Now is the Perfect Time to Plan Out Your Author Year

author goals for the new year paper-3042645__340 (002)It’s the new year, so we always hear a lot about resolutions around this time. While I’m not going to talk about resolutions, I do think the new year is a great time for authors to think about the year ahead.

“The whole year?” you ask. Yep. The entire year.

“But I don’t think like that,” you say. You’re a pantser and you like to see what happens.

Well, even if you like to be a pantser with your writing, it’s a good idea to look back at what worked last year, and plan ahead for the coming year. When I say plan ahead, I don’t mean you have to plan out every detail of your year. I do mean, you should jot down a sort of authorial blueprint that will help you accomplish what you want to get done this year.

What might your blueprint include? Continue reading “Now is the Perfect Time to Plan Out Your Author Year”

So You Wanna Write a Book but You Dunno How to Start?

HeWhere do I start writing this bookre at Indies Unlimited, we get this question all the time:

“I want to write a novel based on …(something I love)… but I have no clue how to write one. How do get this idea off the ground?”

There is only one answer: start. Far too many people have a story inside them, but they spend years hemming and hawing about it and never get it done. So you aren’t Margaret Atwood. So what? I know. It looks like a huge, unassailable task, and you have no idea what to do first. Read on. Continue reading “So You Wanna Write a Book but You Dunno How to Start?”

What Author Learning Center Is Teaching: Buyer Beware

#PublishingFoul Logo Indies UnlimitedLet’s say you’re brand-new to writing. You’re in the process of writing your Great (Insert Nationality Here) Novel and you’re looking around online for help. One website – Author Learning Center – stands out for you. The presentation is slick – friendly and reassuring. It features videos from authors you’ve heard of (Catherine Coulter! R.L. Stine!) and promises to provide you with lots of helpful information. And it’s free! For the first thirty days, that is. After that, it’s $9.99 a month. But you can cancel at any time!

Here’s what Author Learning Center won’t tell you anywhere on its website (I checked): It’s owned and operated by Author Solutions, one of the most notorious names in vanity publishing. Continue reading “What Author Learning Center Is Teaching: Buyer Beware”

Authors with Websites: Who Owns Your Domain Name?

stressed out author stress-2379631_960_720The initial response to the question of who owns your domain name would likely be, “I do”. In most cases, you would be correct. That’s what I thought, too, when I received a renewal notice last August. As it turns out, I was wrong – sort of.

If that sounds confusing, you have it right. There is nothing straightforward about what I am about to share with you. The situation has only now been resolved, though I am still awaiting confirmation that it has successfully been transferred to a more reputable company. I am still in some confusion as to everything that happened. Here’s the short version. Continue reading “Authors with Websites: Who Owns Your Domain Name?”