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News You Can Use

By Steve Laubeon July 12, 2011

How Much is My First Printing Going to Be? – Just-in-Time Inventory and efficient printing technology has made that question irrelevant. Richard Curtis helps writers understand the new lingo.

Owners of eReaders and Tablets Are Heavy Readers of Printed Versions ofMagazines and Newspapers – This is the headline from a recent survey taken of 26,000 people by Gfk MRI. Also noted that women are 52% more likely than men to own an e-reader, and men are 24% more likely than women to own a tablet.

Ann Patchett talks to the Arizona Republic about her new novel State of Wonder.

Celebrate 40 Years of Project Gutenberg – Last Monday was the 40th anniversary of Project Gutenberg whose goal has been to digitize public domain books of significance. They now have over 36,000 titles available.

The Millennials – The Millennials by Thom Rainer and Jess Rainer is this month’s free audio book from ChristianAudio. It is worth your time to “read” this book!

Ellery Adams reveals how much money she makes as a writer. – Read this very carefully and comment below with your conclusions.

YouVersion is THE Bible translation app to have on your smartphone, tablet, desktop, or laptop. Developed by a church in Oklahoma City, it is free and works offline to make it the ultimate digital companion. Join the other one million users today!
Below is a wonderful infographic illustrating an incredible 20 million bookmarks have been created by users:

The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread?

By Steve Laubeon July 11, 2011

Guest Post by Teddi Deppner

Today debuts our first guest post. I first met Teddi at the Mt. Hermon Writers Conference while she sat through my Major Morning Track, listening patiently to 8 1/2 hours of lecture over four days. She has recently been asking some penetrating questions about technology and the publishing industry so I invited her to create a post and express those thoughts for …

Category: Book Business, E-Books, Guest Post, Publishing A-Z, TrendsTag: Book Business, Creativity, E-Books, Get Published, Ideas, Traditional Publishing, Trends

RWA 2011 – Bright Lights Big Stories

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 7, 2011

by Lynette Eason

Today we are pleased to have a guest post from Lynette Eason, author of the bestselling "Women of Justice" series published by Revell. She also won the 2011 Inspirational Reader's Choice Award for romantic suspense. Last week Lynette was at the RWA (Romance Writers of America) convention and we asked her to share her experience.

__________

"Bright Lights Big Stories" …

Category: Book Business, Conventions, Guest Post, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: convention, RWA, Tamela

True Words

By Karen Ballon July 6, 2011

Several months ago someone challenged me to read an article by Marilyn McEntyre entitled “Letting Words Do Their Work.” Because I respected the editor who made the recommendation, I hopped right on over the the link.

It’s not easy reading. Nor is it a “quick read.” But I’ll tell you what it is:

Powerful truth. If you're a writer, speaker, agent, reader, or simply one who loves--truly …

Category: Craft, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Karen, Writing Craft

News You Can Use

By Steve Laubeon July 5, 2011

Would John Locke Be Better Off with a Traditional Publisher? - Mike Shatzkin analyzes the revenue of million copy e-book selling author John Locke. The math is fascinating. According to Shatzkin, the author is making less than $30,000 per book. It is highly likely a traditional publisher would pay him a lot more for his work. Read the post. You decide.

Twenty-five Rejection Proof Markets - A …

Category: Book Business, News You Can Use, SteveTag: Bookselling, Grammar, Marketing, Publishing News, Trends, Writing Craft

Happy 4th of July!

By Steve Laubeon July 4, 2011

Every year our family makes it a tradition to listen to this rendition of Sandi Patty singing "The Star Spangled Banner."

This youtube clip is from 1985 when it was first played for the nation. The song last six minutes and gives me goose bumps every time I hear it.

Category: Personal, SteveTag: Personal

Book of the Month – July 2011

By Steve Laubeon July 2, 2011

by Steve Laube

Small Message, Big Impact by Terri L. Sjodin is this month's "Book of the Month." I recommend that every veteran and aspiring writer read this book and glean from it.

The key to this book is in the subtitle: How to Put the Power of the Elevator Speech Effect to Work for You. Sjodin defines the elevator speech as: "A brief presentation that introduces a product, service, …

Category: Book of the Month, Book Review, Steve, Writing CraftTag: Book Review, New Books, Writing Craft

Fun Fridays – July 1, 2011

By Steve Laubeon July 1, 2011

Watch this tongue-in-cheek look at what a writers conference asks of a "famous" writer.
Very clever.

Category: Fun Fridays, Humor, SteveTag: Humor

Build it Before They Come

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon June 30, 2011

If you want to be a published writer, realize that someone will look for you on the web. Agents will Google your name. I guarantee that editors and marketing folks will visit your web site to find out more about you.

Thus your web site needs to be both professional and effective. It is a bit like putting on your “Sunday Best” before going to an interview. That first impression is …

Category: Communication, Get Published, Marketing, Platform, TamelaTag: Author Websites, Book Business, Marketing, Platform, Tamela

The Care and Feeding of … WORDS!

By Karen Ballon June 29, 2011

“Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.”
Pearl Strachan
“By words the mind is winged.”
Aristophanes
“The turn of a sentence has decided the fate of many a friendship, and, for aught that we know, the fate of many a kingdom.”
Jeremy Bentham
Amazing, isn’t it? Something so small as words can have such huge impact.

The right word in any circumstance can bring …

Category: Craft, Creativity, Karen, Writing CraftTag: Creativity, Get Published, Karen, words, Writing Craft