Blogger: Mary Keeley
Yesterday a PW Daily article reported that “adult book sales fell in the first half of 2016” compared to the same time period last year, 2.8 percent to be exact. Sounds like more discouraging news, doesn’t it. …
Productivity
Resiliency, the Mother of Ingenuity
Blogger: Mary Keeley
My daughter made up a crazy, mixed-up story for her two young children. My granddaughter laughed with delight at the silliness of a school bus taking her to her brother’s school and the messed up order of …
Crafty Tips for Every Writer
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
If you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for resources or creative ways to approach the writing craft or to be at the top of your publishing game. We can use all the help we …
Deadline Disaster and How to Avoid It
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Today I’m in a mood. Thunderclouds have gathered over my office, and I’m not feelin’ groovy, even if I do live in California. I’ve observed that authors express less and less concern about making the deadlines …
The Simplification Mindset
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Recently, I read a Harvard Business Review online article by Jeff Rodman, a corporate co-founder. The title, “How I Built a $2 Billion Company by Thinking Small,” is what first caught my eye. This type of topic …
Test Your Patience
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Writers are continually advised to be patient during the journey to representation. And once you have an agent, the need for it begins again during the knuckle-biting process of waiting for your first—or next—contract offer. Patience is …
Productive Communication
Blogger: Mary Keeley
You reach a milestone when your manuscript is finally “perfect,” and you are now ready to pitch it to agents. Then it dawns on you. “Whoa, I’m actually going to have to TALK to these people.” Yes …
5 Traits of Successful Writers
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Produce marketable, well-crafted books that readers devour and remember long after they turn the last page. This is the goal of any committed writer. But the path to that goal is almost always bumpy and loaded with …
The Work Day
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
What does the writer’s day look like? How many pages (or words) should a writer create a day?
When much of my life was spent writing, those were the questions I longed to ask. I’ve always …
A Writer’s Toolbox
Blogger: Mary Keeley
When we consider the basic tools a writer needs today, there really aren’t that many anymore. Technology has greatly altered the items in a writer’s toolbox, but the intangible tools necessary for the writing life will always …