We’re Working on a New Cookbook

We’re getting ready to test the recipes for our latest cook book.  It’s all about pumpkin.  I’m
planning to gain a few pounds over the next few weeks, but fall’s coming and I can cook and
bake to my heart’s content. 

I’m also adding chapters to my book “Remarkable Women.”  One of my biggest problems with
this book is that there are so many women whose stories deserve to be told.  I suspect there may
be a follow-up.  I’m also in the planning stages for its counterpart, “Remarkable Men.”

I’ll be posting soon on my experience with Bubblews.  But I can already tell you that my
experience so far has been very positive.

What Are We Working On This Month?

Hi, everyone!

I hope you’re all having a successful, profitable month.  We’ve been busy, although sometimes it
feels like we’re spinning our wheels.  That’s what happens when we over-schedule.

We’ve been working on a couple of big projects over the last several months.  Our biggest
projects, a cookbook yet to be named, and a compilation of biographies of interesting women,
are coming along nicely.  In fact, we’ll be concentrating on finishing both books this month.
Luckily we found someone to help us test the recipes in the cookbook.  If we had not, I’d
probably be looking like the Pillsbury Doughboy by Christmas.

We’re also working on putting the rest of our ebooks up on Nook and Kobo.  Sales have
flattened somewhat on Amazon, but we’re still meeting our sales goals there.

We’re also planning our new website.  In keeping with the company’s philosophy of keeping our
costs down, we’re setting it up on Weebly.  If you’d like to see what you can do with a Weebly
website, take a look at Regina Puckett’s author website here.  She positively inspired me.

There’s more, but I’ll be better able to tell you about it next week.  I hope your week goes well.
Don’t forget to take a little time for yourself. 

You Don’t Want to Miss This Website

Looking for ways to monetize or make more money from your blogs?  This guy’s got at least 15
ways to increase your income and exposure.  Not only that, he offers down-to-earth advice on
how to start and manage your blogs.  And it’s all based on his own experiences.

Some of Scott D. Hawkens’ tips are good old tried and true methods.  But many others are going
to be new to even seasoned bloggers.  How can you use YouTube more effectively?  Income
streams come and go.  How do you keep up?  How do you create and promote new products for
your sites? 

Hawkens will help you to think outside the box with dozens of creative ideas.  And I guarantee
you’ll find something useful on this site. 
           
Plan on setting aside some time and bookmarking this site.

Is Bubblews the World's Largest Social Experiment?

I think I’ve figured out what Bubblews is really about.  If I am right, it’s actually a gigantic social experiment.  Where else can you connect with people all around the world as they share big and little stories about their lives and customs, families, and all the large and small details that make them real people?

I have always believed that if ordinary people around the world could talk directly to one another, we would find that we are all actually much alike.  Everyone wants enough food, a safe place to raise his or her family, and the ability to meet basic needs.  The Bubblews platform seems deliberately designed to try to meet the need for understanding among people of all cultures and social positions.  Without leaving the website, I have read stories about people living in Asia, Canada, South America, Europe and the Pacific Islands.  Some of these stories are well written, others struggle to express themselves.  Nearly all contain some little gem of knowledge or insight about the people who wrote them.

The only real downside to the site is that if you happen to violate one of their rules in a single article, you will be denied payment on your entire payout.  Hopefully, Bubblews will find a way to remedy that situation so that a writer is not penalized on their entire output for making a mistake on a single article.

It also doesn’t hurt that the site is one of the best-paying of its kind that I have run across.  It is going through some serious growing pains at the moment, so there are times when it is not possible to log in.  But in my opinion, it’s definitely worth the wait.

Whether this “social experiment” is intentional or not, I believe it is happening at Bubblews.  For this reason, if for no other, I will continue to support the site.

The Renegade Writer

I just stumbled across this website today and I’m impressed.  The Renegade Writer is actually two writers with a lot to say about writing professionally.  Together they’ve created more than a thousand blog posts, many of which contained information I either didn’t know or wish I had known earlier. 

One article in particular could be useful to any budding writer.  Do you think you have to begin your writing day in the morning, just like a “real” job?  You may be wrong.  Just as some of us are night people, or day people, one of the keys to writing successfully is to find out when you can be most productive.  There’s a world of difference in your quality and production when you find the right time to sit down at your computer.  This article goes in depth on finding your ideal time to write, and what might be blocking you.

No matter what you might want to investigate as a writer, I suspect there’s a post here that will give you new insight into the process, and the timing, of writing.  Plan on spending a substantial amount of time here.  Both beginners and experienced writers will find something of interest.

The website is here:

Is Bubblews the World’s Largest Social Experiment?

I think I’ve figured out what Bubblews is really about.  If I am right, it’s actually a gigantic social experiment.  Where else can you connect with people all around the world as they share big and little stories about their lives and customs, families, and all the large and small details that make them real people?

I have always believed that if ordinary people around the world could talk directly to one another, we would find that we are all actually much alike.  Everyone wants enough food, a safe place to raise his or her family, and the ability to meet basic needs.

The Bubblews platform seems deliberately designed to try to meet the need for understanding among people of all cultures and social positions.  Without leaving the website, I have read stories about people living in Asia, Canada, South America, Europe and the Pacific Islands.  Some of these stories are well written, others struggle to express themselves.  Nearly all contain some little gem of knowledge or insight about the people who wrote them.

Whether this “social experiment” is intentional or not, I believe it is happening at Bubblews.  For this reason, if for no other, I will continue to support the site.

It also doesn’t hurt that the site is one of the best-paying of its kind that I have run across.  It is going through some serious growing pains at the moment, so there are times when it is not possible to log in.  But in my opinion, it’s definitely worth the wait.

I encourage you to at least visit the site.  It may not be to your liking, but then again ...

Thinking About Writing a Book?

Here’s a writing website you need to spend some time on.  There’s more here than meets the eye when you first visit, so be prepared to take your time and explore some of the side roads he has built into it. 

Author Scott Berkun pulls no punches in explaining the realities of writing a book to hopeful authors.  And some of his observations, while obvious, are still surprising when you first read them.  But it is all based on his experience and a good dose of common sense. 

Scott’s advice will help you start your first (or next) book, and then goes on to help you with “what’s next?”  

You’ll also find his blog entertaining.  And don’t miss the comments.  Some of them also contain some very useful information.  His website is here:

Can This New Business Model Work for Indie Authors?

There’s a new business model out there for indie authors and publishers.  Can it work?  If you judge by the success of a company called Word Branch Publishing, the answer is yes.

Word Branch Publishing is actually a co-op.  No one associated with the company draws a salary. Instead they share a portion of the royalties as the books they represent become successful.  Author members have published books in several lucrative genres including young adult, spiritual, fantasy and science fiction. 

All of Word Branch Publishing books are published electronically, and most are also available as print-on-demand paperbacks.  One advantage to this system is that it keeps shipping costs down so that more profit is available for its members.

The company is currently working with eleven authors publishing a total of 24 books and is in the process of signing several more.  One also has a screenplay being produced in Asia.  Others have developed their own following.

There are, of course, no guarantees that members will make money, but so far the company, which seems to be very well managed, seems to be well on its way to profitability in the next year or two.

 Word Branch Publishing is located in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, which is a story in itself.

For more information on this innovative company, visit here.  You might also want to take a look at this site.

How Photographs Can Jump Start Your Idea Mill

I suspect many of you collect newspaper and magazine clippings in a search for story ideas. I print out interesting stories I find on the Internet and add them to my clipping collection. But have you thought about collecting pictures and photos?

I can’t begin to tell you how many times a photograph or picture in a newspaper or magazine has drawn my attention. I ignore the story that goes with the picture and concentrate instead on the picture itself. If there are people there, I try to imagine what they might be doing or saying to one another. If it’s a scenic picture, I file it away as a possible backdrop to a story.

Recently I cut out a photo showing a dilapidated old cabin sitting alone on a prairie. I began to think about the people who built it and lived there, gradually shaping the story of a family living through the dust bowl years and the Great Depression. The characters are emerging and in my imagination, they are beginning to move through the house.
Even your own family photos can provide inspiration for a story. You don’t have to use the actual people in the photo in your story, but you certainly can. These old photos can help you create biographies about the interesting people in your life. They can remind you of some incident that is worth retelling.

The next time you see an interesting photograph, save it. It might just inspire the next Great American Novel.

Jeff Bullas’ Blog is One You Don’t Want to Miss

I’m not sure if there’s anything Jeff Bullas doesn’t know about blogging and marketing. But if you go to his site, you need to set aside a lot of time. He’s found resources to cover just about anything you want to do with your blog, and most of these sources are either free or inexpensive. The best part is that these are tools, programs and books that he’s used himself. He can tell you why they work and why you need them.

By the tie you’re finished with his page, you’ll know how to use Pinteest, LinkedIn and Facebook more effectively than you might have imagined possible. He’s gathered useful information on content marketing and books on how to make money, save time and energy. Some of this information seems pretty standard, but some is offbeat, unusual, and workable.
This site is not one that you’re just going to hit and whiz by. Plan to bookmark it and plan to return as often as you can. It’s like a marketing university in a box. I guarantee you’ll learn something helpful.

If you’re serious about blogging and marketing, Jeff’s blog is possibly the one place you don’t want to miss. Go here to start your trip

So What Have We Been Up To?

Sales at Amazon have virtually stopped in July, so we started thinking about ways to jump start book sales.
The obvious next step is to place the books in more bookstores. Barnes & Noble’s Nook store has been very good to us, so we placed Opportunities there. (If you’re a Nook owner interested in finding out more about this book, it’s here)

Over the next week, we’ll be uploading the books to Apple’s bookstore. From now on, each time we publish an ebook, we’ll be placing them in several bookstores at once. Previously, we published exclusively to Amazon to take advantage of their KDP program, but I don’t believe we’ve seen enough positive results to continue that strategy.

We’ve also been playing with the Bubblews program. I’ll be reporting results there in my next post.

Till next time, keep writing, reading, and enjoying your life.

Trying Out Bubblews

A good many Twitterers have been posting pointers to their articles on a site called Bubblews,com, so I decided to look it up to see what it offers. I ended up joining the site. I think it’s going to be an interesting experience.

Bubblews.com features 15 different categories which are broad enough to incorporate just about every topic you care to write about. The minimum word count for an article is 400 characters, which usually equates to about 100 words. I’ve seen a few articles there that just barely meet that minimum and are poorly written, but I’ve also seen some very substantial, well written articles. Many, however, are not well written.

Some of the topics I’ve looked at include personal stories from a writer’s daily experience, science articles, even recipes and articles about animals and interesting people. The only limitation is that a writer may only post ten articles a day.
According to the website, you get paid for views, comments, likes or dislikes, and social media shares for every post that you ever write on bubblews.

Somehow, bubblews still seems too good to be true. But I’ve read many testimonials both in articles and comments that indicate the site actually makes good on its payment promises so long as there are no violations of the rules. My advice is to read through the rules very carefully to avoid making costly mistakes.

Do You Enjoy Writing Really Short Fiction?

Can you tell a complete story in 99 words or less? It’s not as easy as it sounds. I’ve noticed lately that there are a number of sites popping up where you can post flash fiction, but this one seems to be the current leader for short length requirements. It’s a lively site, with all kinds of things to see and do, and I believe it’s going to gain a strong following as the word gets out.

One of the things I like about this site is that you get your own customizable page. You can submit your little stories and even enter monthly contests. They also have set up their format to encourage interaction among their members.

How will this site benefit you as a writer? You’re going to have to think about the importance of each word. Those of us who are fond of adverbs and adjectives are going to have to learn to use a powerful noun instead. Dialog must be cut to a minimum while still moving the story along. In short, this is a way to learn how to create lean, spare scenes.

Whether you write novels or short stories, you can benefit by joining this site. (By the way, this post is over 200 words long. That should give you some idea of how short a 99-word story will be.)

Try it. You’ll find out it’s harder than it looks. Go here to look around.

I Just Found This Great Website

Here’s my new must-see blog by fellow Coloradan Renée Pawlish. I’m recommending it for several reasons. First, her blog is a near-perfect example of what a writer’s website should look like. Second, her content is informative. For example, her latest post (as of June 4, 2013) is a well presented look at what she believes the future of indie publishing will look like in 2014.

In case you can’t quite place her, Renée is a bestselling author (Nephilim Genesis of Evil) and the Reed Ferguson mystery series. She’s a versatile writer who is comfortable with novels, short stories and non-fiction.

If I were you, I’d take a minute to visit her website. Take a look at how she has set it up. It may provide an excellent example for you to follow in setting up your own website. Then take a look at her content. She really delivers.

A New Website Just for Non-Fiction Writers

I’ve been waiting for this. Stephanie Chandler has launched a new website just for non-fiction writers. It’s called "Non-Fiction Writers Association" and I joined it as soon as I found out it had launched on June 7. 2013. As of this writing, at least 56 writers have joined the site.

Stephanie rightly points out that marketing non-fiction books and stories is different than marketing fiction. She has published eight non-fiction pieces herself and knows what those differences are.

Unfortunately, most of the goodies are only available if you upgrade your membership, which costs $19.00 a month or $190.00 for a year. These include the ability to access the forums, downloads, and the other stuff. But you do get access to webinars presented by experts on marketing, branding, and other business-related aspects of publishing. And you get to post your listing in the website’s directory for free.

It’s a little too early to tell whether a paid membership will provide enough benefits to be worth the price. But non-fiction author/publishers should definitely check out this website.

Check Out freelancewriting.com

Whether you specialize in ebooks, magazine articles, or work for content provider sites, this website is a great resource. You can find information on writing contests (including both print and screenwriting contests), writer’s guidelines, print markets, and much more. There’s information here I’ve not seen on other sites. It also features regularly updated market information.

This site also has a load of free ebooks to help you in your writing career. Some of the topics include time management, comedy writing, organizing your home office, and much more, including a short book by H. P. Lovecraft on writing weird fiction. The ebooks are here

It might also pay you to sign up for their newsletter. And be sure to check out their informative articles on writing and the writing business. Go here for their main page

May Progress Report

This week I’ve been busy researching new material for my other two blogs. I am happy to report that all three blogs are steadily gaining readership, and I am grateful to all of you who have come to visit one or all of them. If you haven’t visited them yet, go here for Mary's Weird World and here for The World's Oldest Stuff.
I’m still at work on "30 Remarkable Women (You’ve Probably Never Heard Of)." I’m currently putting the finishing touches on the chapter about Lydia Liliuokalani, Hawaii’s last ruler. Unfortunately, her story is not a happy one and it’s proven difficult to write.

I love writing fiction, but I’ve been so busy lately with nonfiction projects that I haven’t found time to write a novel, or even a short story. So I’ve decided to carve out a little time over the weekends to work on a Western I started decades ago. I think it’s going to be a nice diversion from my other projects.

I hope you’re all enjoying a beautiful Spring. And if I haven’t told you lately how much I appreciate you all, please know that I do. Until next week –

Thinking About Writing a Children’s Book?

Writing for children and young adults is quite different than writing for adults. Very young children often have limited vocabularies while those in grade school may still have difficulties with both vocabulary and complex sentence structure. And one of the most important things a children’s writer must do is to be sure he or she does not "write down" to the young readers.

How do you decide what age group to write for? What genres work best for children’s books? What’s the right ratio of illustrations to text?

The people who produce the "...for Dummies" line of books have you covered. They produced a short "cheat sheet" to help new writers produce a successful children’s or YA book. You won’t spend a lot of time reading about writing. Instead, you can use it to improve your book during editing, or as a guide to planning your work. You can find it here.

Blogs You Should Check Out (Besides Mine, of Course)

I ran across several great blogs by and for writers over the last week. These two in particular caught my attention.

The first one is called "The Passive Voice." It’s an absolutely gigantic blog packed with information and news about the publishing industry, writers, his own experience and observations, and advice to both newbies and experienced writers. I’ve bookmarked the site so I can go back and visit it. If I hadn’t, I’d still be there and this post would not have been written. Go here to start, and plan on staying around for awhile.

Maureen Fisher’s blog is titled "Sassy Romance." It’s full of fun stuff, including her six-sentence Sundays, which make delightful reading. She also provides lots of practical advice for indie writer/publishers, including a valuable little article on how to tweet effectively. I was first drawn to her website by an entry about writing sex scenes, complete with a great example of a tasteful, well-written scene. Maureen’s blog is entertaining, informative, and downright fun.

And here it is:

The Summer Publishing Doldrums

If you’re fairly new to indie publishing, you may not have encountered what I call the "summer publishing doldrums." That’s my term for the fact that book sales often fall during late spring and don’t pick up until fall. What causes it? Generally speaking, it’s because summer is when many of us would rather be outside doing things other than reading. Summer is the time for vacations, gardening and yard work, outside play, barbeques, and other things that take our attention away from books.

Many indie authors may begin to experience some doubt about themselves and their efforts if they fall victim to this phenomenon. Take my word for it. A drop in sales does not necessarily mean that your books are being rejected by readers. They’re just busy right now. They’ll be back in the fall. And so will you.

Here’s how I’m planning to position myself for the return of readers this fall. I’m going to use this summer to expand the reach of my books. They are currently offered through Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook book programs. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be uploading them to other bookseller sites. I’ll also be looking at marketing plans. A lot of you have some great ideas in the marketing area, and I am really grateful that you’ve been generous in sharing your expertise online.

I’m also going to be focusing on creating more evergreen books. I won’t be rushing my next knit book into print even though it’s nearly ready because I already know sales will be disappointing. I’ll release it in the fall, when crafters are looking for winter projects.

Please don’t be disappointed if your sales are dropping a little right now. And don’t get discouraged. Keep creating, writing, and publishing. It will be worth it in the end when the snow starts flying and readers return to evenings with their books and e-readers. And keep marketing your work. Nothing could be worse than to have current and potential readers forget that you’re out there.

As for me, I’ll be out in my back yard with a nice cold iced tea, reading, writing and taking care of my garden.

Here's a Great Site for Freelance Writers

I’m constantly on the hunt for marketing ideas, so when I ran across this site I dropped in for a visit. I’m glad I did. The site is called Inkwell Editorial but it’s a lot more than that. Its creator, YuWanda Black, describes it as "The Authority Site on How to Start a Freelance Writing Career."

It won’t take long to figure out that she’s very successful. She’s authored 50 ebooks on freelance writing and small business topics in a single year. Her website is loaded with advice gleaned from her own experiences, and her credentials are impressive.

If you want to enhance your freelancing career, you want to visit this website. I recommend signing up for her free newsletter, if for no other reason than to download her free ebook titled "Living the Freelance Life."

This is one of the best writing and marketing resources I’ve found so far. Go check it out here

You’ve Got to See This Squidoo Lens

I was searching for help ebook writing websites the other day and ran across a Squidoo lens. I took a few minutes to glance through it, then went back and read it more thoroughly. Then I bookmarked it and printed out a copy. It’s that good. Author Dahlia Valentine literally guides you from title to publishing with her 57 tips (there are actually many more than that). Her advice is straight forward, down to earth, and effective.

The information and advice doesn’t end with this lens. She’s posted numerous other articles and resources for you to use as you need them. Inexperienced ebook writer/publishers will find lots of helpful information here, and seasoned writers will benefit as well. In short, everyone should take a look at this site.

As a bonus, this lens is an excellent example of a great Squidoo article. It’s here

OPPORTUNITIES is Back (And Better)

OPPORTUNITIES: How to Find Them and What to Do With Them is back. There were so many formatting errors that the book was basically unreadable. So we spent two days correcting, testing, and finally uploading it to Amazon. Then we checked it again.

So what’s next? We lowered the price of the book to $.99 and are planning another free giveaway. We realize we can’t make up for the error, but we’ll do everything we can to ensure that we never repeat this problem.

We still believe OPPORTUNITIES contains valuable information for our readers. The book is designed to help people of all ages and walks of life to improve their lives by finding new ways to take advantage of the many opportunities that come along every day.

If you’re interested in looking over the book, go here, or go to our Amazon Author Page. We think you’re going to like what you see.

Thank you for your patience with us, and for your continuing support.

An Apology

Our newest book, OPPORTUNITIES: How to Find Them and What to Do With Them, did not translate properly at Amazon.com. In fact, it was an absolute mess. Thankfully, no one paid for a copy. We sincerely apologize to those readers who downloaded free copies of the book. We’re in the process of correcting it, and will be offering it free next week.
We learned a valuable lesson with this release. Check, double check, and check again. We are also lowering the price from $1.99 to $.99 for a limited time, in case you miss the giveaway.

On the positive side, we’re making great progress on two books, Knit & Crochet for You - Vol 2, and 30 Remarkable Women You’ve Probably Never Heard Of. These books are currently scheduled for release in May and June.

A Market You Want to Consider

Most of us are familiar with the Chicken Soup series of books. Each book contains 101 short stories and poems written by dozens of people. The stories are sometimes poignant and touching, while others make us laugh. Each story or poem contains a bit of wisdom or insight designed to inspire or teach the reader.

If you haven’t thought about writing stories for Chicken Soup, you might want to take a good look. We all have stories to share about our lives, animals, holiday experiences and other life moments. The ever-expanding Chicken Soup series offers a wide variety of topics you can explore. It’s a chance to share some of what you’ve learned.

Here’s what you might not know. If your article is accepted for inclusion in one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, you will be paid $200.00 when the book is published. You also get ten free copies of the book your story appears in.

Be sure you sign up for the newsletter. Every few days, Chicken Soup sends you a short article. As you read them, you’ll get a feel for the type of story and style the publishers are looking for.

You have nothing to lose by getting acquainted with Chicken Soup. Go here to learn more and find out what books are currently being assembled.

Here’s a very helpful article on how to successfully submit your articles for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books.

Get Your Free Copy of Our Newest Book

We’re offering our newest book, "Opportunities: How to Find Them and What to Do With Them," for free on Saturday, March 23.

We all miss opportunities, either because we don’t see them or because we don’t know what to do if we do spot them. This book is designed to help you learn to find existing opportunities, create new ones, or take advantage of those that seem to pop up out the blue.

What do you do when you’ve found an opportunity that interests you? There’s guidance in the book to help you develop your opportunity, overcome problems, and learn what you need to know to succeed. It’s full of examples of real-life people who found their niche in life.

My own experience has taught me that unrecognized opportunities appear almost every day in everyone’s life. It’s time for me to pass on the things I’ve learned from literally hundreds of people who unselfishly shared their experiences and insights with me.

I sincerely hope you take advantage of the opportunity to own this book for free. I am confident that you will find something of value in it.

And if you happen to miss this book giveaway, it’s available for the next free months for Amazon Prime members. Go here to get your own copy.

Our Newest Book is Now on Amazon

Our latest book, "OPPORTUNITIES: How to Find Them and What to Do With Them" is now live for your Kindle at Amazon.com. It’s full of suggestions and examples to help guide readers in uncovering new opportunities in all areas of their lives. Find out how to create opportunities by solving problems. Discover how you can take advantage of being in the right place at the right time or exploiting a special circumstance. Learn what to do with your opportunity once you’ve found it. Is it right for you? How do you develop your opportunity once you’ve found it? You’ll find helpful advice and examples throughout this book, along with questions you can ask yourself to help you take advantage of opportunities all around you.

If you’re ever missed an opportunity, or if you’d like to find more of them, you will love this book. It may well change your life.

It’s available exclusively for Amazon’s Kindle. Amazon Prime users can borrow it for free for a limited time. You can find it here.

We May Be Late But We’re Getting There

A few weeks ago, we boldly announced that our new book would be available at the end of February. Of course it didn’t happen. I’m not sure if the problem is the deadline or the fact that the final draft took longer than expected when I found I had a lot more to say about finding and taking advantage of opportunities. The final draft is complete now, and Opportunities will be available this weekend at both Barnes & Noble and Amazon for $1.99.

Our next projects are completion of our second volume of "Knit and Crochet for You," which is only awaiting completion of the model for the final project. We’re also working on the biographical book "30 Remarkable Women You’ve Probably Never Heard Of." The biggest problem I’ve had so far is choosing only 30 wonderful women out of the literally hundreds I’ve come to admire.

D. C. Cullen told me the other day that she’s working on a new e-book for us. She didn’t share many details with me, but I understand that it’s a fictional story with a different take on the life and career of Jesus of Nazareth. D. C. tends to think outside the box when it comes to religious topics so I’m looking forward to seeing her first draft. She hasn’t given me a date yet, but I think it will be sometime this spring.

I hope you are all having a great week. Take care of yourselves.

Does Independent Publishing Really Have a Future?

Smashwords founder Mark Coker published an article in the Huffington Post about his vision for the future of indie ebook publishing. The article is titled "Why eBook Retailers Are Embracing Self-Published Authors," and if you haven’t read it yet, you should, especially if you’re wondering whether you have a future in your own publishing efforts.

In his article, Mark lays out his reasons for believing the ebook publishing industry will only continue to grow. He cites the ease of publishing, the increasing quality of ebooks being produced, and low prices as major factors in the growth of the industry. And unlike brick and mortar stores, an ebook retailer can host literally millions of books, making room for both new and veteran authors to sell their creations.

In my opinion, anyone one who is serious about writing and selling ebooks, or wondering whether there is a real future for their own publishing efforts, should read this great article. In fact, on those days when you might be discouraged, it’s a great morale builder.

Mark’s article, along with links to other useful resources, is here

One Way to Write an Article or Story

Several years ago I wrote an article about one way to write an article. (That sure sounds redundant.) At any rate, I recently took a look at it, and I think it has some nuggets that may be valuable to some of you. I’m not going to repeat the entire article here since it’s a little long for a blog, but here’s a link.

I don’t always follow my own advice, but when I get stuck on an article or story, the method I outline here usually gets me going again. Hopefully there will be a few tidbits that you can make use of.

Nickel & Dime News - What We’re Up To Now

Did you miss an opportunity today? If so, help is on the way. We’re completing the final edit of our new book entitled "Opportunities - How to Find Them and What to Do With Them" and expect to have it out by the end of February. The book is richly illustrated with anecdotal stories and practical advice on developing and taking advantage of opportunities that come along every day, but are so often unrecognized.

We’re also putting the finishing touches on the next book in our series "Knit and Crochet Projects for You." We were surprised by the book’s popularity, but fortunately had a backlog of patterns so we only had to complete the models. We expect this book to be released in early March 2013.

We’ve got more projects to work on, and we’re continuing to develop our marketing plans. We want to thank all our readers and those who have given us such strong support while we develop our little company. It is you who have given us so much encouragement. Thank you all!

EBook Marketing: Here’s a Great Article

Veteran author Collin J. Earl shares his thoughts on how ebook marketing has changed - and stayed the same - over the past several years. This is an intense, information-filled article by a man who knows what he’s talking about. Some of his information is stuff you probably already know, but some is surprising. Read his article here:

Our Books Are Now at Barnes and Noble

Like many of you, I’m often caught between writing and marketing. But every once in awhile, I decide to add my books to other sites. This time I chose Barnes and Noble’s Nook ebook program. If you have a Nook and are interested in acquiring one or more of our titles, you can find them here:

Our jewelry book series:

No Strings Attached - Vol 1 is here
No Strings Attached - Vol 2 is here

Our knit and crochet book:

Knit and Crochet Patterns For You - Vol 1 is here

And finally (for now), D. C. Cullen’s "101 Questions Christians Hope You Never Ask" has proven to be very popular. You can find the Nook version here

Can You Produce a Nonfiction Book in 21 Days?

You’re heard the old saying "Publish or Die." Any independent author who has been in the business for more than a few months realizes that there is a tremendous pressure to put out new products. Your older books no longer sell as well as they did, and one of the best ways to stimulate sales is to put out a new offering.

Author Steve Scott has written a book entitled "How to Write a Nonfiction Book in 21 Days" in which he lays out a blueprint that helps writers to create a new nonfiction book in about three weeks.

The book delivers a good deal more than it promises. Mr. Scott shows his readers not only how to produce an ebook quickly, but emphasizes that it is possible to produce a high quality book that will sell well. This is an important point. Many ebook authors who are trying to produce as many books as possible will settle for poorly researched and written books. Mr. Scott believes, and demonstrates in his book, that you can quickly produce the kind of nonfiction books that readers will want to buy.

If you want to jumpstart your book production and produce ebooks you’ll be proud of, you should look into buying this book. You might also want to look at his other titles while you’re on his author page. His method works.

Mr. Scott’s Amazon Author Page is here

Interested in Getting Your Screenplay Out There?

If you’ve got a film project you want to get off the ground, and it is set in New England (or can be reset to a New England location), you might want to consider joining NewEnglandFilm.com’s community. They have a very active classified advertising page where you can post your loglines and other information about your film project for free. Producers also post requests for scripts. They have a newsletter, a good resource page, and lots of other useful stuff.

If you’re looking for a start in the filmmaking industry, this site is a good place to check out. Registration is free. Go here to look it over.

Flash Fiction Markets

Do you like writing flash fiction? Or would you like to find out more about this new type of story?

Flash fiction is exploding in popularity right now. Readers love the fact that they can read a flash fiction story in a few minutes, and writers like being able to produce stories in minutes rather than hours
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If you’re interested in writing and marketing flash fiction, this might be a good place to start. They are planning to produce their own anthologies, but also have a listing of flash fiction markets. It’s a site worth checking out.