How to Write a Useful Book That Markets Itself
Do you know what’s even better than a great book? A great book that recommends another great book! That’s exactly how I came across Write Useful Books: A Modern Approach to Designing and Refining Recommendable Nonfiction by Rob Fitzpatrick. AJ Harper recommends it in her masterful Write a Must-Read. As soon as I finished Harper’s […]
A Writer’s Guide to Desire
My latest obsession is the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. I like the show for a lot of reasons, but here I want to focus on how well one scene captures a particular feeling with which many of us are familiar. In one of the plotlines, the title character, Evan, is a lonely high school […]
The Serious Business of Having Fun
Writing is emotional work in that people can respond to what you write in a way that actually hurts. This is worth pondering for a minute. Other kinds of work like, say, washing dishes or taking out the trash, are not the same. Sure, someone might point out a bit you missed on a plate, […]
How to Defeat “Writer Overwhelm” Once and for All
Recently I surveyed writers about their biggest challenge, and the following response caught my attention: Some days . . . all of it. I feel totally lost at times. How do I build an audience, know my work is where it should be, decide which publishing path to pursue, know who is the right person […]
How to Pick the Right Publisher or Literary Agent for Your Book
I often get this question: “How do I find the right publisher for my book?” Standard Answer The standard answer is to go to Writer’s Market, an 896-page tome that gets updated each year. The problem is, this doesn’t really work for obvious reasons. Better Answer The better answer is what I call The Bookshelf Method, an easier […]
AJ Harper’s Gift to Writers
AJ Harper’s book is generous. But on her way to providing what many writers likely want—a thoroughgoing step-by-step guide to writing a truly great book—she has to do some disabusing first. In this market space of writing and publishing and book-marketing, a lot of experts talk about how easy and quick it can be to […]
A Runner’s Advice to Writers
Running is a great metaphor for a lot of things, especially writing. As a writing coach who’s training for my first marathon (Chicago Marathon 2022, baby!), I see parallels all over the place. Often it can be helpful to get a fresh perspective on our writing lives, and I think running offers some really helpful […]
How to Write an Email to Promote Your New Blog Post, Podcast Ep, or Video
Once you’ve begun building your email list, it’s important to begin sending your subscribers useful content. This could be a blog post, a podcast episode, a video, or some other form of content. (A fun way to approach this is to geek out about the same things your audience likes to geek out about. Click […]
25 Motivational Quotes for Writers
If you’re like many writers, you began this year with some goals in mind. You were determined to finish your manuscript or start your website or submit your book proposal or grow your audience. How is it going? Maybe you’ve made some progress but not as much as you wanted. Maybe you haven’t made much […]
A Free and Simple Method to Grow Your Audience
Most writers know the importance of building a platform—an audience of people who are interested in your work and will buy your book when it releases. What writers may not know is the best way to do this is by growing an email list. Why? Have a look at the graphic below: This graphic from […]