Episode 106: How to Be an Author Entrepreneur – Interview with Joanna Penn

Hey there Word Nerds! Today’s episode is especially awesome because I’m interviewing Joanna Penn, author and creative entrepreneur. She is the mastermind behind The Creative Penn, one of the top 10 sites for writers and has penned several nonfiction books helping writers build their platforms. She also writes thrillers under the pen name J.F. Penn and is a self-publishing superstar. I am… Read more »

Six Tips for Successful Self Publishing

I’m thrilled to be a guest columnist on DIYMFA! Having recently gone through the process of self publishing my novel, Flirting with Monogamy, I’m looking forward to sharing a few pointers and helpful hints of what I learned during the process. First of all: 1) Do Your Homework There are numerous outlets for self-publishing a… Read more »

Self-Publishing Insights: Q&A With Lisa Renee Jones

Today I am so excited to host Lisa Renee Jones at DIY MFA. Throughout her career, Lisa has navigated both the traditional publishing world and self-publishing, and has lots of great insights about both. An entrepreneur at heart, Lisa is the CEO of a multi-state staffing agency that has been featured in several magazines and was… Read more »

Self-Publishing Insights: Q&A With Bella Andre

We’re back with another installment of the DIY MFA Self-Publishing Insights series. Today we talk to Bella Andre, who not only has taken the self-publishing world by storm, but also turned the typical publishing model on its head by negotiating a print-only deal with Harlequin. This is a huge step in the industry, where once… Read more »

Key Questions for a Standout Book Cover

In a bookstore, shoppers feel at home, walking up and down the aisles filled with hundreds of books, perhaps with a coffee in hand. They take their time, looking at each book cover as if in a gallery. You’re not in a traditional bookstore. In the fast-paced world of digital publishing, users demand instant gratification…. Read more »

Why Writers Need to Think About Money

We’re writers. We write because we love it, not for the money. It’s a noble sentiment but deep down I think many of us harbor the same secret dream: we want to make money writing. There’s just one little problem: most writers don’t like to think (or talk) about money. And if we won’t talk… Read more »

Self-Publishing Insights: Q&A With Victoria Noe

I first met Victoria Noe in a writer’s mastermind group and was immediately struck by her vision and drive. Viki has a specific group of people she wants to reach: people who have experienced the death of a friend. While there might be many grief books on the market, few–if any–that talk about grief from… Read more »

3 Things To Know Before You Publish

When I first started learning the book industry, I thought all you had to do to publish was to write a phenomenal book. At the Writer’s Digest Conference East (WDCE), I first heard about a a new publishing survey conducted by Digital Book World earlier this year. There’s a report of the results if you… Read more »