How to Spur Your Editors- and Your Readers- to Turn the Page
blog by Bill WorthI’ve been editing book manuscripts for Tom Bird since July of 2015; my latest count shows I have completed almost 200 of them over that time. I got the job partly because I attended one of Tom’s workshops in Atlanta in 2009, and one of his appearances at the annual conference for Unity Worldwide Ministries in 2015. And partly because I have more than 30 years of experience editing daily newspapers in Ohio, and a weekly newspaper in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.In this blog, I’ll share some of my best tips for submitting a manuscript that you expect to become a bestseller – not forgetting the all-important query letter to accompany it. These ideas will help your editors – and readers – eagerly turn the pages to find out what happens next.When you write, use a serif font like Times New Roman as the typeface. A sans-serif typeface, such [...]
Who Will Read My Book? Why You Need to Identify Your Audience
blog by Sabrina FrittsWhen asked whom your book is for, most eager authors will proclaim, “Everyone!” While there is wisdom in your book that could likely benefit almost everyone, you are casting too wide a net. Imagine conveying a message that resonates with more than seven billion people. If someone could do that, we would have known world peace long ago.Like you, your message is unique and has a specific audience that will love, adore and share it. The key is connecting to that specific audience and giving them what they want. If your book is for men and you are a man, that isn’t enough. You need to be engaged in the conversation men are having. What is at the forefront of their awareness? What are the main problems for which they seek solutions? What questions are they asking?We had the delight of discovering that one of our recently published authors, Laurin [...]
You (Yes, You) Were Meant to be an Author
“Most books about writing are filled with bullshit.” – Stephen King, on writingIn my many years of reading and writing experience, I have found that Mr. Stephen King is right.Before I experienced my first success as an author, I read hundreds of books on writing. It didn’t help. The more I read on the subject the farther I felt from the real truth, and the harder my writing seemed to come.It took me years to discover on my own but hopefully I can spare you the headache and frustration on this matter. The truth is this: writing a book is an innate and spiritual art form designed to not only birth a book but to serve as a divine rite of passage for the author and their message.Read that paragraph again.If necessary, keep reading it over again and again until the core message sinks in, because it is the truth. As you [...]
What “I Don’t Have Time to Write” Really Means
“I don’t have time to write!” It’s one of the more prevalent excuses I hear from Authors addicted to excuse-making. What they might not realize is how irrelevant this response really is. Heck, as my retreats have proven you don’t need much time at all to write a book; usually 12 to 14 hours is all it takes.The truth is, if you cannot find that much time, you’re not ready to write your book, which means your book isn’t ready to be born. Plain and simple.What an author addicted to this (or any other) excuse is really saying is the following: at this present time, my fears are more powerful than my desire to follow through on my divine journey.If you’ve found yourself struggling with this particular justification for delaying your book, what do you do? How do you move forward?You can actively do nothing.Yes, you read that right.I said. “You can actively [...]
BLOCKED: Understanding and Working Through Writer’s Block
I have been at this writing thing for more than 35 years and I still get blocked from time to time. Getting blocked is normal and nothing to worry about.Don’t fret, I can get you out of that state. In this blog we’ll learn more than just how to get unblocked, as there’s always something deeper going on. It’s way more than just not being able to write – as you will see.Let’s begin with getting unblocked before moving onto the bigger lesson.Step One. The first thing to understand about getting blocked is this: blocks are the result of trying to force your flow. When you force the flow, you receive the opposite of your desired result; you end up constipated. In this case, inspirationally constipated.The goal is to allow your creativity to flow through you like that of a river; no one tries to force a river to flow. They flow because that’s what rivers [...]
Some Thoughts on the Houston Weekend Retreat
I just got back from conducting a Write Your Book in a Weekend Retreat at Unity of Houston, where everyone in attendance finished writing their books in less than two days. Aside from this being an amazing accomplishment for all the authors in attendance, the reason I am writing to you about this particular retreat is because I believe there was a very significant message for all of us, which I have been led to share with you.So here goes.The major message I received and was strongly encouraged to share with you is this: never before in the history of the Earth from which we all originated and the world in which we currently inhabit have we become closer to being one than we are now.What does that mean to you as both a person and an author?First: When a true soul-felt intention is set you will receive the results you seek faster [...]