Dogs really can talk! Today’s video proves it.
Book Launch Secrets – Free Webinar, March 7
Thomas Umstattd, Jr. and I have frequently made this presentation. I don’t want you to miss out. The first 30 days your book is for sale sets the tone for the lifetime of your book. Many physical stores stock new releases for fewer than 90 days. If they don’t sell, they return them to the publisher. If they sell out, the bookstores order more. The online store algorithms show books …
Fun Fridays – March 1, 2024
Contracts can be confusing. Enjoy this wisdom from Chico and Groucho Marx (from their movie made in 1935; some things never change):
Only the Rich Get Published (?)
The title of today’s blog came in a question that was much less confrontational but significant nonetheless. In the context of describing the extremely limited amount of money they could spend on writers conferences, online classes, training materials, etc., the writer summarized by asking, “How can an unknown writer with very limited resources expect to get their writing published?” This is a …
Fun Fridays – February 23, 2024
You can write today’s date as 2, 23, 24 … Two. Two three. Two Four. It’s almost like a countdown to a song, which brings me to today’s “fun.” This week, I was talking with a friend about a book title that describes so much of our Christian life. It is titled My Almost for His Highest (a satire on the famous Oswald Chambers book). Then, she sent a list of …
Presidential Quotes on President’s Day
Today is President’s Day in the U.S. Originally established in 1885 as a recognition of George Washington’s birthday (February 22), it was later expanded to include Abraham Lincoln and all other U.S. presidents. Some of the words of these leaders have stood the test of time. For example, from Abraham Lincoln: “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” “And in …
Fun Fridays – February 16, 2024
Since yesterday’s post was a “A Writer’s Lament,” I thought this video would be appropriate. Very clever refashioning a cat’s mournful cry into a song. But even more, it sounds like the cat is a writer!
Defusing Contract Landmines
It is crucial that every author knows that if they sign a contract, they are legally bound by the terms within that contract. Even if it is to their disadvantage. Our agency is often approached with a phrase like “I signed a bad book contract and want out of it. Can you help?” Usually, the answer is “Unfortunately, no.” After so many years of running into landmines buried …
Fun Fridays – February 9, 2024
Today’s video suggests two things: 1. Technology advances are astounding. 2. I may be classified, by some, as old. In 1975 I programmed a computer to play golf, using a random number generator. The computer was in a university where I attended a summer math camp as a high schooler. The computer was the size of a living room with spinning wheels of tape. I input my data on a keyboard, which …
For Authors With an LLC
If you have ever read Franz Kafka’s novel The Castle, you know the frustration of the main character trying to cut through the endless bureaucracy of the local village. There are times when we, in America, feel the same about our government’s endless need to generate new laws and paperwork. I have recommended that authors who are generating income and also need to write off expenses …