Ever had a book that earned glowing reviews but mysteriously stopped selling? Recently an author friend emailed me with exactly this problem. Her book was praised as “life-changing” and “literary excellence,” yet sales slowed down drastically. Sound familiar? You’re not
Do you know what’s even better than a great book? A great book that recommends another great book! That’s exactly how I came across Write Useful Books: A Modern Approach to Designing and Refining Recommendable Nonfiction by Rob Fitzpatrick. AJ
I often get this question: “How do I find the right publisher for my book?” Standard Answer The standard answer is to go to Writer’s Market, an 896-page tome that gets updated each year. The problem is, this doesn’t really work for
Reading the right books can help you become a better, more successful writer, but where to start!? I’ve been an avid reader of books for writers a long time now, and it’s a topic I’ve written about in the past.
Blog reader Ryan Atkins from Flat on My Back recently emailed this question about platform: “In a recent post of yours, you mentioned having at least 1,000 email subscribers before moving forward with publishing. This was surprising to me as
Grant Baldwin is the founder of The Speaker Lab, a training company that helps public speakers learn how to find and book speaking gigs. Through his popular podcast The Speaker Lab and flagship coaching program Booked and Paid to Speak,
Writing a book proposal and landing a book deal is hard work, but it can be done. I recently sat down for a video call with writer, spiritual director, and speaker Brian Plachta about his journey from a small platform
The most obvious benefit of writing a nonfiction book proposal is it could lead to a book contract. But several other benefits are less obvious; the purpose of this article is to share what they are. Ready? Here we go!
“It all starts with a book proposal.” That’s inevitably what I end up saying to a writer who asks me about publishing. As a 20-year publishing professional who has reviewed thousands of book proposals, I’m regularly asked for advice on
Books require a lot of time and energy to write. It is natural, not greedy, to wonder whether it’s all going to be worth it in the end. Good work is its own reward, yes, and it’s hard to put
The moment arrived. I had wanted to meet with this particular author for a long time. (I’ll keep the author anonymous to protect her privacy, but she’s well known in some circles.) The door opened, she greeted me, and I
It’s one thing to write your book; it’s another to write about your book. They’re very different types of writing. For one thing the audience is sometimes completely different. When you’re writing your book, you’re writing for readers. When you’re