Need to track down additional details for your next book? Trying to confirm if a quirky tidbit your client gave you to use in a presentation is truth or fiction? Searching for background material to use in your informational website project? The Internet continues to make research tasks for writers as easy as point, click, read. And when the research is easier, you get more done in less time. That’s working smarter. Here are a few helpful resource sites for writers and authors: Read the rest of this entry

If you are a writer or author and you are NOT using Google Alerts – or don’t even know what they are – you are missing one of the best no-cost research assistants on the planet. Here’s how to capitalize on this high-value, at-your-fingertips resource: Read the rest of this entry

Last week I told you about Amanda Hocking, the virtually unknown, self-published fiction author who suddenly found her digital books solidly planted at the top of Amazon’s bestseller’s list, netting her millions of dollars in less than a year. At age 26, it is a dream realized early in her career. What was her no-cost secret weapon to finding a following—and book buyers? Book bloggers. Book bloggers have become increasingly influential and can collectively reach millions of potential readers, thereby turning books into best sellers.

No one can guarantee that you’ll experience the same success as Amanda, but you can certainly give it a try by emulating her savvy move to get her book into the hands of book bloggers. Here’s how: Read the rest of this entry

I love a good David versus Goliath story and this one about a young author’s journey to publication both warms my heart and makes me a bit jealous. More importantly for this post, however, is that the story is filled with solid how-to information for anyone who dares to dream the writer’s dream of making a living by doing what you love—writing. The sensational aspect of this story is that a 26-year old girl from Austin, Minnesota, who could not attract the attention of a traditional publisher for her novels, recently sold more than 900,000 copies of her books on Amazon and is now a multi-millionaire. Even more amazing is that she did it without spending a dime on advertising or spending time on the talk circuit. How did she do it? Read the rest of this entry