MailChimp users, have you looked at your emails yet? All users should have received an email yesterday providing information on the upcoming changes. October 31st will be the effective date, and that means that you have a choice to make by then.
For those who aren’t familiar, MailChimp is an email service provider like AWeber or MailerLite. It helps you build your email list, and as a writer/author, you definitely should have one. If you haven’t started building your email list, now would be the time to start and not when your book is ready, but this is a different conversation about your Author Platform.
Continue reading MailChimp announced a big change. Learn how it will affect you.
Last Monday, I was nominated by the awesome 
Katherine Dell is a young adult fiction author fascinated by the supernatural and the stories that surround them, and has recently released her debut novel, Harmless. She began her writing endeavours in 2011 when she wanted to reinvent herself from her previous career as an event planner.
Kelly Charron is the author of horror, psychological thrillers and urban fantasy novels. All with gritty, murderous inclinations and some moderate amounts of humor. She spends far too much time consuming true crime television (and chocolate) while trying to decide if yes, it was the husband, with the wrench, in the library.
Frank McKinley is a published author, writing coach, idea guy, and entrepreneur. His mission is to help writers engage readers, sell their ideas, and build their tribes. His website is
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On Christmas Day, nothing could have kept me in bed. He would tell me all about Santa dropping lots of presents under the tree and his master plan to get our parents down there. We weren’t allowed to open the presents before my parents get downstairs mostly because they wanted to capture our faces on camera.
Have you heard of monthly book subscription box?? Well, there are boxes for any type of books or a specific targeted audience (i.e. Romance, thrillers, children’s books…). But, the one I saw was for Young Adult novels, which happens to be my target audience.
Writing a book is undeniably something you do on your own unless you co-write a book, but most of the time, it’s an activity that you do alone. You sit down and pour your heart and soul onto the paper. Interactions aren’t what writers are known for, and sometimes, it can feel heavy on your shoulders. There are a lot of reasons why you may struggle, from trying to balance work, family, and writing, and fit everything in one day to doubting your writing skills. When you start spending a lot of time looking at the cursor blink on your screen or looking at the white paper mocking you, walk away.
Matt Mayr grew up in a small mining community north of Lake Superior, where he learned to hunt and fish from a very young age. He holds an Honours English Degree from York University, and attended the Humber School for Writers mentorship program twice. 
Now I said “read extensively in your genre,” but it doesn’t mean only reading in your genre. Extensively doesn’t mean exclusively. You can learn a lot by reading in other genres. For example, if you need to build tension or a twist in your plot, reading thriller are very helpful. Reading romance can help you develop a love story.
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Kevin Lux is a twenty-two-year-old comedy writer from Luxembourg. He writes comedy articles about all sorts of subjects and is always looking for different ways to make people laugh with his words.
Honestly, it was late on a Sunday night, so all the stores were closed. I really wanted to read the next book of a Series and ran out of patience, so I gave in and decided to try it out. The first step was to download the e-reader and the e-book, which turned out to be easy enough not to give me time to second guess myself. Reading on an e-reader though wasn’t easy at first because my mind was missing the experience of turning actual pages and the feeling of holding it to have a feel of where you’re at in the story.
When you’re jet-lagged or have insomnia and want to read, but the people next to you don’t want you to use a light at 2 am, e-Readers are life-savers. The lighting is soft enough that it won’t bug them. When I was traveling, I had bought a print book with me, and when I was up at 3 am, I had to table it and read another book on my e-Reader. This was when I realized how much convenient this device truly was.
As you may know, I’ve been living in the U.S. for a very long time now, but I’m originally from a small French island called Reunion Island. It’s a beautiful Island (somehow similar to Hawaii). So, I decided to go there to see my family, but also to take a much needed break. While it was nice to be with my friends and family, I used that time to find inspiration, peace, and the strength to push again.
Since 2010, the center of the Island (about 40%) is home to a Unesco World Heritage Site. I mean it gives you an idea of how beautiful the island is (Ok! I might be biased, but I assure you it’s beautiful). I found so much inspiration for my book there.
Sharks are a real issue there, but it didn’t bother me too much because you have a few authorized places you can go swimming without any problems.
I think my skin developed some sort of natural repellent because they weren’t interested in me. It’s almost like I was old news (labeled already tasted, been there, done that), but I could see them lurking at night. They wanted fresh blood and were ready to do anything to get it. In other words, my kid was the perfect candidate – tender and sweet.
That’s my takeaway from this trip in a nutshell and, now that I’m back in California, 
This week, Sarah L. Johnson wrote a wonderful post filled with humor and invaluable information for Authors on how to approach Indie Booksellers. She shares insights she gained while working at an independent bookstore. This Guest Post is a must read for all Authors and Aspiring Authors. 
G.W. Renshaw hasn’t done everything, but he’s trying: Canadian Forces, retail slave, forest ranger, computer programmer for 30 years, college teacher, film actor, security and intelligence, jeweller, black smith, Search and Rescue manager, and member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms.
Nabila Fairuz is Bangladeshi-Canadian author who published her first novel “The Chronicles of Captain Shelly Manhar” a few months ago. She resides in Alberta where she is working on a new novel that should turn into a trilogy. 
The Chronicles of Captain Shelly Manhar tells the story of Shelly, a young girl whose entire family disappears under cryptic circumstances. Not only that, Shelly also has to witness the death of her only sister in a fight. Growing up, Shelly decides that she needs answers and find out if any of her remaining family members are still alive. Her past fuels her on to become a fearsome pirate captain. Throughout the course of her journey, she faces many dangers (and some humorous situations) while she sails across the waters of the Caribbean Sea until she finally realizes her own destiny.
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You need to know what’s out there. Do it differently by bringing new ideas to the table. Ask yourself if this is helpful or insightful to your readers. What message are you trying to convey? Is it actionable?
Once you finish writing the post, edit it. It’s painful to read a post with typos, missing words or grammatical errors. 
The title is probably one of the most important steps. If you have a bunch of articles to read, what will compel you to read one versus another? I tried posting three different titles for the same post, and two barely had hits when the third got a lot of engagement. The difference? The title.
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I don’t mind questions like, “how is it coming along?” or something in those lines. Believe me – writers already feel the pressure. Let’s not add to it or be demeaning.
It’s like being in a closed room next to someone who has a cold and keeps coughing next to you. Once or twice is tolerable, but more than that and you want to dart outside before you get sick. You can’t even see how beautiful the room is anymore.
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So what did I do?
Making this type of decision must be carefully thought before. The leap is something you must want beyond anything else because you don’t need to write full time to be successful. Many authors wrote best sellers maintaining a day job. Writing full time doesn’t guarantee success, it’ll just increase your chances. You could also have a part time job.
Chances are I’m not going to make any money or very little in the next few months, and it’ll take a long time to make things happen. That’s a risk to be considered. The likelihood to make a living is thin, but if you don’t try, you’ll never know. Having a plan B is crucial. I have a stable work history, lots of recommendation, and did everything I could the right way when I quit.
Although she started making books at the age of nine, Joan Marie Galat wasn’t published until 12 years old, when she became a paid weekly newspaper columnist. Today she is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books, with new titles scheduled for 2017 and 2018. Her newest title, published by Whitecap Books is Dot to Dot in the Sky, Stories of the Aurora.
Get coffee, but don’t bring the pot or you might need to do some squats afterward. Put some music on if that helps. I don’t like music when I write as I find it distracting, but I have friends who can’t write without music or a picture on the wall. We’re all different, so find what works for you. Also, set up your desk by getting rid of possible toys (FYI – a slinky may count).
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Born in Toronto, Canada, KJ enjoyed a nomadic lifestyle during her early years, living in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Caribbean, which gave her an insider’s view into many different cultures. While abroad, she read every book she could find, which triggered in her a desire to create her own stories. 
For me, it’s hard work, but also the ability to look at your fear in the eyes and make it walk away. But, that’s not something that is easy to do. Experience and knowledge help you build that confidence.
My husband, I guess. For him, this cleanse was a piece of cake. I love smoothies, in general. They’re good for you, but I always prefer the juices made of fruit. I‘ve never really loved green juices, so try to drink 3 of them a day for 3 days, and you’re not that hungry anymore.
[tweet_dis]You have a fear of heights, go climbing. You have a fear of being criticized, don’t mind the people. Do what you love even if it’s not easy.[/tweet_dis] I’m still pushing my barriers, and I hate the feeling of being uncomfortable. I’ve grown from that experience. Challenging myself is something I will continue to do, so I don’t fail myself by not pushing when necessary.
It depends on your situation and what matters to you. For some, what matters will be the display of their book in a bookstore, the help of an experienced and recognized team, the higher earnings through royalties, or the freedom to decide what’s best for your book. Many writers, especially those with an established Author platform, will prefer self-publishing.
As opposed to traditional publishing, you get to exercise full and decisive control over your work. You get to decide what needs to be edited, how the ideas are presented, the title of your book and the cover design. These are all roles that are taken on by the publisher when it comes to traditional publishing, which can be a real downer and hindrance to your creative prowess.
I can’t stress enough how important having your book edited by a professional is. Since there isn’t a set standard of quality, self-publishers are expected to publish high-quality work. Unfortunately, the industry usually has a view of low quality and poorly edited work when it comes to self-publishing. I’m sure you’ve read books where there are so many typos and errors that you can’t enjoy the book. Yes – it also happens with traditional publishing, but much less. Lots of readers have become skeptical of the work that comes off of self-publishing. Therefore, even if your work has exceptional quality, it takes time for it to be recognized and to receive the appreciation it should.
Since you will be working on everything by yourself, you have too much of a workload on your hands. This affects your performance and sets you back by a considerable amount of time. You might easily get stressed out and give up on the project due to frustration.
This is a great alternative to self-publishing since it is part self-publishing and part traditional publishing. It limits the cons of both self-publishing and traditional publishing and offers you a wonderful solution.
Nerd, Paranormal Fantasy Author, Doctor Who fangirl, Las Vegas Native, and SuperMom to three awesome kids! 
The title has two jobs: it should be interesting enough to catch people’s attention and fit per the general topic of your book. It helps if it uses keywords that readers can search for when finding titles of subjects that your book mirrors. But that’s more for non-fiction. Your title helps market your book, so be sure that it fits the subject, and is interesting enough to garner a closer look.
Despite the old saying, many people do judge whether they are going to purchase a book by its cover. You will need to have a good, professional, and interesting cover to help sell your book. It should be a cover that appears professionally designed, uses the right color palettes, and has typography that catches the eye. Plus, it should be attractive both in small and large sizes so that it can sell whether seen on the screens of computers or mobile devices.
You may not consider your photo or short biography to be interesting enough to put on your book. Your readers will appreciate to know you a little more. Your bio should be one that establishes you as an authority, even if this is your first book. Plus, your photo should be professional. Do not go for a goofy or complex photo, but rather a simple, straightforward image that conveys your work.
Your book description needs to be clear and concise if you want to really hook the person into reading your work. It pays to use the services of a copy editor who can write a catching, powerful description that can pull people into your work. Writing a great pitch isn’t always easy, so it may be worth having an outside view on your work do it. In addition, having testimonials that speak to the quality and interest of your work helps substantially when it comes to sales.
Digital printing can help you save money by creating a book that has fewer pages. But, if you print your novel on letter-size pages with tight lines and small margins, it will be very hard to read. You are far better off spending more money and getting enough pages so that your book is easy to read.
Talented author, Kate Harvie is coming back with a new inspiring guest post on “How to know when to publish your book.” Kate is the Author of the upcoming Believe It and Behave It: How to restart, Reset, and Reframe your Life.
An agent or publisher is more than likely to take you on as a client if they are assured of your demand value. Unless you are an established author with a strong credibility or a celebrity, then your writing and story is the only thing you can showcase, and sometimes it’s not enough. Having a solid following, however, assures the agent or publisher of your demand value. It shows that as an author, your work is appreciated by enough readers to ensure sales once published on a commercial scale.
As mentioned, your author platform can act as an avenue to reach out to more people. If you have an author platform, you can use this as a stepping-stone to drawing in more readers into your following. Most times, if your work is truly exceptional, you will not have to ask your readers to help you bring in more people into the fold. Instead, your work will do all the talking for you, and you will find your platform growing. If you need a good system to sell your book, I do recommend to read Tim Grahl’s “Your first 1000 copies.” It’s a great book.
As an author, there may come a time when you need fresh ideas for new books. An author platform might come in handy in such a situation. Your readers might offer some useful insight into what they want from you or what they expect of your books and characters. Do you, for instance, need a book series for a certain title? If so, how would the sequels progress? What is expected of the main characters and how can you keep the readers glued to your books? They can generate ideas for a sequel, and it will give you an idea of what your readers want from you. Also, the more you see this kind of comments, the better it is because it means they are involved in your story. At the end of the day, you remain the author, but it’s a great connection for you to have with your readers.
J. A. McLachlan was born in Toronto, Canada. She is the author of a short story collection, CONNECTIONS, published by Pandora Press and two College textbooks on Professional Ethics, published by Pearson-Prentice Hall.
A.S. Akkalon planned to run away and join the circus until the fantastical worlds of David Eddings, Katharine Kerr, and Raymond E. Feist inspired her to become a fantasy author.