Xulon Press Blog, Christian Self-Publishing - Page 5 of 71 - Publishing tips for Christian Writers and Authors

10 Steps to Plotting Scenes Using Index Cards

Filed in Writing Tips by Erika Bennett on September 3, 2019 • 0 Comments

Whether you’re a plotter or a panster, writing fiction or nonfiction, you can benefit from using index cards to plot your book ahead of time. The old-school outlining format we used for research papers in high school isn’t for everyone and can often make it more difficult to rearrange material later on. So, grab a […]

Writers, Tell Your Story on Instagram

Filed in Marketing Your Book by Erika Bennett on August 29, 2019 • 0 Comments

The thought of branding and marketing yourself as a person—let alone a writer—can feel like a challenge. With social media’s continued growth, however, it’s easier than ever to create and cultivate your online persona. Instagram, for instance, isn’t even a decade into its existence yet and has 1 billion active monthly users. So, if you […]

Writing Back Cover Copy for Your Nonfiction Book

Filed in Writing Tips by Erika Bennett on August 27, 2019 • 0 Comments

Writing back cover copy for nonfiction books is significantly different than writing back cover copy for fiction. Nonfiction readers care more about who is providing the information. These readers want to know they are receiving help or education from an expert on a particular topic. Nonfiction back cover copy must spell out the benefits for […]

15 Phrases that Signal Your Writing Went Off Topic

Filed in Ask the Editor by Erika Bennett on August 22, 2019 • 0 Comments

Throughout my experience as an editor, I’ve found that nonfiction writers are more inclined to go off topic than fiction writers. I believe passion plays a huge role in writers’ rabbit holes, tangents, and off-topic stories or anecdotes. When writers are angry, allow their personal biases to seep through their work, or let their passions […]

Mid-Year Writing Check-In

Filed in Writing Tips by Erika Bennett on August 20, 2019 • 0 Comments

People all around the world add “write a book” to their list of resolutions at the start of each year. By July many forgot they made that promise to themselves. Life gets busy and responsibilities start to stack up. Dreams of becoming an author slip to the wayside—only to be dusted off at the onset […]