Inspired by Dane Golden's guest post on YouTube videos, I have begun a new series of YouTube videos, the second of which answers the question "Should all authors (published or not) blog?" Check out the video below for my answer. Also, one announcement: Litquake, San Francisco's literary conference, is introducing Digi.lit, a one-day digital publishing conference that will take…

A few years ago I told my brother that I was writing a novel.

He looked at me strange and said, ” Don’t you need an imagination to become a writer.”

I was dumbstruck that he thought I wasn’t imaginative enough to write. Yet, I soon found out that he wasn’t the only one that thought that way. I…

Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram are great for connecting with your friends and your fans, but how can you expand your reach to people who have never heard of you? Self-publishing stars like Amanda Hocking know the…

Why do you blog? Hmm...I'm sure you've asked yourself that on more than one occasion. The question probably pops up when you're trying to figure out something to post about or after you've posted something and gotten no feedback. No feedback can lead to some soul-searching about blogging.

I started a blog…

We live in a world that is constantly moving.

Now more than ever before, people are on the go, moving from here to there, and there isn't time to stop and smell the proverbial roses.

So how does this affect writers?

Writers are no different than anyone else. Just because we are writers and have a different set of sensibilities (most of the time) doesn't mean that we don't have deadlines to meet or goals to achieve. Of course we do. We live in…

For those of you who are new to blogging or still thinking about setting up a blog, here are some of the "Best Blogging Practices" I teach my students in my Blogging for Beginners class at the San Francisco Writers' Grotto. Have a great Thanksgiving next week. I'll see you on November…

I completely understand how hard the tech side of writing, publishing, and blogging can be. Unfortunately, it's a necessary evil in today's market. On the other hand, it can also be of little help, if not used correctly. Just today, I ran into an example of something I explained the other day to friends about a whole domain getting banned. If that domain is Blogspot, Blogger, or WordPress, everyone goes down. Just one person that violates the rules hurts everyone. Please understand, I'm not…

From tlcurtis.blogspot.com

To be honest, I COMPLETELY forgot that I had set up a promo day on Amazon. So, when I got the notice that the promo had begun, I was surprised and excited and terrified.

What if no one reads my work, even when it’s FREE?!?! But I rushed to check my stats on KDP and, sure enough, about 80 people had downloaded ‘…

 Social media can be a powerful tool for authors. As we spend more of our lives in front of computer screens and having an online presence has become inevitable, exercising a measure of control on that presence has become very important. First impressions tend to last and by building a coherent online presence, authors can have a say on what those impressions are. Instead of relying on traditional PR and advertising methods, authors can personally have a strong impact on how they are…

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying, "This is the road! Now follow it." Isaiah 30:21

Upon reading these lines, it means you've found your way to Teresa Parker's blog entitled Finding My Way To The God…

Life is precious. Blogs are fun. There is a big difference -- Anne Huskey-Lockard

Our…

As a blogger I often find myself incapable of not publicly disclosing information. This has gotten me into trouble multiple times, and I have had more than my fair share of Facebook drama. Sometimes it's not what I say but who I talk about (my husband many times) or people who think I'm referring to them (and I probably am) and don't like the tone, statement, or in one case, the…

As the Actress Said to the Bishop has been winning some blog awards... so I've created a whole new page to display them in full glory and to take the opportunity to showcase the blogs of the kind folk who made the awards!

http://isabellegregson.blogspot.com/p/blog-awards-and-oscar-acceptance-speech.html

Yesterday, I was awarded the Versatile Blogger Award. Thank you MuMuGB, I love your blog.

It is now my turn to pass it on to seven bloggers, and they are - in no specific order:

1. Radical Revla: inspiring food for the soul http://radicalrevla.blogspot.com/ 

2. The Full Story: beautifully crafted stories of…