“Once you understand that there are problems just waiting to be solved, once you realize that you have all the tools and all the permission you need, then opportunities to contribute abound. No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself.” – Seth Godin Starting something new (a blog, a business, an email list, etc.), like… Read more »
It’s not just you. Starting a blog can be knee-knocking scary—even when you know it can help you get published, build an audience of eager readers, and build your credibility as a writer. Because what will you write about? What if you don’t have time? And why should anybody listen to you when a bajillion successful bloggers out there have been… Read more »
I’ve been working in social media, blogging and all-around online platforming for about as long as I’ve had a career. I’ve even dabbled in some myself, as a writer and freelancer. But I didn’t launch my own author platform until this fall, when I got a publisher and made the decision to use a pseudonym…. Read more »
Hey there Word Nerds! Welcome back to DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m talking to blogger and writer, Kirsten Oliphant, and we’ll be discussing one of my absolute favorite writing topics: email list-building for writers! But first, a little bit about Kirsten. She earned MFA in fiction from University of North Carolina at Greensboro and has been blogging for… Read more »
In my last column, I talked about using the follow-back practice to build a following. In this one, we’ll look at what you should do when others don’t follow you back. As a quick recap, so we’re all moving forward from the same understanding: The follow-back strategy is based on the Twitter etiquette that if… Read more »
Dear Word Nerds, As we launch into the holiday season, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the wonderful things that have come of this year, and—more importantly—all the people who helped me get where I am. While DIY MFA started off as a one-woman show, these days it is far from that…. Read more »
My agent calls, and I swallow the urge to scream. Bad news comes via email. If she’s calling that only means one thing—that magic word—DEAL. She received an offer from Samhain Publishing for my novel Racing To You. This is what all writers know as . . . The Call: I’m speechless, sort of. I… Read more »
Deciding to attend a writer’s conference for the first time is like deciding to visit a foreign country. You Google, do your research, and learn a new language (words like “pitch,” “logline,” “platform” and “query”). By the time you get to the conference you’re competent that your knowledge of genres and age groups is enough… Read more »
At ThrillerFest, a social media expert introduced me to a new concept for Twitter platform growth: what I’ve started calling the follow-back tactic. In short, you search for and follow people in your target audience, and you follow them. They follow you back to reciprocate, and everyone’s platforms grow. So simple! I couldn’t believe I’d… Read more »
In my experience, most three hour drives feel like nothing more than numb legs, backaches, and forcing myself to stop checking the clock. But leave it to my first Writer’s Digest Conference to speed that drive right up. I knew ahead of time that I was going to force my driving buddy into helping me… Read more »
