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Showing posts from June, 2017

143: How to Sell More Books Offline

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This is an information-packed interview. We talk about the 4P’s of Author Success, and we dive deep into how to promote your book offline. There’s also a lot of information on pricing and selling paperback versions of your book. Alinka Rutkowska is a multi-award-winning, internationally bestselling author and coach. She is also the founder and CEO of LibraryBub, which connects librarians with award-winning and bestselling books from independent authors and publishers. Alinka published Read Me: I Am Magical; Open Me and I Will Reveal 12 Secrets to Love, Happiness, and Personal Power, As You Leaf through Me and See How Remarkable You Feel in 2010, while she was working at her corporate job. She wrote the book because she felt that she had something to contribute to the world. She then decided to quit her job when the sales of the book were double her corporate salary. Alinka’s first book was massively successful in part because she crafted a keyword-rich subtitle. The 4P’s of Autho

Understanding the Different Types of Editing

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Source: Nic McPhee   Writing is only a quarter of what goes into making a successful book. Maybe less. What? Don’t believe me? Writing creates the whole experience, you say? The ultimate experience in a writer’s life is putting “THE END” on the page? Right. Sure. This is your first book, isn’t it? Authors wear many, many hats—enough to open an entire hat shop, honestly. Not only do you have to write the book, but you also have to edit and revise it, manage its production, and market the thing when it’s finally ready to go public. That’s at least four distinct and challenging jobs. Bringing in the Experts Luckily, authors get to call upon experts in each field to help them out so they can focus on the writing part—the thing they’re an expert in. Traditionally, you’d hire out all the other work to one, maybe two sources: your publisher and maybe your agent, if they were inclined toward doing some editing. Today, though, authors have many more options, and most indie authors

Don’t Get Crippled by Crutch Words: How to Speak and Write More Effectively

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Writing is hard. Writing smooth, flowing prose that uses exactly the right word at exactly the right moment, with no filler or fluff? That’s dang near impossible. Which is why we writers exist—most folks write well enough to make it through their daily emails and memos, understanding instinctively that writing well is a difficult skill to master and more than happy to leave the craft up to those of us crazy enough to love it. Yet even professional writers have some trouble when it comes to that “no filler or fluff” part of the program. Humans, you see, are inherently lazy. No matter how hard you work at your craft and how much time you spend with writing coaches, writers’ groups, and daily page practice, there’s always a few bad habits that sneak in simply because we’re wired to take the easy way out. Most often, we see this in the form of crutch words. What Are Crutch Words? Filler, fluff, weasel words, crutch words—all refer to the same bad habits that result in us clutterin

How to Use Advanced Find and Replace in Micosoft Word

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Watch on YouTube here: How to Use Advanced Find and Replace in Micosoft Word Via https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcZImr64sN4bR4BB_JA82vg/videos

This is My Day

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Watch on YouTube here: This is My Day Via https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcZImr64sN4bR4BB_JA82vg/videos

How to Find Your Purpose in Life

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Watch on YouTube here: How to Find Your Purpose in Life Via https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcZImr64sN4bR4BB_JA82vg/videos

Bestseller Ranking Pro Sales Video Demo

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Watch on YouTube here: Bestseller Ranking Pro Sales Video Demo Via https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcZImr64sN4bR4BB_JA82vg/videos

NOW HEAR THIS!!! 3 Mistakes You’re Making when Writing Emphasis

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Writing a great book is all about capturing your reader’s attention and keeping them so spellbound they can’t dream of putting your book down. But that’s easier said than done—when readers have so many other options for entertainment (and we’re not just talking books…there’s Netflix and Facebook and games to tempt readers, too), you have to be at the top of your game to grab and hold them. So what’s a writer to do? You’ve got a great plot and engaging characters, but how do you compete with all the explosions and action on TV when all you have to work with is words? Too often, writers fall back on emphasis tricks to ramp up the action and excitement in their work. Usually, it’s fiction writers who fall into this trap—but nonfiction authors are guilty, too, when trying to really drive home a point. What Are Emphasis Tricks? Emphasis tricks are sneaky—or not-so-sneaky—little ways to tell the reader to sit up and pay attention. Rather than letting your writing stand on its own and

How to Self-Edit: Tips to Improve Your Manuscript, Save Time, and Be a Better Writer

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Can you edit your own writing? More importantly, should you edit your own writing? The answer to both these questions is yes . Self-editing is a valuable skill that will help you produce better work, get better, faster feedback, and ultimately become a better writer. That said, self-editing is not a substitute for working with an editor or proofreader. Getting a fresh, objective set of eyes on your manuscript is one of the best things you can do to improve your writing and its chance of success in the marketplace. There are editors out there for every genre and every budget, so please don’t skip the vital step of working with one (or more than one). Still, it’s well worth polishing your manuscript as much as you can before sending it to editors, beta readers, and proofreaders. Self-editing will save time (and maybe money) by enabling your editor to work with fewer distractions; mistakes will be less likely to slip through; and you’ll be better aware of your weak points and le

Book Art Lets Inspiration Burst Off the Page

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Books can be incredibly inspiring and uplifting. Reading stories that resonate with you can lift you out of depression, give you a new outlook on life, or just make you smile when you’re feeling a little down. But beyond the words they contain, books themselves can be a source of inspiration. Artists all over the world are creating astonishing works of book art, using ancient and modern bookbinding techniques, papercutting, pop-ups, drawings, paintings, fiber art, and more to transform these everyday objects into something much more. Here, we’ve rounded up a few of the most breathtaking examples of book art we’ve seen recently. Enjoy!     Source: Luciana Frigierio Artist Luciana Frigerio makes custom book art that turns the pages of an old hardcover into personal messages, like a monogram or inspirational phrase. She carefully folds each page to create amazing 3D works, like a pop-up book for grownups.   Source: Kaspen Source: Kaspen Source: Kaspen Design firm Ka

Focused Breathing: Reduce Stress and Boost Concentration with a Simple Breathing Exercise

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Although we hear all the time about the benefits of yoga, meditation, and all kinds of other techniques for improving focus, flexibility, mindfulness, and calm, they’re not for everyone. Not all of us have the physical ability to do yoga—although chair yoga can be gentle on achy joints. Not all of us have half an hour to devote to meditation every day—although, really, you only need about 2–5 minutes to get some benefits. And not all of us have the focus required to clear our minds and sit still as mindfulness requires—although moving meditation can be just as effective. There’s always an excuse for why you can’t do whatever healthy trend is currently all over Instagram, even if it’s just that you don’t have time between all your other obligations. So what if I told you that there’s a form of relaxation and focus therapy that you’re already doing every minute of every day? Just Breathe Breathwork is, quite simply, focused breathing. You can do that! You breathe all day, every