Blog Posts & Helpful Articles
How to Create a QR Code on Your Website to Link Anywhere
If you use (or want to use) QR codes in your marketing efforts there are many services that help you do that. But what if
October 13, 2022
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If you use (or want to use) QR codes in your marketing efforts there are many services that help you do that. But what if
Long touted as a user’s second brain, the improvements to Evernote have made it more impressive. Authors can use it as a relational story bible,
If you want a fast, inexpensive way to translate your work into multiple languages, Amazon Translate might be the ticket. It’s got a slick interface
What’ I’ve learned in the last five years of being an indie author is that the tools and processes that make up the way you
If you love NaNoWriMo and the challenge of completing a 50,000-word manuscript in just a month, then you’re probably thinking of ways you can get
The place where young readers meet to talk about books. The show includes a celebrity reader and an interview with the author. The host is
Darcy Pattison runs a indie publishing house that publishes fiction and non-fiction books for kids. She recaps her presentation from the SCBWI conference on Jane
From the website: “Being a full-time author is tough. When do you make the dive? Is making the dive the right choice for you? I
Learn how to use Amazon’s newly released A+ Content to market your books with a detailed explanation from fantasy author Jason Hamilton. You’ll find his
Here’s a quick read and helpful reminder about what matters to website visitors who are blind or visually impaired. Holly Tuke shares her experience in
Audra Spicer shared a great tip with us: Use a calendar app to timebox every day, then adhere to it to increase productivity and spend
From Bookbub.com: If you do think it’s worth testing the platform[Instagram] out, here are some great examples of authors who’ve been able to successfully build
From the website: As I’m getting ready to release my collection of modern fairy tales When Magic Calls, I’ve been thinking about things like book
From the blog: There’s a reason why many people talk about their writing skill as a “muscle” that must be exercised if it’s to grow
“Uh-oh. You just reviewed your novel and found more than one hundred instances of sighed. How can you fix your story without a major rewrite?” This
Ever had an editor or beta reader flag the moving or disembodied body parts in your fiction? Eyes roaming/flying/darting… Fingers flying… Hand creeping… Feet following…
All authors are grateful for the readers who support them, but sometimes it’s hard to know how to express it. This post has some fascinating
Writing is an art, but if there’s one part of the craft that’s closer to science, this would be it. Become a master of story
Indie Author Magazine is launching May 3, 2021 and we’re looking for writers to join our contributing writers’ pool. Indie Author Magazine is a startup
If you’re writing a “howdunit” crime novel, here’s an intriguing way to create your outline. Use this modified version of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.
Biodegradable stickers out of sugarcane? Artist Harmony Hardin has curated an excellent resource for those who want to create promotional materials that are environmentally friendly.
When you read paperback and hardcover books, you use page numbers for tracking progress. But Amazon’s Kindle only shows you your location in the book
The Google Fonts library is a convenient choice for building an author website. In addition to the open source fonts being free, using them helps
Feel like you’re ready to take your writing skills to the next level? Then it’s time for you to learn how to structure scenes in
If you want to create a website that’s eco-friendly, here are four tips worth considering. From the Themeisle blog: “In this post, we’ve looked
Web design isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s a much more complicated world where user experience, accessibility, and business goals all should connect. Check out these
This blog post goes over the challenges that travelers and mobile small businesses might have with two-step verification. Unfortunately, the Windows app mentioned is no
If your Facebook ad account is disabled, Ali Mirza will show you how to get it back inside this video. Facebook has been disabling many
Need an online platform but feel squeamish about connecting with strangers? Best-selling author Barbara O’Neal shares tips for creating a bond with your readers that
If you use images on your blog or in your email newsletter and have the Pinterest Pin It extension on your browser, you’re going to
In the pep talk I share how a friend helped me when I was on the struggle bus.
In today’s NaNoWriMo pep talk I remind my indie author friends that their stories matter.
Affinity Publisher is one of three integrated software programs (Publisher, Photo, Designer) that is similar to Adobe programs for publishing, illustrating and photo manipulation, with
In one post writing conversations, a fabulous teachable moment burst to the front of the lesson. In the least likely moment, my class discussed—hooks. It was by accident. You could say we were hooked. Haha get it… Anyway, it started with a simple request. “Share three of your favorite sentences.”
One way to get more words is to send the inner editor into the other room.
Useful article for formatting your MS Word docs to be uploaded to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) when you have illustrations in your document.
A great article about how to go from a WordPress.com website to a self-hosted WordPress.org website.
Joseph Campbell popularized the Hero’s Journey, which has become a mainstay among writers. But he also said the symbols of ancient myths no longer fit
Superb video on how to read effectively in front of an audience. Super useful for conferences, but also for reading online or narrating an audiobook.
In seventh grade, students learn the plot pyramid structure. Because academic English education relies on a keen familiarity with the plot pyramid, I teach my emerging authors to use the plot pyramid as a tool for outlining their novels.
Stephen King and John Grisham have one writing practice in common. Do you know what it is?
Hook readers, agents, or editors every time with a logline that nails the essence of your story. Loglines are an essential tool for pitching to
Well written descriptive details bring a story to life. As authors, we love hearing a reader say, “When I read your story, I saw a movie in my head.” With that being said, too much detail has the reverse effect. It bogs a story. So how do you know which details to add? This is an exercise to help answer the question
Plotting or pantsing? Gardener or architect? Writers love to argue over which method is best to create engaging fiction. Personally, I believe this isn’t a
A summary is the bare-bones details about a story. One method used to strip away the engaging elements of a story is Somebody Wants But So (SWBS). We can also reverse engineer a story idea with SWBS.
“You must write faster if you want to be successful.” That is the single most important advice I keep hearing from successful indie authors. It
These tools are some of our favorite when you’re traveling and working on your
A selection of short posts on writing your book, from idea to editing, told from the viewpoint of a master mariner. Posts appear in reverse
The blog post is writer-centric. It discusses the types of note-taking apps in terms of the types of writers (architect, gardener, librarian) and lists 16
