Writing and publishing can feel like an uphill battle, filled with self-doubt and numerous hurdles. This weekend, I attended a local...

In the expansive realm of publishing, there exists a sobering reality: the presence of scams that can exploit the hopes and dreams of...

I write a lot about marketing for authors because I don't enjoy marketing, and I know many authors feel the same way. Marketing doesn't...

Proofreaders aren't just eagle-eyed typo hunters. For many indie authors, proofreaders can often be a valuable resource for navigating the next steps in the self-publishing process. If you've never thought to ask your proofreader about what to do with your polished manuscript, here's a step-by-step guide that will take your manuscript from final polished draft to published book. This checklist assumes that you have standardized the formatting of your manuscript document and a

Goal-setting is an important part of any new undertaking and can have a profound effect on productivity. If you’ve ever found yourself...

A brand is more than just a logo or a catchy slogan. It’s the overall perception that consumers have of a product, service, business, or...

Book publishing has undergone significant transformations in recent years, offering authors a plethora of choices in how they bring their...

The saying “you don’t know what you don’t know” is so true when it comes to publishing, whether it’s self-publishing or traditional...

Have you ever had the experience of sitting down to complete a task only to find yourself overwhelmed by what needs to be done, unsure of...

(I'd like to say that I'm writing this blog post for the benefit of readers, but really, I'm writing it for me.) These are the top three...

National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, is a great opportunity for writers to challenge themselves to write a 50,000-word novel in...

"Passes" and "rounds" are common terms used in book publishing, but their meanings can often become confused. There are, in general,...

A query letter is a formal letter that a writer sends to literary agents or publishers to introduce themselves and their work with the...

In this final post in the Elements of a Successful Book blog series, I'm talking reviews—what they are, different types, how to get them,...

Metadata feels like a nebulous term, and for many writers, it’s components seem hard to pin down. However, it’s vital that your book has...

You’ve written your book and edited the heck out of it, and you don’t want to deal with it anymore. Sounds about right? But then you...

Dive in with me as I explore the commonalities between successful books no matter how they were published, what genre they are, or...

What every writer should know Confusion about intellectual property, copyright, and permissions abound in the self-publishing world. It...

Independent authors are faced with many decisions during the self-publishing process, not least of which is determining what type of editing their manuscript needs. The decision to hire a professional editor, in itself, introduces a whole host of choices that can lead very quickly to decision fatigue. The editing trend There is a temptation, especially if one frequents writer Facebook groups and other corners of the Internet, to skimp on editing and instead rely on the help o

There are quite a few articles and blogs circulating around amongst indie author and editor Facebook groups on what goes into the cost of professional editing. I don’t know if it’s fueled by frustration from indie editors, a simple desire to educate, or both. Regardless, it’s a relevant topic and one that every editor with a blog should probably write about at some point. I can imagine the situation for indie authors searching for an editor. It’s probably bewildering to put f