How to Write Blog Posts That Expand Your Audience

7 Tips from a Professional Blogger

Blogging is a great way for writers to build an audience, but how do you get people to pay attention to your posts? There’s nothing more demoralizing than working for hours on a post only to hear crickets after hitting “publish.” Having blogged professionally for five years now, I’d like to offer my top seven […]

Get Rid of Writer’s Block Once and for All!

3 Simple Tips

I rarely get eater’s block. If I want something to eat, it doesn’t take long to satisfy the urge. That’s because my family keeps a grocery list. Whenever or just before we run out of an item, we write it on the list. Then once or twice a week, one of us goes out to […]

Your Obvious Path to a Larger Audience

And How to Beat Imposter Syndrome Once and for All

A couple weeks ago I took my son downhill skiing for the first time. Everything went really well, and after five hours of skiing, the perfect way to cap off our adventure, I thought, would be two piping hot cups of hot chocolate. After returning our equipment, I asked one of the rental staff employees, […]

An Easy Way for Writers to Renew Their Energy

How "Thinking Ancestrally" Can Lead You to a More Artful Path

Recently I heard from a writer who said, “I feel like I get so bogged down with building a platform, I don’t have time to write!” That’s the cry of so many writers I’ve worked with. Here’s another one: “I feel like I’m just spinning my wheels. I forget why I got into this in […]

How You Really Can Achieve Your Goals (and Have Fun Doing It)

4 Strategies for Goals That Are Productive and Sustainable

I’ve been writing down and pursuing goals for about five years and have seen some wonderful results, including: Running my first triathlon Losing 50 pounds Starting my own business and transitioning to fulltime self-employment Becoming someone who prays and meditates regularly The list goes on. But my list of goals achieved is, of course, not […]

How to Grow Your Audience Quickly

Doable Strategies Any Writer Can Use to Grow Their Email List to 250 Subscribers and Beyond

Recently I sent out a survey to writers in our BookCamp community and asked them, “When it comes to the whole process of writing, building an audience, and getting published, what’s the biggest challenge, frustration, or obstacle you are struggling with?” The top response by far: building an audience. Here’s what I posted in our […]

A “Choose Your Own Adventure” Guide to the Best Books on Writing

My Favorite Books Related to Writing and Why

I could simply give you a list of my favorite books on writing, but where’s the fun in that?! I thought it would be more fun to guide you to the one that is most likely to help you based on what you’re looking for. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to what is likely the first […]

5 Simple and Effective Ways to Structure Your Book

And Bring Your Book Idea to Life

Later this year my buddy Mike and I will go on our annual camping trip. It’s one of the highlights of my year. Sitting by the fire. Hot coffee in the morning chill. Long conversations. Man, I love it. Here’s a pic from last year’s trip to Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine State Forest. Nice, right? But […]

How Big a Platform Do I Need to Land a Book Deal?

And What Building an Email List Is All About

Photo by Vladislav Vasnetsov from Pexels

Blog reader Ryan Atkins from Flat on My Back recently emailed this question about platform: “In a recent post of yours, you mentioned having at least 1,000 email subscribers before moving forward with publishing. This was surprising to me as I had assumed differently after hearing much higher numbers from query rejections last year. After […]

How Writers Can Use Speaking to Build a Platform and Sell Books

An Interview with Grant Baldwin

Grant Baldwin is the founder of The Speaker Lab, a training company that helps public speakers learn how to find and book speaking gigs. Through his popular podcast The Speaker Lab and flagship coaching program Booked and Paid to Speak, he has coached and worked with thousands of speakers. His book, The Successful Speaker: Five […]