Tag: author advice
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What is a Book Launch?
Whether you call it a Book Launch or a Book Release, this is the date when your book is officially made available to the public. “Release” is the word used to describe the day the general public is capable of purchasing your book, whereas “Launch” refers more specifically to describe the event of this release,…
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D&D Alignments for Writing Characters
Characters are the lifeblood of any story, but sometimes it’s a challenge to breathe that life into them. They need to feel realistic, but how do you do that? There are quite a few strategies out there, and one tried and true method is a fairly simple one: nail their personality. People are shaped by…
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Setting Up an Author Website
It’s pretty self-explanatory, but an author website is the webpage for your brand. It will have a page for people to learn more about you, for your books, and for your blog (if you have one). Why Do You Need One? A website is one of the first things that a business needs, especially one…
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What is a First Draft?
You probably already know this; a first draft is the first completed manuscript of a book, what’s done before the editing process begins. Simple, right? Well, I’m about to go further into detail. Firstly, the biggest mistake writers can make is trying to make their first draft perfect. Do not do this. It is impossible.…
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What is Book Cover Design?
Once you’ve written your book and had it edited (or even before the editing process begins) you’re thinking about presentation. If you have any desire to get your book published, you most definitely will need a book cover at some point, but how do you pick who to design your book? Book design is in…
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Writing Good Characters
Let’s face it: writing characters is hard. Writing good characters is even harder. But it’s possible. I won’t be able to give you a step-by-step guide of writing good characters, but this article will help shine a light on how you can improve your understanding of people—fictional or not. What Makes a Good Character? In…
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Punctuation: The Colon
Definition: a punctuation mark (:) used to precede a list of items, a quotation, or an expansion or explanation. Note: Do not rely on grammar or spelling checkers to identify missing or misused punctuation. Although a checker may flag possibly missing or incorrect marks, it cannot do much else. While I still recommend using these…
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Pixar’s 22 Storytelling Rules
Originally tweeted by Emma Coats, Pixar’s Story Artist, the 22 rules of storytelling are great advice for any author to follow, and I believe they are a staple in how Pixar continues to tell such relatable and heartwarming stories over the years. Some are more useful than others. Remember, you don’t have to use all…
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Burnout Part 2—Identifying Signs & Recovery
Click here to read Burnout Part 1—Explanation & Prevention Identifying Burnout in Yourself Even though you have strategies to avoid burnout, there is still a chance you do it anyway, so it’s important to be able to identify the signs of burnout. Catching it early can cut down recovery time and even help you work…
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Budgeting for Book Publication—Make a Plan
The first thing I’d like to say is that this article is not going to give you a set-in-stone budget. All books are different, so there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all for budgeting, but I hope that after you read this, you’ll have a better understanding of the book publishing world, how to decide where you…