The Key to Getting a Book Contract (A Manifesto)

The key to getting a book contract is looking way beyond the book contract to when your book hits shelves. The key to getting a book contract is pairing a great idea with a significant platform and compelling writing. The key to getting a book contract is, in a word, hustle. Every publisher loves to […]
5 Terrifically Useful Tools for Writers
I’m so pleased to be guest-posting over at Sandi Krakowski’s blog today. Sandi is a social media expert and successful entrepreneur. We met recently at the ReWrite conference and became fast friends. My post describes 5 really useful tools that will help you write your book. Enjoy! Here’s the link: http://www.arealchange.com/blog/writing-book-hard-5-tools
3 Fatal Flaws of Rejected Book Proposals

In the world of nonfiction publishing, the book proposal is king. Writers, agents, and editors may have conversations before the book proposal. But all the real action takes place when the proposal hits publishers’ inboxes. If you’re a nonfiction writer who wants traditional publishing houses to take you seriously, a strong proposal is the place to invest […]
Interview with Professional Blogger Jonathan Milligan, a Living Legend

Jonathan Milligan is a professional blogger, entrepreneur, speaker, life coach, social media expert, and all around great guy! I met him via Michael Hyatt’s Platform University in the forum there. He threw out an invitation to join a mastermind group, and I jumped. So glad I did. Jonathan was in the “head hunter” recruitment world when […]
6 Things for Writers to Remember When an Editor or Agent Says No

I’ve just returned home from the ReWrite writers conference in Austin. It was a great time of listening to and connecting with numerous talented and passionate writers. I thoroughly enjoyed it. But I can’t help thinking about the fact that a lot of the people who attended are going to experience some level of rejection […]
10 Things Every Public Speaker Should Know

I recently returned from a wonderful in-person meet-up with my mastermind group, which is comprised of Jonathan Milligan, Dennis McIntee, Rebecca Livermore, Dale Callahan, Jackie Ulmer, Fokke Kooistra, and Michael Nichols. I am beyond grateful to be in a group with these people! We were together one full day and two nights. During the day […]
Where Most People Go Wrong When Chasing a Dream

Chasing a dream can be tough. It takes perseverance–sometimes more perseverance than we’ve ever had to muster in the past. Chasing a dream stretches us in ways we’ve never been stretched. I tend to think we actually become different people when we pursue a goal to which we feel deeply called. Watch this video to […]
Is This Blocking Your Creativity?

My son and I recently learned about electric motors. In fact, thanks to our friends Gretchen and Bill, we were able to build one through a service called Tinker Crate, which I highly recommend. So we were working on this motor, trying to get the wheel to spin, and nothing was happening. Just before throwing […]
Why the Strongest Thing You Can Do Is Embrace Your Weakness

We all know we have a lot to offer the world—if we could just get a break, if we could just get out of our own way, if we could just be who we are deep down. But then life happens and we happen, then more of life and more of us. Things get complicated. […]
4 Proven Steps That Turn Writers into Tribal Marketers

We were all excited. An author we had just published was going to be on Oprah, and the subject of our author’s book would be front and center during the interview. We shipped thousands of books to make sure our accounts had plenty of inventory. The day came, and Oprah set her up beautifully. The author did a […]