A Three-Part Series Covering How to Get the Most Out of a Writers Conference Part 2: Be Friendly A writers conference is a magical time. Writers from different locations and backgrounds, all with the imagination, dream, and drive to put their tales to paper (or digits) gather together to drink too much coffee and talk shop. And yet, far too many attend a conference (often at sizable expense) without the faintest idea how to truly get their money’s–and effort’s–worth. Over three installments I will give you a cursory look at what you should do to… Read Article →
Posts Tagged: business of writing
My first novel will step forth into the world on April 18, 2023. Exceptionals has been a labor of love nearly four years in the making. From short story to novel, it has seen critique group feedback, beta reader comments, and edits galore. However, as I’ve just discovered, when it comes to honing the fine, knife’s edge of a finished novel, the power is in the proof. Proof copies are the first drafts of the published novel. They are the initial look at how the cover design fits on the selected format. Mine, for example,… Read Article →
When to Stop Submitting Short Works and Self-Publish The short story marketplace is vast and growing vaster by the month. Any subscriber to Duotrope or user of Submission Grinder or any other of the consolidated listings of markets for flash fiction, short stories, novelettes, and novellas can see that there are near infinite places to submit work for publication, be they in print or an e-pub. The trick is to know when to stop submitting your short works and self-publish Why is it that most writers don’t get their work accepted into the pages of… Read Article →
How to Avoid the Landmines 98.2% of today’s self-published authors wet their feet with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). I made that stat up, but it’s gotta be close. And rightly so, Amazon is THE main marketplace and an author can have a finished book out for sale with less than an hour’s work. So, it makes sense to start there. I did. Then I went wide. Publishing with KDP and D2D proved to have several pitfalls. I published A Night to Remember with KDP just to see what the hubbub was all about. After the… Read Article →
Registration is open Hello Fellow Writers! It’s registration time for Pikes Peak Writers Conference – “Wordstock ’23: 3 Days of Peace, Love & Writing!” Join me there for my workshop And…ACTION! Fighting and Fight Scenes 101 and see me on stage as the conference emcee. The crew putting this together are second to none. Check out all the info below. Links embedded to help you navigate our conference website and registration. Keynotes: We are thrilled to have amazing keynotes this year! And equally thrilled to announce our Featured Author is USA Today Bestseller Siera London. For more information about… Read Article →
When to do it Yourself and When to Call in an Expert Each of us has strengths, talents, resources, and motivations. We each look to our day and weigh the priorities and assess our capabilities in addressing what the day requires. In that assessment, we must consider time vs. money–whether we want to tackle each task or whether we should handoff a project to someone else. Many of us are do-it-yourselfers. We’ll give up a weekend or a week to fix the problem or complete the project. Motivations in this realm range from the satisfaction… Read Article →
Writers conferences aren’t cheap, but their benefits are priceless. Registration opened November 1st for the 30th Annual Pikes Peak Writers Conference and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. America’s Friendliest Conference is where the spark of my writing journey caught flame. The benefits of writers conferences like PPWC keep the fires burning even when rejection letters or life’s interventions threaten to dowse them with stank bog water. If you’ve never attended a writers conference, for those that are con-curious, please, allow me to illustrate a few reasons to fork over the dough and go… Read Article →