All writers have hopes, dreams, and stories. Realistically speaking, professional authors and freelancers also have expenses to meet. In 2023, I realized the future of my writing business could look better (and earn more) once I analyzed what was going on inside all the loose ends. Here’s how to demystify writing expenses, ranging from accounting to pay-rates. Digital Sticky Notes Digital sticky notes are great for authors, especially those getting used to better expense-tracking. Apps like Simple Sticky Notes aren’t fancy – but they keep your thoughts in the right place, re ..read more

A new writer in my area recently announced to various groups on Facebook that he had published a mystery. What caught me was the title, which I won’t list, for his sake and mine. It included wording I have in a work-in-progress title, so of course it caught my eye. I almost bought it. That is, until I found his post saying he had a fulltime job, and this book was his hobby, and that he didn’t have enough money to hire an editor so excuse any mistakes. That convinced me not to buy the book. For him to compromise his effort into the book does not mean I compromise the quality I wish to read. All ..read more

Cambridge Dictionary defines “celebrity” as someone famous. Celebrity interviews can make for an easy sell of articles, too. “Accessible” celebrities are anyone reasonably within the author’s reach without the complication of press junkets or bodyguards. What’s not “accessible” Could you reach George Clooney or Brad Pitt in minutes? Probably not. Restricted access means they only give interviews for official press junkets or approved media conferences, and little else. These interviews are much harder to secure. An accessible celebrity is someone easily reachable, often directly. Pitch the ..read more

Children’s television host, Mr. Rodgers, said that whenever he watched scary news as a child his mother would tell him to “Look for the helpers.” He said knowing people were helping was a great comfort. His words inspired me to write about my volunteer experiences. I’ve been a mentor to women in difficult marriages for several years. Last year, I pitched pieces on some of the wisdom I’d gleaned to Opinion (womanalive.co.uk) a Christian magazine in the UK. They accepted several pitches including I’m forever grateful to the woman who saved my marriage – I think we all need a mento ..read more

I hear this over and over, people asking me what is the magic potion that made people buy my books. 1) I made appearances. 2) I published a weekly newsletter. 3) I answered every email, text, and message. 4) I freelanced every chance I could. 5) I guest blogged. 6) I kept writing. That sounds so simple in theory but is difficult to practice. . . consistently. Consistency and diligence are key to becoming known. Note that I left adverbs out of the above list. To be consistent and diligent you have to do things regularly, often, habitually, expectedly. The fact is, you have to show up to work ..read more

If you have a full-time writing job and want to write a book, you may wonder how you will accomplish both. You likely spend most of your time and energy on paid work. How do you complete a book AND maintain quality work for clients at the same time? I know this challenge well. I am a content writer and recently completed a 340-page book. Doing both was tough – at first. I nearly burned out halfway through. Thankfully, some hacks helped me maximize my productivity and maintain energy and focus. Best of all, the same hacks improved my professional writing. I achieved a 100% satisfaction rating a ..read more

As you might expect, I get deluged with books. From publishers, fans, wannabe writers, published-yet-still-struggling writers, my book club, and friends and family as gifts. My to-be-read stack is two columns of a dozen books each, and that doesn’t count my bookcase with books I still told myself I would read. Don’t even ask me what’s on my Kindle. I’ve long forgotten those. In my career as an author, I’ve heard so many schools of thought about what you should read. 1) Only read your genre, to improve what you intend to publish. 2) Read across the board of genres, to get introduced to variety ..read more

A week doesn’t go by without someone asking me for money to self-publish their book. Nine times out of ten, they are beginning authors. There are no grants for this. And there are lots of reasons why. I’ll try to toss most of them in here, in abbreviated form so this doesn’t turn into an epistle. 1) Writing grants are mostly for writing the book, not producing it. Making the book (i.e., self-publishing) isn’t writing; it’s business. 2) Most writing grants don’t go to first time authors because they have not proven their likelihood of success. 3) Writing grants don’t always go to those in finan ..read more

What makes a screenplay successful? This question has haunted many a writer since the dawn of motion pictures. No single genre, subject or storyline has so dominated the box office as to be dubbed a surefire winner. If one had, that’s all Hollywood would make. We’ve seen hits and flops from every kind of film imaginable. For every Spartacus, there’s a Cleopatra. For every Godfather, there’s a Billy Bathgate. For every Lawrence of Arabia, there’s an Ishtar. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t key elements producers look for in a script as bellwethers of success, because most understand that whil ..read more

Most of you reading this have published somewhere. In newsletter, magazines, or blogs. Maybe you’ve done podcasts or YouTube episodes. Or you’ve published in an anthology, or even published a book or two. Along this journey, you’ve met people in the business. Don’t forget these people. Some will be editors and others marketers. Some helped you design your cover, and others selected you for a book of anecdotes. Someone interviewed you live, or on a blog. You may even run into peers who praised you. Peers who have done well for themselves, or may have knowledge of people you don’t have connectio ..read more