Living A Life of Writing

Do These Go Hand in Hand?: Making Money and Writing

2012-01-27T21:40:00.000-08:00

The question seems to always come up, when you have published anything, a blog or a online article or even a book (or three) people inevitably ask, do you make money? Well in sense, yes I make money with my writing, but I am usually not asked how much. I think most people do not see writing -- or writers -- as people who make a lot of money from their work. I never really wondered about it

Traffic, Your Blogs and You

2012-01-26T19:07:00.000-08:00

Recently I have had friendly debates with more than a few people about the nature of blogs. Many people look to blogs as a means for making money -- and there is nothing wrong with that -- but I hear the same comment time and again -- to make money, you need attract traffic. My usual reply is: if you want traffic you had better work with great writing. Usually the people who seek this advice

Can I Make Money Self-Publishing My Book?

2012-01-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

Most writers want to publish their books and want to make money with their books. After all, it is not like you want to do all of that work and then have a book that does not sell well, or worst still one which sits on shelves and collects dust. It is easy to write a book, anyone can write a book if they are willing. With a bit of effort, it is also easy to self-publish a book. Continuing

Why You Should Self-Publish

2012-01-23T19:25:00.000-08:00

We writers are funny creatures. I am not against self-publishing. In fact I believe that for many books, self-publishing is a great idea. I say this with one caveat: editors are a must. I think we writers like to think we can do it all, but we can't. I am pleased with my book sales, and I think the fact that it was independently published made all the difference. The publisher taught me

Writing Non-Fiction Books Vs Fiction

2012-01-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

Why would you write non-fiction vs. writing fiction? I was asked this by a few people, and I think I'll give the long answer here. Keep in mind that in either case you are writing something which potentially can be of benefit to you. I didn't think too much about the reasons behind my decision, but I did come up with a few things that make me lean towards writing non-fiction: 1) as a new

Publish a Book or an E-book?

2012-01-19T15:52:00.000-08:00

I was reading several books, mostly about writing and publishing, and one in particular struck me as being very wise. Most of you should read Aiming At Amazon when you get the chance. For me, there was one point in it that make me really think. Should you publish a book or an e-book? The book suggests no... but others, suggest the opposite. Hmm. I my mind, it is best to publish a

Should You Use Promotional Tools - Before and After Your Publish a Book?

2012-01-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

We've all heard of them. If you are a published author you've definitely heard of them - the dreaded "promotional tools". There are a wide range of them available, and I had to think hard about which ones I should use and what I should use them for. Promotion happens before and after you have published your book. Here's an example: Someone buys your book and they write a review. (And we'll

Promote Your Book or Write Another?

2012-01-15T22:13:00.000-08:00

Which is better? I think we want to see success in all our writing, and the question becomes: What should we do? Should we write another book that will build on the last book, or promote the book that we have just published? For me the answer is simple: Do both. 1) You have a blog, write about your book: but you also need write about topics you care about. Write what you have passion for -

In Search of The Lost Ones: Publishing a Full Year Work

2012-01-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

Wow what a year it has been! Yes, I finally published my first book, and looking back, it was a full year of work. I went through several edits -- and editors -- until I found the right path to follow. This process lasted from January 2011, until nearly the end of October 2011. Don't let anyone tell you that your writing is okay if you still have nagging feelings that it's not. Get a good

Writing Away-- Writing Online

2012-01-11T21:56:00.000-08:00

So what do you do when you can't write online? I hope you don't get all upset or look for excuses not to write. I read that a fellow blogger has this problem when she's writing in a different place -- or at a different time. I think she is correct. The more you write the more comfortable you are with where and when you write. I think the best way to pass time is by writing away -- anywhere

Which Type of Format Works Best? The E-book or Book?

2012-01-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

This is something that most people can have a lovely discussion about: you've published your book, and now you have to make a few choices. Some of them are easy - and getting a book published does have its easy points. Making money is also on your mind-- or rather profits on that book., and then a bit more profits. And then there is something most new authors don't think about, at least I

Why Publishing Isn't As Hard as You Think: It's The Marketing

2012-01-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

So you've published that book? Great. I think you've done a great job, but now it's on to the second one, after all, you've told people until you are blue in the face that you have a book out. So let the sales begin. You have a goal (I'd like to sell 100 e-books in 3 months) and you've got an outline and a plan to get the second book out. So you wait for the sales. And I believe you will be

Do You Write? Or Do You Plan on Writing?

2012-01-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

I know... it's hard. It's the whole New Year's thing... The work when everyone else is ready to play or has time off from their day jobs thing. They want to have fun, and they might even think you are being a party-pooper for "working" on your project or your book. You have deadlines -- they are on vacation. I know. I think we all feel it, especially when there is a holiday of some sort

Publishing Your Book: Back Writing Another

2012-01-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

This is a true statement for most writers: once you have published your book, no matter where you publish it or how much fanfare you get from it, you will need to publish another one, and it must be as well written (if not better than) the last one. I am not suggesting that you have to publish many books, but once you've published the first book, you should get down to writing another one. And

Happy Writing!

2011-12-31T18:26:00.000-08:00

Just a Nte to wish you all a Happy New Year! Make This year your year to have that work in progress published. All the best. Happy Writing and love what you do. Make 2012 the best year- finish what you begin and publish that book. It is that improtant! AGain From Living a Life of Writing-- Happy Writing.

Do Your Published Books Need to Relate?

2011-12-29T10:28:00.000-08:00

I have about three or four books on the go. By this I mean that these books are in various states of writing or researching or I've taken back to square one. I want to publish them all, this much is true. When I looked at them all I noticed something interesting. They don't all relate. My first published book is about Transylvania, the second is about writing a blog. The third and fourth?

Write That Book: You Need To

2011-12-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

I will make this simple. I will make this clear. My sentences will be short, not long. It is not word count that matters. It is not, how soon can this book be published? It is simply: Write that book. Yes: write that book. As you can see, I am about mid-way through the blog book, and I find myself being asked to take on another project. Such is the writing life. I know that I have some

Living a life of … editing?

2011-12-26T13:39:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I love great writing. For me, a great piece of writing should flow from one idea to the next and gently nudge the audience to a new idea or perhaps a conclusion that they’d never drawn before. I sometimes enjoy reading something that completely turns my preconceptions on end and makes me, perhaps, rethink a conclusion that I’ve held dear for a long time. In order for that

When You Have to Be Living a Life of Writing

2011-12-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

The biggest mistake made when people begin the journey of writing is this: They assume that all one has to do is write, and then publish and then the royalties come in; ss in money, as in they can quit their day job -- the one they have been waiting to quit for the last however long it has been. That is not what living a life of writing is about. For most writers this means staying on track and

How Fast Should You Publish Your Book?

2011-12-21T10:23:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard something like this from another fellow writer? (Or in this case would-be writer?) "I want to publish my book, but I don't have time or money for an editor, and I have this important message to tell people. In fact I've worked for a while now. I think it needs to be published now." For my own sanity, my answer is something of this sort: the faster you publish a book, the

How Many Books Should You Publish To Make Money?

2011-12-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

The image above says it all: when you publish, you want to have a good assortment of books. At least, that is the way most authors like to think. I believe most authors and writers say that they can't simply write one single book and then keep pushing only that book. Rather, they will have to work at the art of publishing as a long-term many book thing. When I say many book thing, I rarely

Which is More Important: A Good Blog Post or an Increase in Traffic to Your Blog?

2011-12-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

We all would love a few things in the coming year. If we are honest, we'll admit that we'd like them a lot sooner and a lot faster. There are many ways to accomplish our goals, but it's a time thing. If you are not a freelance writer you will look at this question and wonder, why would you need to worry about a good blog post? We need two things, or at least to a writer, we need them -- good

Why You Need To Publish a Book

2011-12-13T09:43:00.000-08:00

First Off Good News: I got my first review of my book on Amazon. I am pleased, of course, it was from our very own Damaria Senne, but still it was honest and well written, thanks Damaria! You need to publish a book one day -- you are such a good storyteller. Have you ever heard these words or something like them said to you? I know I have heard these words said by many people. The truth of

After You Publish a Book Do You Market This Book? A Book To Read by Damaria Senne

2011-12-10T10:24:00.001-08:00

I know this is probably one of the hardest things an author needs to consider. They have finally, after many years, published a book. They have edited it, they have improved it, and now people can buy it on Amazon, or on the author's own website. This is big, a published book. I know that a writer can step back and let the sales roll in. But sometimes this does not happen. Yes, you might get

To Publish A Book: What Do you Need to Do?

2011-12-08T22:11:00.001-08:00

What comes to your mind when someone asks you this question. I was asked that very question today. I will give you my simple answer: Just write. The longer answer? Write, and then edit, and then re-write, and keep on writing. Then you will publish a book. I think I like the simple answer. That says it all.