• 5 Twitter Hashtags Every Writer Is Using Right Now

    If you haven’t hopped on Twitter yet, you are seriously missing out on some wonderful connections in the online writing community. The key to successfully benefitting from Twitter is engagement, and hashtags make finding your tribe even easier—if you know where to look! Here are five trending hashtags to help you get inspired, find writing tips, and connect with readers and other authors. 1.) #WritingTip or #Writetip This is pretty self-explanatory, but there are some real gems under this tag. Writers are using this to share everything from inspirational quotes to practical advice about evolving and refining their craft. 2.)…

  • The Newest App for Readers and Authors: The Litsy App!

    What’s the latest buzz amongst readers and writers alike? The Litsy app! Readers use it to find recommendations on the best books to add to their Amazon carts; writers and publishers can use it to connect with fans and each other. Publisher’s Weekly calls it “Instagram for books”, and BookRiot says it’s like “Instagram and GoodReads had a perfect baby.” Of course, we had to find out why it’s one of the fastest-growing literary apps around (and what that could mean for our authors) so Xulon Press sat down with one of the app’s creators, Todd Lawton, to chat about…

  • 10 Steps For Starting Your Author Blog

    Last month we talked about why every author should have a blog, and your response to that post was huge. We consistently received the same question in response: “How do I start a blog?” There are lots and lots of resources out there for newbies who want to start a blog, but to get you going, here are ten steps to starting a blog. Register with a blogging site. There’s many options, but two of the most popular are Blogger.com, WordPress.com (free), or WordPress.org (paid, self-hosted blog; allows for the most customization). Buy a domain. If you use Blogger or…

  • Trending Now: Book Subscriptions in a Box!

    Subscription boxes have become the new “thing” in recent years, as there is one for just about every kind of person, hobby, age, or even your pet. Handpicked beauty products? There’s a box for that. Toys and treats for your dog? There’s a box for that. Featured wine of the month? There’s a box for that. A book of the month box for your favorite genre? There’s a box for that too—and many of them, at that! And these boxes are pretty genius, for many different reasons. First, who doesn’t love getting stuff in the mail? And I’m not only…