This year, I’ve been to more conferences than I’ve ever been to in my whole life; three have been writing conferences for me and one a work conference for my husband. And during each of these, between learning and mingling, I found myself feeling inspired and a bit more creative. So, after the latest writing… Read more »
When I was first trying to develop a more cohesive author brand and platform for myself as a writer and creative writing coach, I struggled to visualize exactly what I liked and wanted. I mindlessly clicked through sites that I admired and tried to imitate what I saw. But I found that I wasn’t creating… Read more »
On the back of every book you’ve bought in a bookstore, you’ll find a string of numbers, usually punctuated with dashes. It looks something like this: 978-0-9997003-0-3. This mysterious code is an International Standard Book Number, or ISBN. If you’re a self-publishing author, you should consider having them for your books. What Is An ISBN?… Read more »
One piece of platforming advice I feel strongly about is that every author should have a newsletter. And yes, this is still true even if you are not yet published! I cannot say this enough. Any author who wants a readership—even if that’s a future readership–should have an author newsletter. I often hear authors worry… Read more »
When it comes time to start on a new writing project, one of my favorite things to do is create a playlist (I call them “soundtracks”). It’s fun to imagine the music that would play in your story’s future film or television adaptation. Above all, having a soundtrack on the ready on those days you… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! You might be doing a double-take right now because this episode is airing on a Thursday and not on Wednesday like our usual schedule. In fact, this is a bonus episode to celebrate the 5-year of podcasting at DIY MFA Radio. That’s right… exactly five years ago today, we announced this… 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 »
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 »
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 »
