“You’d better find a bartending job,” my then-agent told me in 1987 when I left my position as Special Features Editor at the Los Angeles Times Magazine to start freelancing full-time. Not confidence-building and not helpful. I clearly did figure out how to make it as...
“If you’re a writer, you’re a people watcher,” Judy Blume says in her MasterClass on writing for younger readers. Observations that stem from heightened awareness will generate everything from plot ideas to characters who are real. You also have to create the world...
What's a super fan and why would I want one? I asked myself as I went through my seemingly never-ending Inbox of writing-related emails. I figured out the answer to my question when I met John Thomas, recently retired Chief of the Department of Public Safety at USC....
My writing coach clients ask me all the time how long their books should be. I usually reply that the content dictates the length. In fairness, however, there are some publishing norms regarding word count, which vary depending on genre. So, while I still believe that...
To write a good book, you have to start with a solid idea. Children’s books are no different. The twist with kids’ books is that your storyline has to appeal both to the parent who’s going to buy the book and the child who will read it. And, as with any good book,...
After all the work, you've finally launched your book. Now it would help to understand how to track and amplify your Amazon sales. Two days after his book launch, my writing coach client Jeff Hutcheson realized he needed a little help on that front. So, Keri Barnum,...
The Whistler ball changed my pup Misha's life. At least for a while. The second I'd bring it out of the car, he'd start dancing. As soon as we made it into the dog park, he was off and running. Talk about motivation! Even though he'd been lukewarm about balls, he kept...
As much as I would like to think that I can be everything to everybody when it comes to writing, editing and coaching, I am, thankfully, not that full of myself. So, when I came across The Write Life‘s article The 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2021, I...
Most children’s book authors assume they need to hand over an illustrated manuscript when traditionally publishing a children’s book. So you'll probably be surprised to learn that unless you're a professional artist as well as the author, the publishing house will...
So there's good news and less good news when it comes to book promotion ideas and realities. You no longer have to mail out scads of press kits and copies of your book. And you don't necessarily have to hire a publicist. While those can come in handy for the right...
