If you’ve been in indie publishing for a while, you’ve probably felt it: the slow, creeping decline in book sales. You’re writing as fast as you can, launching books regularly, marketing like mad… and yet, it feels like you’re running uphill in quicksand. Here’s some perspective: According to ALLi’s Dan Holloway, 2.6 million indie titles […]
Why Being “Prolific” in Indie Publishing Might Not Mean What You Think Read More »
Tips for Fast, Clean Drafting We all want to write faster, right? We dream of those marathon writing days where words flow effortlessly, the story falls into place, and by the end, we’ve got a manuscript that’s nearly ready for submission. But here’s the thing: speed alone isn’t the secret sauce. Let’s break it down:
Speed Matters, But So Does Precision Read More »
It’s probably not a surprise to you if I tell you that I have cancer. I didn’t keep my diagnosis a secret as I needed to explain to my readers why the next book in their favourite series would not be coming out quite as quickly as usual. In fact, there was a near-two-year gap
How to Write on Your Phone (and Why You Should) Read More »
Let’s talk about something super important: self-awareness. Being aware of what’s happening in your mind is a powerful tool that can help you grow as a writer. It’s about noticing your thoughts, feelings, and reactions without judgment. This kind of self-awareness can guide you to make better decisions, improve your craft, and stay motivated. For
Two Modes of Self-Awareness: Your Key to Unlocking Creativity Read More »
As soon as you start learning how to market your books, you trip over a lot of earnest advice about improving the SEO on your site. There are gurus, books, courses and very expensive plug-ins out there designed to boost your SEO rankings. And you should ignore all of it. What is SEO? Just in
Why Indie Fiction Writers Should Ignore SEO Read More »
One of the most-visited posts on this site is “5 Types Of Writing Sprints – And Why You Need This Tool“, with “Tailor Writing Sprints to Maximize Flow” a close second, along with “Increasing Your Hourly Word Rate“. They all deal with word sprints. Word Sprints are exactly what they sound like. Writing at maximum
A New Type of Sprint! — Graduated Word Sprints. Read More »
This is an old adage, but I wanted to circle back to it today, because it’s the beginning of the year, and we’re getting close to the point where most New Year’s Resolutions drop off a cliff. (Generally, that’s somewhere in February.) White knuckling your way through writing sessions, just hanging in there until you
Learn to Love Writing, Not “Having Written” Read More »
Did you enter NaNoWriMo this year? Did you win? Congratulations! What is NaNoWriMo? If you haven’t heard of this annual competition before, let me explain quickly; Every November, writers can set themselves the challenge of writing a 50,000 word novel in the 30 days of the month. NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month. The novel
What to Do with Your Story Now NaNoWriMo is Done Read More »
Keeping Your Inbox at Zero. This is part Four and the final post of a series. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4 (last). Last week, I described how you can get your inbox to zero. It’s possible you may still be working on your stash of emails and haven’t yet reached zero, but you
How To Get Your Email Inbox to Zero. Part IV Read More »
Make Your Life Easier, First. This is part Two of a series. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4 (last). Last week, we looked at all the reasons why you might want to work toward an empty inbox at all times. Stress relief, security, and avoiding legal hassles were just a few of them. This
How To Get Your Email Inbox to Zero. Part II Read More »
