More and more authors want to publish ebooks and need covers, but many don’t feel they can afford the services of a designer. To be frank, I see author-created covers that do not serve the author well. But I also see well-done covers, so I thought I’d offer some resources for creating professional book covers [...]

28 Comments »

I heard this from a writer in a class I am teaching: “I have been struggling with the “who is my audience piece.” They hadn’t realized that before they figure out WHAT they want to say, they need to understand who their ideal audience really is. I would like to say that this is the [...]

70 Comments »

Kath here. Please welcome Dan Blank to WU today. Many of you may already know Dan as the founder of WeGrowMedia.com, providing writers and publishers the strategy and tactics they need to impact their communities and build their legacies. He has worked with more than 500 writers, a wide range of publishers, and regularly speaks at conferences [...]

82 Comments »

I first heard Elizabeth Law speak at a SCBWI National Conference where the title of her talk was, “Ask Me Anything—The Unvarnished Truth About Publishing.” Right then and there, I knew she was my kind of person. Then, during the course of the conference when she told attendees, “Just write your heart out. I promise [...]

36 Comments »

There is a revolution taking place. You can’t miss it, really. It’s rising up all around us—in the way books are published, in how they find their audience, and how authors interact with their readers. The thing about revolutions is that they are both exciting and scary. People and systems are vulnerable during revolutions when [...]

52 Comments »

As promised last month, I’m back this month with some strategies and advice for anyone considering the indie publishing route. And a quick update before I begin–I’ve actually had a great month, sales wise. (Thank you to any WU readers who bought copies of my books!) Two of my titles, Susanna and the Spy and [...]

26 Comments »

One of the most complicated discussions I have with authors – including myself – is about whether or not to hire an outside PR firm. The reason it’s confusing is because nothing is guaranteed with PR. You’re buying effort and contacts. It’s not like advertising where you buy an ad, it shows up. PR is [...]

31 Comments »

When you’re an author for children and teens, school visits are an inescapable part of your year. Sometimes they come singly, most often in clumps at various key times: here in Australia, Children’s Book Week in August sees a little army of writers banging the drum for books and writing in classrooms and libraries all [...]

18 Comments »

I truly believe that this is a great time to be a writer. There’s so much concern, it seems to me, about the state of publishing–bookstores closing or stocking fewer and fewer books, publishing houses not accepting new submissions, or not supporting the authors they’ve already signed, or offering far lower advances than they once [...]

63 Comments »

Kath here. It’s such a thrill to be able to introduce one of the most courageous writers that I know, and a dear friend, historical romance novelist Elena Greene. Like most professional writers, Elena suffered ups and downs with a bit of sideways thrown in for good measure throughout her decade-long career writing Regency-set romances. [...]

33 Comments »

Not so long ago, “being a writer” might have cost us our sanity, consumed countless hours each day and caused us to opt out of paying jobs, but it didn’t actually require spending money. Those days are over. A veritable writing industry has emerged in the wake of the digital revolution, complete with webinars, seminars, [...]

17 Comments »

Therese here to introduce Crystal Patriarche’s first post with Writer Unboxed as a regular contributor. Crystal–a public relations expert and founder of BookSparksPR–will bring us publicity tips every other month. Enjoy! It’s no secret that getting your book publicity is not an easy task these days. In a market where book reviewers and media receive about 150 [...]

18 Comments »