The LAST Word

  I often hear first-time authors worry about the publishing process. Because it's Halloween, I want you to know that it doesn't have to be scary. Whether you write horror, fantasy, self-help or cookbooks, the process is not difficult. If you trust your abilities and your instincts, you could create the perfect book without being frightened. Here are tips on publishing. What to Say If you feel like you need to write a book, you also will know what to say. For example, you want to inform readers of a new technique and believe you need to write a short book about the technique. After you have done your research, your mind will help you organize your thoughts into the book. If you are writing fiction, you will hear the characters' voices in your head as you sit down to write. Your writing coach will guide you on what is important to say and what you should eliminate.  What Art to Use All books, fiction and nonfiction, print and electronic, must have ...

    When writing blogs , you can stick to business-related text that will give you the right keywords and focus on the right audience. You also can write themes because people are searching for those things. Writing these theme-related blogs will not alter your rankings in search engine optimization , but they could bring you new customers. Some people searching these themes might be your target audience, but you won't know if you stick to business-related blogs.  For example, if you want to write blogs about autumn themes, you can do that. I would recommend, though, that you connect the fall theme to your business in some way. Otherwise, it might not help you rank or be considered fresh relevant content by Google.   Here are some tips for writing content in the fall.   Relate to Fall Holidays. If you want people to search for your company, you can try writing blogs that connect a fall holiday to your business. For example, a home improvement company could w...

  Easter is just a few weeks away. Instead of writing about marketing or editing tips, I thought I would highlight some Christian books that you could buy for gifts. The Thief, the Harlot and the Healer tells a fictional story of strength and courage in 33 A.D. of a woman who had no rights. The main character by Mike E Clements was abducted as a young woman and forced into prostitution. She has the courage to leave the brothel and is looking for salvation, but she doesn't believe her life is worth saving despite what people tell her. The story leads the reader to Rachel kneeling before the cross and understanding how much God loves her. Words in Red: Witness for the Prosecution thinks about the people around Jesus and what they did for a living. The main character is a scribe for a leader in the Jewish religion who is trying to get evidence he can use to prosecute Jesus to death. The writer follows Jesus throughout his life and listens to His teachings. Colin Rank captures how ...

When you are looking for ideas for stories, blogs, poems or press releases, you should consider holidays, such as Valentine's Day or Presidents Day. You can find ways to use them in your writing or business marketing.  You might be surprised to know that I write romance novels but hate Valentine's Day. This might seem odd. I write about love, but I don't like the day dedicated to love. The reason I don't like Valentine's Day stems from being alone in high school and college. In high school, one of the fundraisers was to sell heart-shaped lollipops with messages on them. It was hard to watch many of my friends get messages and I didn't. In college, everyone on my floor was given something for Valentine's Day except me.  To me, Valentine's Day is set aside to make those without a significant other feel bad about himself or herself. Even after I met my future husband, I asked him not to give me anything on Valentine's Day. To this day, he will give me ...

    People who know me, know that I love football. I went to Eagles games as a kid with my grandfather and father. I still support my Eagles. I supported them when they didn't win games, and now, they head to divisional playoff round. However, I think we can pull some ideas from football to improve your business marketing and your writing . 1. Get First Downs -- In football, the goal is to get into the End Zone for a touchdown, but before that, you need to march down field 10 yards at a time. This relates to business. You have keep moving, being consistent with your marketing and being patient to trust your marketing will work in the long-term. Nothing happens overnight. Many people think they can get a quick score. Sometimes, in football, that happens, but usually it doesn't. Same is true in business. You can't expect people to know you and buy from you immediately. This is also true in writing. Your main goal is to finish a book, but you need to remember to break down...

      January is a great time to start fresh on the year. I like to clean out my files on the computer that I no longer need, and I also move the file folders I don't need going forward in the new year. That gives me a new beginning for my writing and my business. I also re-evaluate what I do for marketing for the year. You can decide where to focus your marketing and what you can do differently. It always is a good idea to try something different in the new year. This is true whether you are an author, small business owner or employee. Although employees are told what to do every day, they do have to market themselves to land the job in the first place and to keep their job. Here are my tips for your market plans this year. 1. Do Video Marketing -- Authors often don't like being in front of the camera, but they should do some videos about their books. Having someone interview you on their podcast or YouTube channel would be great. Creating your own YouTube chan...

Writers are always looking for inspiration. They will use art, nature, family life and quotes. They even get inspired from other writers. Marketers also are looking for inspiration for blog ideas or places to sell your products or services. My favorite way to get inspired is through watching television or movies. Here are my favorites. Year Without a Santa Claus – This will inspire you to do whatever it takes to reach a goal. If you don't know the movie, Santa is sick and doesn't want to travel around the world to deliver the gifts. He thinks no one cares about him. Two elves, Jingle and Jangle, go to Southtown USA to find children who care about Santa. They have to get their reindeer from the pound, talk to the mayor and deal with the Miser brothers, but they are successful. The mayors declare a holiday for Santa and show him that children still care about him. They kept trying new ideas until they got what they needed. You can keep trying new things to be succ...

Whether you write horror, fantasy, self-help or cookbooks, the process doesn't have to scare you. If you trust your abilities and your instincts, you could create the perfect book without being frightened. Here are tips on publishing so you are not scared this Halloween when writing. What to Say If you feel like you need to write a book, you also will know what to say. For example, you want to inform readers of a new technique and believe you need to write a short book about the technique. After you have done your research, your mind will help you organize your thoughts into the book. If you are writing fiction, you will hear the characters' voices in your head as you sit down to write. Your writing coach will guide you on what is important to say and what you should eliminate.  What Art to Use All books, fiction and nonfiction, print and electronic, must have a professionally designed cover. In your mind, you know what art would ...

 This week is Holy Week. It is the week we walk with Jesus as He goes to the cross to die and save us from our sins. It is more important than Christmas week. As business owners, we can learn from this walk to Calvary. Here are some ways you can reflect this week and improve your writing or business marketing . 1. Add Prayer to Your Routine -- This week and every week, you should include prayers in your routine. This week is more important, but you should be doing it anyway. When you invite God into your business life, it becomes easier to get through the daily crises. God will direct you on how to market your business too. In addition, adding prayer to your routine allows your writing to come alive . You will get inspiration that you didn't already have. You might move your characters into a new direction. If you are struggling with something, God will help you through your troubles if you ask Him. This is a resource you don't want to forget. 2. Walk the Path -- Look at th...

  Business owners and writers all have to market their products or services. Often, they throw mud against a wall hoping something will stick. This strategy works when you are trying to find new opportunities that you did not know previously. However, if you are trying to get your message across to potential clients, then you might be throwing money at a problem without knowing what the solution is. Writers know that they have to write to the person who is likely to read the book or novel. They are not writing for everyone. They are picking a person or type of person and writing to him or her. Business owners should adopt that strategy too and be persistent about it. They should define their message before they post on social media, in blogs or in printed materials. Here are some tips to help you define your message and earn more profits . 1. Know Your Potential Client -- So much is said about avatars and narrowing the demographics to figure out who is likely to buy from you. An ...

      November is a time to remember. On Nov. 1, we remember the saints. On Nov. 2, we remember those who have gone before us. On Veterans Day, we remember those who serve our country and those served many years ago. We remember the wars that are represented by Veterans Day, which used to be Armistice Day and still is in Europe. That was the day World War I ended. On Thanksgiving, we remember to thank God for our blessings. We remember family, and we remember those who couldn't be part of our celebrations. Therefore, November is a perfect time to remember our writing and add remembrances in writing. Memoirs – Writing down events that took place in your life is called a memoir or autobiography. You can write these books to pass down your family for future generations to know what happened in your life and in the world when you were alive. You can write these books to pass on knowledge that you have that others do not. And, you can write them for yourself to reme...

  I recently met with a potential book client. She asked me about query letters and what she needs to do to get published by a traditional publisher, such as Random House or Simon and Schuster, etc. I answered her honestly. Traditional publishers are difficult to reach. They are picky and get slammed with book proposals. They can't read all of them. Here are some tips for publishing. 1. Traditional Publishers -- They want best-selling authors, celebrities, great stories for fiction and a high market potential for nonfiction. They don't want memoirs, unknown authors and women's literature. These don't sell. Traditional publishers want books they know will sell because of how the book industry works. In retail, companies buy from manufacturers at wholesale and sell. They can't return the items to the manufacturer unless there are defects. In book industry, bookstores are allowed to buy at wholesale and send back whatever doesn't sell back to the publisher. So, l...

  Many people like the colors of autumn. They enjoy the vivid reds, yellows and oranges. Some people also like the purple and black associated with Halloween. I am not one of those people. I don't like fall for two reasons. It means that we are at the end of the year, and the vivid colors means things are dying. I prefer the colors of spring: yellows, light purple, white, pink, light green, etc. They are the colors of new life. However, I do know that things have to die to produce new life. And, you should use this metaphor in your writing. Let it die to bring the work to life again. What do I mean? Continue reading. Characters – Sometimes, characters have to die even if you like them. To move the story and make it flow, you might have to kill a character. In my first novel, The 1776 Scroll of Secrets , no one was killed even the villain. However, in The 1776 Bed and Breakfast , the villains were killed, but I also killed Buck's (the main character) mother. She had...

  Today is Sept. 11, the anniversary of the bombing of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. You can remember it in your writing and marketing. When you look throughout history, you will see key events have changed how we do things forever. The Great Depression changed the banking system. The landing on the moon changed the impossible to the possible. It also created a number of products that we still use today. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon changed how we go through airport security around the world. The explosion of the Challenger Shuttle reminded us that we are vulnerable and must double-check and triple-check our processes before doing. This pandemic altered how we associate with others and how we market our books . Here are some tips . 1. Video – Now, more than ever before, you need to use video to market your books. You can create a YouTube show or a book trailer. For my cookbook client, The Dressing Table , we created a cooking show where she c...

In northern states, changing the clocks ahead allows for more light in the evenings, which makes people more productive in spring and summer. People in the north like to go out in the sunshine after spending winters locked indoors. Southern states don't have much of a winter. Although it might be cold, it doesn't snow and is not dark on a daily basis. They have sunshine all the time. I have lived in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Arizona and Florida. In Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, I felt the benefits of Daylight Savings Time although it still hindered my inspiration and writing. More on that later. Arizona doesn't change the clocks. It was great not having to worry about changing clocks, but I noticed no difference in the light without Daylight Savings Time. I don't agree that Florida should change clocks. The state has so much sunshine that it could be similar to Arizona and feel the same whether clocks are changed or not. Becomes False Benefi...

Most people tend to look at the new year as a way to start fresh. They begin new diets, exercise more, plan vacations they’ve always wanted to take or invest in opportunities to be smarter with their finances. But what about your business? Have you ever thought of trying something new, but didn’t know exactly how to start? Have you ever wanted to motivate your employees, have closer relationships with your customers or learn to use social media to your advantage, but didn’t know where to begin? While I can't help with many of those issues, I could show you how to promote book events this year. Many business owners and authors believe all events should be promoted the same way, but as there are different types of events, there are different ways to promote them. Some examples of events are: online events, meetings, grand openings or book launches , seminars and workshops, conferences, book signings, book-selling opportunities and networking events. Now, how do you go ...