Tips and Tricks

Tips for writers, on a variety of topics.

Make the Most of Library Conventions

I’ve attended the Texas Library Association Convention http://www.txla.org/annual-conference many times, regardless of whether or not I had a book out that year. Once I was an assistant to a National Geographic author-speaker. The year my NF library book TURKEY IN THE NEWS came out, I pitched NF books to librarians in the Enslow http://www.enslow.com booth.

So you want to be a best seller?

One morning in April I woke up and decided that I’m going to win – not run, win – the next bad water ultra-marathon race. For those of you who don’t know what this is, it’s a 135 mile foot race through Death Valley during July in which temperatures reach 120 degrees during the hottest part of the day… in the shade. Some people prepare all their lives and never finish. It’s considered the toughest foot race in the world.

And I am going to win it.

What Snooki Can Teach Us about Writing

Why do people like "Snooki" get to the top of the best seller list? The answer may surprise you

(Before you throw your computer, read it.)

I am sure than many of you lit your manuscript on fire and threatened to give up writing after looking at the New York Times best seller list around March 2011. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and her book, A Shore Thing, made the number 24 spot on the New York Times best seller list.  Believe it or not she has another book out titled Gorilla Beach, which, despite the several one star reviews on Amazon, still sold around 9,000 copies in its first four weeks.

The Importance of Having an Editor

Writing and publishing a book is a feat equivalent to conquering Mount Everest. The equipment, the years of training, and the hardship to stand on top of the world take a lifetime of preparation. It’s an epic adventure worthy of a book within itself. But what we constantly forget is that you cannot reach the top of this behemoth without one key element:

A guide

Pages