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 …
Writing Life
Online Etiquette
Blogger: Mary Keeley
When it comes to author interaction on social media and within online groups, we need to be discerning. Positive interaction can attract followers faster and lead to a favorable reputation. As important as attracting our following 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 …
Pitch Appointment Angst
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Pitch appointments can be stomach-churning, nerve-wracking moments of angst and brain freeze, which seem to last forever in too little time. It’s understandable when you view them as do-or-die verdicts on your career as a writer. Let’s …
Reading is Therapeutic
Blogger: Mary Keeley
I’ve always found May to be a killer month of merging the family’s spring sports schedules, end-of-school-year events, wedding showers, and graduations with my normal work calendar and church commitments. I’m naturally task-oriented, which translates to adding …
Professional Jealousy
Blogger: Mary Keeley
This is the time of year when contests will be won and awards will be announced. A few will get the prize; most will not. Since I am out of the office attending BEA this week, I …
Lean In to Your Fears
I’m an optimist by nature — I usually expect things will all work out. But when I’m anxious about something, I find that I’m more successful and experience less disappointment when I lean into it, rather than trying to rid …
Necessary Adjustments with A Forward View
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Following a recent conversation with industry professionals, I’ve been reflecting on the shifting journey in publishing through the years. Nothing earthly stays the same for long in either life or business. We find ourselves continually tweaking goals, …
A Writer’s Career Resources
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Some time ago I posted a list of recommended books on writing here. It isn’t exhaustive and there have been valuable new books written since this blog post. If you’ve been writing for a while, you …