Why Query Letters and Synopses Are So Hard to Write (And How to Get Through it)

A Writer's Path

by Lauren Sapala

When I was in college I took a class called Fantasy Literature, which I thought would be nothing but fun and actually turned out to be a lot of hard work. On the first day of class, our professor told us that we would be reading one book a week, and a paper on that book would be due every Monday. The class collectively groaned, until he smiled and said our papers only needed to be one page long. Then we all cheered. And that’s when he got this wicked little smile on his face.

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Gifting eBooks on Amazon

Nicholas C. Rossis

Image: Pixabay

I have posted in the past on how to run giveaways for your books. Forbes recently posted an article titled, Amazon’s New ‘Buy For Others’ Kindle Feature Lets Authors Buy Giftable Ebooks.

According to the article, Amazon now has a new Kindle feature: Termed “buy for others,” the feature lets users buy multiple copies of an ebook, allowing authors to purchase review copies for their fans.

The update, detailed in a page on KDP’s Help Topics, is explicitly aimed at authors who need to gift their books to others. Authors might need to throw social media giveaways, offer freebies at in-person events, or give newsletter subscribers a review copy. It’s a useful feature, given that marketing is an essential element for indie self-publishers.

A Gift Horse

So how does this change things?

Turns out, it does and it doesn’t. What changed is that gifting ebooks is once again easy. After…

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How Businesses Use Instagram Stories – 30 Case Studies (Infographic)

Nicholas C. Rossis

I confess I don’t use Instagram–at all. And yet, my author friend Kostas Krommydas swears by it. In fact, the other day he was urging me to sign up and use Instagram as part of the upcoming launch of my children’s books in Greece.

So, when Oleh Koropenko of 99firms.com pointed me to their Infographic on Instagram, I was immediately intrigued.

It turns out that the best way to use Instagram is through Instagram Stories, which was launched in 2016 and is now used by 300 million daily users. On average, users under 25 spend around 32 minutes a day on Instagram, while those in older age groups spend more than 24 minutes per day.

Considering these stats, it’s clear that this feature offers an amazing opportunity for businesses to reach a broader range of audience and promote their brand.

One of the reasons I always steered clear of Instagram was that…

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Why I Write Romance But Love Science Fiction

A Writer's Path

by Helena Fairfax

If you’ve followed my blog for a while you’ll know I write contemporary romance novels. All my stories centre on the relationship between the hero and heroine, and they all have a feel good factor and a guaranteed happy ending. They’ve been described as “beautiful reads”, “gentle, old-fashioned romance” and “guaranteed to leave a smile on your face”.

The question is, is this the type of book I also love to read? I’d say definitely yes, but I also read a whole range of other genres, from crime to biographies to literary fiction, and – after thinking about this question – I think the genre I love the most besides romance is science fiction.

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Finding Ways to Progress your Writing Career

Nicholas C. Rossis

I recently came across an excellent resource for freelance writers by Laura Yates of blogging.com. Laura is a writer, coach, and podcaster who has been blogging and writing in the niches of fashion, beauty, relationships, and personal development since 2009.

You Won’t Get Anywhere by Standing Still – Finding Ways to Progress your Writing Career

As Tom Howard of blogging.com explains, there are many examples of where a passion for something has turned into a meaningful career. Freelance writing is a classic case of where you can start out doing something for your own enjoyment and discover you can make a decent living from it.

Image: Blogging.com

You can find a number of stories of successful bloggers who have carved out a successful career and enjoy a big following from a loyal audience, but plenty of these people have had to learn from their mistakes along the way.

That’s why…

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Why Writing Can Sometimes Make You Feel Like A Lost Child #MondayBlogs #Writer #Writing

BlondeWriteMore

There are days when my writing sends warm tingling feelings shooting up my spine, sets off fireworks inside my chest and makes me walk a little taller. These days are rare, but when they do happen, I am a different person.

There are also days when my writing makes me feel small, anxious and alone, like a lost child. I thought the lost child comparison would make a good blog post.

Here are my reasons, which I hope some of you can identify with:

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Quick how-to: overcome a writer’s (or painter’s) block

Ana Spoke, author

Hi everyone,

As per usual, I’m not going to write a comprehensive guide on how to overcome the beast that keeps us from finishing (or even starting) that next (or first) novel. I just want to share with you an unexpected way I broke my own dry spell.

No, unfortunately I have not written another novel. Not yet. But I’d managed, after two months of being frozen in limbo, to paint another portrait. It’s not quite finished, but I wanted to share it anyway.

I can’t tell you what a relief it is to finally break a spell that was hanging over me – I just could not finish another painting I started. I was stuck. I’m not sure if it was fear that I don’t know what I’m doing or boredom of having gone just far enough. Maybe both. Maybe that’s why I have not finished the third novel…

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The Benefits Of Writing Shorter Outlines

A Writer's Path

by Angela DeRiso

There are many ways to outline and write a story, and knowing the road map for where you’re going is something most of us need. Sometimes it’s a vague idea with key events, other times it’s a complex web of plots with details filled in. However, when we know the extant of our own plan we can end up bored or lacking the inspiration to complete the project.

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How To Survive The Dreaded First Peek! #SundayBlogShare #FirstPeek #Writer

BlondeWriteMore

You’ve been slaving away over the first few drafts of a new story for months. No one has read it and those that have expressed an interest in your latest writing project, have only been given a few snippets.

The idea for the story took you by surprise. You had been enjoying yourself on a London tube, by reading a stranger’s to do list over their shoulder. For noting: if you never done this, you have never lived! I hate making lists as mine are boring, but I love read the lists of strangers. Especially those who frequent the Circle line on certain days of the week.

This poor commuter had no idea you were engrossed in their list of things they wanted to achieve by the end of next week.

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7 Ways Running Can Make You A Better Writer

Nicholas C. Rossis

I confess I’m a bit of a couch potato. Both my day job (web development) and my passion (writing) require spending long hours in front of a monitor. Since I work from home, there are days I don’t even get out of the house. So, I was particularly intrigued by the notion that running can make me a better writer. Sounds crazy, right? And yet, Sadi Khan, a research analyst and writer at RunRepeat.com, makes a compelling case for running. Read on to see what I mean while I dust off my running shoes.

7 ways running can make you a better writer (backed by science)

Image: Pixabay

Writing is a passion. And becoming a good writer takes a lot of effort. You get a lot of great advice on how to improve your writing. But here, I present scientific proof that starting a running routine can make…

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