After a database crash, we were unable to restore many of our blog posts from the past several years (despite having backups, which failed). However, we had already begun to moving our blogging efforts over to our sister site: The Nonfiction Authors Association. You will...
If you’re working on your first book, you will inevitably have to sit down and write the sales copy that appears on the back of your book (also known as “jacket” copy). For authors who haven’t had to do this before, it can feel like...
Studies show that as many as 80% of people want to write a book. I hear this goal all of the time from people I meet in the business world. Countless numbers of people over the years have proclaimed their desire to write a book,...
Who is my target audience? Too many authors write a book just for the sake of writing it, but forget to consider potential readers. Before you write a single paragraph, first determine who you want to read your book and why they would want to...
There’s an old adage that says, “A book is the best business card you can hand out.” And it’s true. Authoring a book immediately makes you an authority on your topic as well as an expert in your field, and this gives you a leg...
I speak a lot about marketing online and the one recommendation I always make to ALL writers and most businesses is to start a blog. Adding a blog to your website is one of the most powerful marketing tools you can have, provided you take...
When writing a book, there are two potential places to include your author bio: the back cover of the book and the last page(s) of the book. Some authors choose one or the other, though I recommend taking advantage of both. The back cover bio...
IBPA’s 24th Annual Publishing University March 9-10, Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco No matter what stage of publishing you’re in—an author-publisher, a beginning publisher, a more experienced publisher—IBPA Publishing University, in a new location on the west coast for 2012, brings you hands-on tools and...
I talk to so many aspiring authors and it concerns me that some think that their book will be the key to retirement or a ticket to financial freedom. I hate to deliver bad news, but the fact is that a very small percentage of...
The sales letter you can’t put down…the advertising copy that makes you want the product…the resume that prompts you to call the job candidate this second…all these are examples of exceptional business writing. While you certainly know good writing when you see it, can you...