• Establishing Rapport and Credibility in Nonfiction

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    I often find myself telling authors that they must establish rapport and credibility with their readers before anyone begins reading their book. This is vital for a number of reasons. The most important reason is that as an author, you want potential, on-the-fence readers to keep reading. You want them to recommend your book to others. You want your words to be out there for everyone to read. And you want readers to finish your book feeling satisfied. So, you’re probably thinking, how this is done? Well, when we take away the actual content of the book and we focus…

  • How to Write Your Life Story

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    One aspect of writing that I love is when we stop to look inward at ourselves. We take note of the choices we’ve made in our lives and they present a multitude of stories to tell. Most writers don’t think it is that easy. I have received a lot of messages over the years from writers who say, “No one knows me, why would they care about my story?” And, “I’m not a professional writer, so I don’t know how to get my story on paper.” I’ve said the same thing to each one of those writers, and I’m saying…

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    Top Secret or Not: Sharing Your Writing with Others

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    There is a common writing stereotype doing more harm than good for the writing community. Writing is not, and should not be viewed as a solitary confinement type of punishment. The task of sitting down to write has been glorified as this painful and disparaging task that segregates the writer from the rest of their community. No one else could possibly understand how torturous it is to sit down and stare at a blank screen, willing yourself to type even just one decent sentence that doesn’t fall victim to the “delete” button on your keyboard. That thought has gone through…

  • Planning an event for your book? Here's our best tips on how you can bring your book event into the 21st century!

    Bringing Book Events into the 21st Century

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    Are you ramping up for your summer book launch? Or maybe you’re getting ready for a reading at your local bookstore? Authors have been walking the same line when it comes to these sorts of events since well… basically forever. I’m here to say, that just as the book industry is changing, these events should be too. Let’s bid farewell to the cheesy pens and bookmark giveaways and welcome ourselves, and our marketing material, to the 21st century. Make yourself memorable and you’ll make your book more memorable too. Here are 5 tips to get you started! 1. Branding, Branding,…