May/June2013 Issue
May/June Issue
Writer's Digest Magazine
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Website of the Week
Build a Platform & Start Blogging
Every writer can benefit from having a platform from which to promote their work. And for writers of non-fiction, it’s critical. Here you’ll learn the basics, including setting up a blog, strategies for effective blogging, and how to make your platform a revenue generator as well.
The Basics of Building a Writer’s Platform
If you want to sell more books or simply get your name out there, a writer’s platform is essential. Chuck Sambuchino, author of Create Your Writer Platform explains what a platform is … Read more
16 Blogging Tips For Writing Fresh Content & Attracting Readers
If you already write a blog or are thinking of creating one, you’ll need to know how to attract and keep your readers interested. Today’s tip comes from Christina Katz’s book Get … Read more
Take Your Author Website to the Next Level
Is your online home ready for visitors—say, editors, agents and your future fans? Tidy up your digital den with our blueprint for success. Read more
Top 10 Blogging Tips: How to Turn Your Blog Into a Book
If you’d like to quickly amass content for a book—without the pressure of actually having to work on one—consider blogging a book. Blogging is a fast and simple way to generate a … Read more
10 Foolproof Tips to Launch a Regional Writing Conference
No writers conferences in your area? No worries. Follow these 10 foolproof tips to launch your own regional writing conference. Read more
50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day
If you’re the kind of writer who prefers being read and selling your work as opposed to being an unknown starving writer (who doesn’t?), here are 50 quick, simple ways to launch your platform into action and climb your way to success. Read more
Writer’s Workout Exclusive
Download a free motivational poster to keep you moving as your build your writing career. Read an Excerpt! Learn how to cultivate clarity, inventory ideas, write richly, and serve up words. About … Read more
Writer’s Workout Excerpt
Excerpt from The Writer’s Workout by Christina Katz CULTIVATE CLARITY When you write something needlessly prolix and convoluted, there’s a reason for it, and that reason is usually a lack of clarity … Read more
Writer’s Workout
The Writer’s Workout: 366 Tips, Tasks, & Techniques from Your Writing Career Coach by Christina Katz Writer’s Digest Books, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-59963-179-0 ISBN-10: 1-59963-179-2 $19.99 paperback, 384 pages Buy the Book! Read … Read more
How to Keep Some Privacy When Using Social Media
In an age when both working and aspiring writers are expected to be “out there” more than ever before, privacy has become a luxury unaffordable to those of us not named Stephen … Read more
10 Ways Writers Lose Blog Traffic and Alienate Readers
As a food and travel writer, I rely on my blog as my lifeline. It helps me connect with my readers and is a wonderful platform to make my voice heard. But … Read more
5 Excellent Tips for Platform Building
This past weekend, I had the honor of keynoting the Writers’ League of Texas Agents Conference in Austin.
During that weekend, I also had the opportunity to hear some wonderful advice from other publishing experts. Here’s some excellent online marketing advice I heard. All are direct quotes unless in brackets. Read more
Listen Free: The Future of Authorship & Publishing
Yesterday, I was a guest on The Best People We Know Show with Deb Scott, on BlogTalkRadio. It’s already ranked #4 in popularity in the writing category. Read more
2 Free Opportunties to Hear Experts Speak
Tomorrow (June 9) there are two FREE opportunities to get advice on writing and publishing. Read more
Free E-Book on Building Readership by Cory Doctorow
Portrait by Jonathan Worth My most popular post (so far) this year, 5 Free E-Books Every Writer Needs, could’ve benefited from one more addition: The Problem Isn’t Piracy, The Problem Is Obscurity … Read more
Do You Have a Marketing Support Network?
This month at Writer Unboxed, I discuss one of the invisible aspects of your platform that directly impacts your success: Your relationships. Click here to read “A Critical Marketing Secret: Don’t Go … Read more
6 Key Components of an Online Author Platform
Next week, on June 2, I’ll be teaching a live, online class on building your author platform. To help make “platform” more understandable and approachable as a topic, I’ve boiled it down … Read more
8 Things Readers Want From Self-Published Authors
My post last week, The “Self-Pub Is Crap” Debate, has probably generated more comments than any other post in 2011. Reviewing the comments provides an excellent to-do list of how self-published authors … Read more
Should You Self-Publish After a Near-Miss?
Writers often ask if it’s wise or helpful to self-publish their work if they have “near-misses” with agents or publishers. There’s no one answer that works for everyone. But I’ll try to … Read more
Is Email the New Blogging?
The meme these days seems to be that e-mail newsletters (or content marketing through e-mail) is the new blogging. Actually, I lie. It’s a fairly old meme—I can at least trace it … Read more
Midlist Nonfiction Books: Too Much Effort for Too Little Return?
Pictured above: A slide from Margaret Atwood’s marvelous presentation at TOC on the future for authors When it comes to non-narrative nonfiction books, I don’t think of the authors of these books … Read more
How to Start a Successful Newsletter
Next week, I’m teaching an online class on how to start a successful e-mail newsletter. This is a topic I’ve covered here at No Rules before, but this class will allow me … Read more
How to Build Your Website Without Knowing Code
Today I sent out the latest issue of my e-mail newsletter, which I call “3 Happy Things.” Each issue has a different theme, and this one focused on how to build a … Read more
5 Innovative Poets to Watch & Learn From
As everyone knows, you can’t make a living from writing and selling poetry. Or can you? Well, it IS next to impossible to make a living by only writing poems. Sometimes I … Read more
Helpful Insights for Self-Publishing Novelists
I moderated a panel at SXSW called The Self-Publishing Novelist, which included insights from 3 experienced experts: John Sundman. Read an interview with John here, Building an Enthusiastic Fan Base as a … Read more
