant special notice. And, yet, I noticed. On the evening of May 30, 2017, my daughter, Nikky, and I attended one of the last performances by well-known singer and songwriter Sara Bareilles in the lead role of the musical “Waitress,” on Broadway. Right before the curtain… Read more »
Writers need to find their tribe, and many times that’s other writers. It’s the natural fit. It makes sense. Finding the right mix of people will add more depth and potential to your writing journey. Sometimes it takes a village. Your job is to find the right village, and if you can’t find it, create… Read more »
If you’re anything like me (a huge introvert) the idea of sales and marketing might make you cringe. I mean, it seems like such an extroverted thing to do, right? Talking to people, convincing them that your book is awesome, putting yourself out there. Shudder. It’s an introvert’s nightmare. But, the truth is: marketing matters…. Read more »
As an independent author, you’re also a publisher. You set the vision for all the writing that will be published and create plans to ensure its success. Independent publishing can be a breathless enterprise: There’s so much to learn, and business evolves constantly. Countless shiny opportunities and ideas wait to distract you from your focus…. Read more »
