“You can’t wait for inspiration; you have to go after it with a club.”—Jack London Some of you may know I do farming, so sorry up front for my farm slang. My observation is that just as consumers increasingly want quality locally-grown farm products, readers want well-written books with a sway toward local authors. There are likely many reasons for this, but for me overall author marketing greatly resembles farmer marketing. Some Marketing Generalities First, some words about advertising’s role … Read More »

It’s gift-giving season again! I’ve written several times about appropriate gifts for writers. (See FWA blog posts on writer gifts: Dec. 9, 2020 and Dec. 3, 2021.) However, writers are needy, you know. They require all the help they can get. The items on those earlier lists remain excellent gifts for your whiny writer. But there’s always more to consider. How about gifting your writer with one of the items below? (And get me a little nosh, while you’re at … Read More »

The holidays are upon us, and already I hear your heart rates increase. “How am I going to maintain my writing schedule through all the family dinners, out-of-town visits, and Super Bowl games?” you’re moaning. “How am I going to maintain the inviolable code of Butt-in-Chair?” For all of our consolation, I’d like to suggest that there’s more to writing than writing. That’s right, and you already know it. For every page that gets typed, how much thinking, imagining, and … Read More »

Writing with a partner author can offer some great benefits, if you’re both willing to set aside your egos and truly cooperate. My first two published books were done with a co-author.  They would not have happened without my partner.  Nor would they have happened without me. My co-author was vice president for education for Florida Audubon Society, and I was on contract as editor of the Florida Audubon magazine. When I suggested we include something for young people in … Read More »

I’m in querying mode again. It’s not fun. When animals fight, the loser will sometimes expose their jugular vein for a quick finish off. No such mercy in the publishing industry. It’s more of a slow death. Endless, sometimes. Not bitter. Just sayin’. “If you don’t hear from us within sixteen weeks, it’s a pass.” Sixteen weeks! And that’s not the worst of it. At least during those four months (!) there’s hope. Through this process I’ve relearned what I … Read More »

If you’ve read Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, you have been introduced to the concept of an artist date. To cultivate creativity, Cameron suggests that every writer set aside a weekly block of time to nurture the artist within. No partners. No work. Just an hour or two each week designed for a solitary diversion. Although the idea of an artist date may seem self-indulgent, you’ll find that setting aside time to nurture your creative self will yield a greater … Read More »