Speaking and writing. They seem closely related, don’t they? And yes, they often are. A speaking ministry can lead to published books, and authors often find the need to polish their speaking skills to help connect with audiences who will …
Writing Life
Brain Fitness
We writers have a challenging job. We try to eat healthy, drink water, move our muscles and improve our health to keep up with the pace of marketing and deadlines without flatlining along the way. All are important for fitness …
In the Waiting
Dreams chase us as writers.
We have vision to write words that will help others and the big dream that those words will actually be published one day. But when days turn to weeks, months and years, the insecurity and …
A Writer’s Remembrance for Memorial Day
While today we memorialize those who sacrificed their lives for our country and recall other loved ones who have passed away, I thought this would also be a good day to remember a touchstone writerly memory. I’m going to share …
Moneyball for Authors
Like many of you, I’ve been operating in this space as an author for many years, and now I have the privilege of being an agent. What I’ve seen is that it’s very difficult to make a sustained income as …
What Happens after a Book Launches?
This week I received an email from one of my clients, Chase Replogle, whose first book, The 5 Masculine Instincts: A Guide to Becoming a Better Man, released on March 1. I’ve asked his permission to share our email thread …
Don’t Let Nostalgia Kill Your Platform
The glory days were fun, weren’t they? The heydays too. But they’ve both attempted to sideline me in my quest to build a reader platform.
Why?
Because if we stay back in the days when authors had the luxury of …
Looking Back to Help Others Move Forward
I still remember the day a California Bay Area newspaper featured an article titled “Accidental Author Shares God’s Word.” I smile remembering that it was in the front section of the paper as if this was news. It was true, …
Finding Inspiration
What causes an author to write about a subject from a different perspective? Where does that idea come from? Knowing what inspired an author in turn can help you in finding inspiration–and cause you to listen to your own internal …
Why Do Some Poorly Written Books Sell Well?
I asked this question on Facebook: “Why do poorly written books sell well?” Here’s the feedback I received:
- Some spoke of the importance of story (and I agree.) A poorly written book with a knockout story will sell. We are