Making Time for a Dream: Interview with Mystery Author Deborah K. Jensen

April 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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never did I think that I wanted to or could write a novel. But the gift of a dream was given to me… This week, we were fortunate enough to sit down with Deborah K. Jensen, an inspiring indie author with a killer book called Beyond Escape, an exciting new novel based on a true story with family secrets, betrayal, murder, and lust. She shared with us how she melded this true story with one of fiction, and how she found time to make her dream a reality.   1) You’ve been writing for many years. Did you always want to write mysteries? When I was a young girl, I fell in love with the idea of writing and told my… [read more]

Filed Under: Author Interview, Authorpreneur, Book Marketing, Indie Publishing, Motivational, Self-publishing, Social Media, Twitter, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Perfect Book Title

December 7, 2012 by 5 Comments
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Choosing your book’s title is one of the most important and most influential parts of the production process. The book title is the tool to connect with the audience. It is the medium through which readers’ brains make synapses that cause them to register the thought, “Hmmmm . . . I wonder what this is about.” The title is how your book will be known, recommended, and become a  become a pop-culture phenomenon! If I’ve gotten you nervous about picking the right title, calm down. Here are some questions to ask yourself to start narrowing it down to the perfect book title.   1) To subtitle or not to subtitle? First of all, the purpose of the MAIN title is… [read more]

Filed Under: Branding, Title Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Best 10 Blogs for the Indie Author

September 14, 2012 by 7 Comments
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As we said earlier this week, it is so important for indie authors to be educated in all things publishing and writing related. On Monday, we gave you a list of books that you should have in your library. Yet, because the industry is changing on an almost daily basis (did you hear that HarperCollins’s sci-fi/fantasy imprint, Harper Voyager, will be accepting unagented manuscripts from October 1 – 14?), books, though tried and true, aren’t necessarily the most up-to-date sources of information. If you’re not following and keeping up with what’s going on in the blogosphere, you should be! Other than our blog, below are some fantastic blogs for the indie author on industry news, writing, publishing, and marketing:  … [read more]

Filed Under: Self-publishing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Dear Author: You Hold The Cards

April 2, 2012 by 2 Comments
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Dear Budding Writer and Future Author, Before you have another pow wow with a friend disguised as a coffee date to discuss your book idea, allow us to give it to you straight: if you want to publish your book, do it. No, really. Do it. And not because you can, but because quite frankly if you’re stuff is good, you really have no reason not to. For the record, I’m not just talking to the savvy expert with thousands of Twitter followers, the social media guru, or owner of a hip small biz. I’m talking to you. The person with a good idea who knows a lot about the potential reader of your book. The person who has been… [read more]

Filed Under: Motivational, Pub. Industry, Self-publishing Tagged With: , ,

The 7 Secret Weapons of Groundbreaking Indie Authors [Plus Infographic]

March 26, 2012 by 2 Comments
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We’ve got a lot to say on this topic, so we’re going to cut to the chase. Here are the tried-and-true secret weapons that will take your good book idea to star status.   1. A Kick-ass Book Cover Your cover is the first impression-maker. It must be thoughtful, well-designed, and eye-catching and is one of two places you cannot cut corners (the other is in editing). One literary agent we met once told us she accepted a new author largely due to the beautiful cover she hired a designer to create for her self-published book. This author’s book cover showed the agent that she meant business and that author soon received a large advance and book publishing deal. A… [read more]

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5 Myths You Should Never Believe About Your Book Idea

March 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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Do you have a book idea? Of course you do, or you wouldn’t be reading this post. Be prepared to experience a roller coaster of emotions: fear, doubt, excitement, and insanity. Emphasis on insanity. You will wrangle with your neurosis and you will learn more than you ever cared to know about book production, marketing, sales, and distribution. It’ll be freaking fantastic. We promise. However, if you should find yourself in need of a reality check at any moment, keep reading. Here are the five myths you should put out of your mind about your book idea:  1. It’s original In our business we hear new ideas daily. And we love it. It’s rare, however, that we hear an idea we haven’t… [read more]

Filed Under: Motivational, Planning Tagged With: , , ,