Gumbeaux – 2011 Readers Favorite Fiction Contest

Readers Favorite is a terrific venue for new authors who are looking for an inexpensive and reputable group to help them navigate the world of writing. Gumbeaux received a 5-star rating and Gold level award for its genre of fiction, Chicklit. Highly recommended staff...

Hunting and Fishing: Tackle Box Tools for the Aspiring Author

What does hunting and fishing have to do with being a writer? More than you might imagine. If you think you’re exempt from needing these skills, you may find you’re going to need a bigger boat, so to speak. After placing well in a writing contest, I was approached by...

Antisocial Media

God bless the Internet. It’s the great equalizer of our time. It has been a tour de force for introverts the world over who feel more confident and less prone to risk behind a laptop than a podium. Marketing no longer is the exclusive playground of handsome and highly...

Your Friends in the Book Marketing Business

Your Friends in the Book Marketing Business Published by Kimberly Vargas Book marketing can be rather overwhelming, especially here in the middle of the publishing revolution. The good news is that there are more and more emerging companies out there who bring a lot...

Writer’s Digest Conference West 2013, Los Angeles

For a good time, click here: Lulu.com interview / Writers Digest Conference West 2013 in L.A. —————————- I just attended my first writers convention, which turned out to be among the best and most informative experiences of my life. The Writer’s Digest Conference West...

Don’t Quit Your Day Job

Writing is one of those creative aspirations that typically accompanies another salaried job. Few can sustain a living simply from writing. If you ever start to feel down about not being able to make ends meet via your writing career, don’t fret. You are in good...

Consider the Source

I recently read an account of a celebrity and her young daughter which captured the concept of feedback from a unique perspective. Having completed a Google search, the daughter was troubled to find that strangers were saying all kinds of things about her famous...

Build Your Wings on the Way Down

“The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it.” – Chinese Proverb “Go to the edge of the cliff and jump off. Build your wings on the way down.” – Ray Bradbury These powerful quotes began a wonderful book marketing seminar I...

Scenes from a Street Fair

Writers, have you ever participated in a street fair? I recently had the opportunity to represent local authors through Read Local San Diego at the Encinitas Street Fair. The total cost of the booth for a couple of days was $300.00, broken out into time slots for...

Would You Write a Book Without an Outline?

You probably wouldn’t drive across the country without a map. You probably wouldn’t cook Thanksgiving dinner without recipes. Would you write a book without an outline? The practice of outlining a book in detail takes an enormous amount of discipline. Focusing on the...