Writers are odd creatures. For many of us, the ideal workday involves being shut away in a room with only a laptop, or pen and paper, rummaging around in our imaginations. Solitude required. Pants optional. So it seems like an undertaking uniquely suited to an extreme introvert. But there is more to this line of… Read more »
I’m the Operations Maven at DIY MFA. That role encompasses a lot of things, but the common thread—the thread I want to pick at in this essay—is my responsibility to build our community. One of the beautiful things about DIY MFA is how far-flung we are. As a community, we cover the globe. We are… 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 »
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing my dear friend Thien-Kim Lam. Thien-Kim writes stories about Vietnamese characters who smash stereotypes and find their happy endings. She and I first connected at an entrepreneurship event and instantly bonded over our love of books and our penchant for challenging the status quo of our respective industries…. Read more »
After several conversations with bestselling authors and those making full-time income as indie authors, I knew it was time to pivot my marketing strategy. Sure, you can still use older methods to gain visibility for your book and increase your sales. You can slap a permafree novel on your website, then upsell to your new… Read more »
Happy Friday, word nerds! Today’s #5onFri revolves around cats – those creatures who make for both the BEST and WORST writing partners, somehow at the very same time. From illuminated manuscripts depicting cats at the feet of scribes to Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote with a tortie draped around his neck, the unique partnership between… Read more »
Just the thought of a “critique group” used to send shivers down my spine. Now, I am convinced that my writers’ circle, a variation on the traditional critique group, was the most important part of my recent post, #5onFri: 5 Things that Saved my Novel from Oblivion. To me, a writers’ circle is more intimate, supportive, and… Read more »
Social media is a fascinating facet of modern life. On the personal side of things, it keeps people connected, disseminates information… but, sometimes, also causes conflict. On the career side of the ledger, social media is often written off as nothing more than a marketing tactic. However, there are actually several unique and powerful uses… 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 »
Over a decade ago, in one of my first college writing workshops, I commented that a story’s eclectic vocabulary jarred me out of its narrative. The author’s suave, privately-schooled best friend was in our class, and he volleyed my critique back: “It would’ve taken seconds to look up aquiline on your iPhone.” I had a… Read more »
