Angela Booth's Writing Blog

Around the Blogs This Week: Self-Publishing, Ebooks, Write a Book

Here’s what we discussed on the blogs this week…

Write a Book Today: Just Start Writing

There’s never been a better time to write a book. You can write AND SELL your book profitably, because the Amazon Kindle platform makes it possible for you. The gatekeepers have gone.

Write and Get Paid: How to Keep the Money Rolling In

I’ve had several questions this week about getting paid for your writing, so it’s time to revisit the topic.

Self-Publishing: How to Write a Book in Your Spare Time

You want to write a book, but you have no time. Me neither. I’m so busy doing so many things, that if I waited until I had plenty of time I’d never get started on a book.

Stop Thinking: 3 Simple Steps to Writing Anything You Choose

Are you thinking too much?

When my sons were tiny, I said that I’d have “Go and wash your hands!” as my epitaph. These days I spend a lot of time coaching writers, so I’m choosing: “You’re over-thinking this” as my new epitaph.

Write a Book: 4 Easy Ways to Start Your Book TODAY

You want to write a book. You’ve heard that there’s money to be made (LOTS of money) writing ebooks for the Kindle and other ereader platforms.

You’re ready, willing and able, but… you don’t know how to start.

Ebook Questions: What to Write? What Sells?

The release of my Ebook Sales Formula has generated questions, lots of questions.

The two most common questions have been: “How do I get started writing my book?” and “What sells?”.

Writing Life: 5 Ways to Tell if You’re a Real Writer

Wondering if you’re a “real” writer?

Some common writers’ traits are anti-social.

Apple’s iBooks Author: Easier Than Ever Self-Publishing?

If you’re a Kindle author, you’ll be interested in Apple’s just-released application, iBooks Author.

iBooks Author Insanity: Avoid the App, or Be Owned

I was SO excited when Apple released iBooks Author. I love Apple — or at least I DID love Apple. I’m disgusted now.

Around the Blogs This Week: Writing, Kindle Publishing, Make Money

Here’s what we discussed on the blogs this week…

Writing Made Easy: Access the Deep Power of Your Mind

You’re much smarter than you think you are. To access all that buried wisdom, you need to do one simple thing: get into the habit of asking questions.

Easy Author: Writing a Book Is Easy when You Have the Right Attitude

Here’s what I’ve learned over a lifetime: attitude is everything in life. If you feel you CAN do something, you’re 95 per cent of the way there. This is especially true when you’re writing a book.

Post a Sample of Your Book, Get an Agent

Many authors are wary of posting their material online. You shouldn’t be.

Kindle Self-Publishing: Write What Sells

The Amazon Kindle’s generating the biggest stir in publishing since Gutenberg. These days, not only do you not need a publisher, signing a book contract with a publisher may mean that you lose money…

Make Money Writing: 7 Easy Ways to Make Money from Your Website In 2012

As old Sam Johnson would have it: “No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money.” Keep this in mind when you create a website — if you want to make money with it, you need to know HOW you’ll make that money, ideally before you create the site.

Intuition and Freelance Writing: Pay Attention to Yourself

Do you pay attention to yourself?

Sadly, if you’re a new freelance writer, chances are that you don’t. Once you’ve been writing for money for a few years however, you’ll come to understand that your intuition is a gift, and you’ll pay close attention to it.

Write and Make Money: Mind-blowing Numbers in Amazon Kindle Publishing

Want to make money — real money? Author Joe Konrath’s made $100,000 in just three weeks on Amazon.

Get Rich Quick via Kindle Publishing? Probably Not

Kindle publishing isn’t a way to get rich quick if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Remember, you’re writing a book. You need to learn how to do that, and chances are that you can’t learn in just one book.

11 Things I’d Do if I Were Starting a Writing Career Today

Working with writing students is huge fun for me. I absolutely love it. However, it’s also depressing, because I often wish I were 30 years younger.

I wish I’d known then, what I know now.

Around the Blogs This Week: New Year's Resolutions, Writing in 2012

Here’s what we discussed on the blogs this week…

My Top 3 New Year’s Resolutions for My Writing

New Year, new diary, new calendar… I’ve chosen my top 3 New Year’s resolutions for my writing this year.

Top Opportunities for Writers in 2012: Develop a Content Strategy Service

As the Web becomes ever more crowded and competitive, it’s not enough for your clients just to publish content. They need a strategy for that content, and you can provide it.

Web Writing: Assessing The Voice of a Website

You’re a Web writer, so you should be comfortable not only with your own voice, but also confident in developing, and then using, different voices when you write for clients. But what’s a “voice”?

Incredible Writing Opportunities: The Web Every 60 Seconds

The Web’s HUGE. Discover what happens on the Web in just 60 seconds. Then think about all the opportunities you have because you have writing skills…

Top Opportunities for Writers in 2012: Ghostwrite Bios and Resumes

Here’s a question for you: what’s the worst-written (in the sense of least effective and unproductive) page on many websites?

Writing Articles: 5 Ways to Make It Easier By Exercising Your Creativity

Writing articles is fun, and it can be hugely profitable too — you can turn it into a business. However, to do that effectively, without suffering burn out, you need to exercise your creativity.

Your Writing in 2012: Create 12 Resolutions to Improve Your Writing and Income

Here we are in a brand new year. Everything is possible — allow yourself to dream BIG. Create some New Year’s resolutions for your writing. Here are 12 resolutions you could make.

Giggle of the Day: “I’d Like to Buy Your Novel”

One of the funniest things I’ve ever read…

Writing for Love and Money: 10 Simple Tips

Writing is simple and easy. Paradoxically however, it’s also blindingly complex and difficult. Here’s the good news: whether it’s simple or complex is up to you — it depends on your mindset.

Writing Success: Use Organic Writing to “Grow” Your Writing

Want to get stuck with your writing? Here’s a guaranteed way: approach your writing cold. Sit down at your computer without having the slightest idea of what you want to write, and why. Avoid this, please. You’re wasting time and energy.

Giggle of the Day: Writer? Fight Back Against Reviewers

Your book's on Amazon. You've just received a review. You want to throw things and grind your teeth, but you're too mature to do that.

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition -- you get to fight back, on THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEW.

I love this a *** review:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEW: Almost Couldn't Stomach It:

"I rarely write bad reviews. I mean, Twilight for crying out loud is HORRIBLE writing and still has me drooling all over it and loving every ounce of sappy-sappyness it has to offer. That being said, this book is just horrible writing AND a horrible storyline. "

Priceless. :-)

 

Giggle of the Day: "I'd Like to Buy Your Novel"

Love this...

McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: I’d Like to Buy Your Novel, Good Sir!:

"Now I must ask, what is your piece about? I’ve only been able to gather so much from peeking over your shoulder. You say it’s a story about “a boy who likes a girl but she already has a douchebag boyfriend,” and that it’s “based loosely” on your time in high school? You know, all of the world’s best work is born out of a tormented self truth. "

Read it all. It's a gem. :-)

 

Around the Blogs This Week: Ebooks, Kindle, Writing Opportunities

Here’s what we discussed on the blogs this week…

Top Opportunities for Writers in 2012: Create a Money-Making Blog

Hundreds of thousands of bloggers are making money blogging, so this opportunity should be an easy opportunity for you to make money in 2012. So it is, but you need to get off on the right foot. Make a mistake, and your blog will never make money. Sad, but true.

Ebooks: Make Money With Kindle Publishing Resources

Kindle publishing is huge for writers now, and it will become even bigger in 2012.

12 Writing Challenges YOU CAN Eliminate In 2012

Got writing challenges? Relax. Every writer has challenges. Here’s the good news: if you can recognize them, you can eliminate them.

12 Easy Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills In 2012

Want to improve your writing skills in 2012? Here are 12 easy ways.

Top Opportunities for Writers in 2012: Create Websites for Companies

Creating websites for companies which aren’t online already, and/ or boosting the content for companies which have a minimal online presence is a top opportunity for you in 2012.

Writing For Money: “How Much Can I Make?”

Here’s the question writers ask me most often (surprisingly, the question’s equally popular with experienced writers, as it is with new writers): “How much can I make?”

Here’s the answer: I don’t know, and no one else knows, either.

Kill Your Resistance to Writing in 2012

2011 is almost behind us… Here’s a resolution for you: “In 2012, I kill my resistance. I live up to my potential as a writer.”

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, dear writer...

I wish you everything you wish for yourself in 2012. :-)

 

Writing On Paper: I Feel Better Now

I love gadgets. This means that I own computers, an iPhone, iPad etc -- but I also have a serious stationery fetish. Not to mention a fountain pen collection. And Moleskines...

Here's why: I think better on paper than I do on the computer. Although this is fine, I kept wondering WHY I think better with a pen or pencil in my hand.

I found the answer. And I feel better now. :-)

From A Note on Paper: The Human Interface:

"Not every note I jot down has to make immediate sense. (Please suspend your thoughts about how that state lingers on until the comments.) Most note-taking software I've seen works very hard to translate the scratches I write into explicit characters or symbols. I have used certain symbols to mean particular things - for example, > to mean "make this idea into a heading," and < to mean "make this parenthetical.""

That's it. My notes don't need to make sense to me, right away.

Also, instead of copying and pasting, and calling that note-taking, I think as I write, and what I write sticks in my memory. I can go back over what I've written (with a highlighter, a red or green pen, and edit.) Later, when I get around to the "real" writing, on my computer, I've digested what I've read.

What about you? Have you eliminated pens and paper from your life? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Around the Blogs This Week: Christmas, Make Money Writing

Here’s what we discussed on the blogs this week…

A Christmas Carol: Get Into The Spirit Of The Season

It’s that time of year again… Time to get into the spirit of the season (pun intended), by reading Dickens’ immortal A Christmas Carol.

Writing Articles for Love and Cash: 4 Easy Tips You Can Use Today

Want to make money writing? If you love to write, one of the easiest ways to generate cash is by writing articles. Unfortunately, the competition’s huge. This means that payment’s very low. You need to make your articles stand out, if you want to thrive.

A Writer’s Christmas: How To Ensure It’s A Merry One

The holidays are almost upon us. Getting excited yet? I am. At this time of year, your writing can be crowded out with holiday preparations. Don’t let that happen. Otherwise you can wake up sometime in January to find that you’re missing deadlines, your client list is shrinking, and you need money now to pay those pesky credit card bills.

Top Opportunities for Writers in 2012: Offer Curation Services

In our first post in our new series,Top Opportunities for Writers in 2012, we discussed the importance of fresh content for websites in the wake of Google’s new update. This means that you can make money by offering “updating” services to your clients. Our next opportunity for writers in 2012 is offering curation services.

Ebook Writing and Selling: Questions Answered

I’ve had several questions about writing and selling ebooks this week, so let’s answer them here.

Write a Book: Use Charles Dickens’ Method to Plan Your Book

You’ve created a blurb for your book. You’ve even created an outline. Now comes the writing. Unfortunately, few things go according to plan. When you’re writing a book, nothing goes according to plan.

Make Money: Five Resolutions for Your Article Writing Business

If you’re looking for a work from home opportunity, writing articles for businesses may be for you, especially if you enjoy writing. You can live anywhere you choose, and the startup costs are minimal.

By Bye 2011: My Favorite Fab Freelance Writing Blog Posts

Here are my favorite Fab Freelance Writing Blog posts for the year.

Top Opportunities for Writers in 2012: Writing Kindle Ebooks

I’m sure you’re wondering whether you can actually make a living by self-publishing ebooks. But is this opportunity for you?

Easy WordPress for Writers: Tips for WordPress newbies

You’re a writer. You’re using WordPress. Excellent — WordPress is amazing, but it can be intimidating, too. Here are four tips which will help you to get comfortable.

An iPad Christmas: Was Santa Kind to You?

Depending on where you are in the world, Santa may have already arrived. If you received an iPad, happy days! Your iPad will change your life.

Dear Writer, Itz Santa! (hugs)

Merry Christmas, dear writer!:-)

Have a wonderful day...

 

 

Top Opportunities for Writers in 2012

Want to make 2012 your best writing year ever? It's time to explore some of the top opportunities for writers in 2012.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be covering various opportunities. I hope that several will be new to you, and that at least one will get your heart pumping and mind buzzing with inspiration.

To date, I've covered two prime opportunities:

* Google's "freshness" update;

* Content curation.

I'll be publishing the opportunities on the freelance writing blog.

By the way, I'll be updating you on writing industry news via Twitter, right throughout the holidays. So, if you get bored, join me.

There's never been a better time to be a writer -- enjoy. :-)

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A Christmas Carol: Get Into The Spirit Of The Season

It's that time of year again... Time to get into the spirit of the season (pun intended), by reading Dickens' immortal A Christmas Carol.

You can't resist the opening paragraph:

MARLEY was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it: and Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

And the ending's enough to bring a tear to your eye, no matter how cynical you are:

He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!

So, get yourself over to Project Gutenberg, and download A Christmas Carol in the format of your choice. (It's free.)

Read it yourself, or read it aloud to anyone who'll listen; if you have kids, read it to them at bedtime. Make it a family tradition to read this classic aloud each year.

By Christmas day, you'll join Tiny Tim and say, with joy in your heart: God bless Us, Every One!

 

 

 

 

Around the Blogs This Week: Kindle Novels, Finding Sources, Writers' Traits

Here’s what we discussed on the blogs this week…

Only Readers Matter: Focus On Readers and Conquer Rejection

Readers are right. Everyone else is WRONG. Darcie Chan’s rejected novel sold 400,000 digital copies in seven months. She’s attracting attention from movie studios and others.

Website Flipping: How to Price a Website and Make it Sell

Have you checked out the Merry Christmas Treasure Bundle yet? I chose the products for the bundle especially for you, so that you can start 2012 with a BANG, and make it your most profitable year ever. Write to Flip is part of the bundle.

Write a Kindle Novel: Write Within a Genre

Kindle novels outsell fiction 6 to one. I’ve had several questions about writing novels for the Kindle (and other ereaders) over the past few days, so I might as well answer them here.

Crazy Writer: 12 Novels in 2012

What are you doing in 2012? Bless Matt Forbeck, because he’s got an insane plan for 2012 — he’s writing 12 novels.

2011 Wrapping Up: “Best of 2011″ Ezine Issues

As part of wrapping things up for the year, I’ve been reviewing responses to the weekly Fab Freelance Writing Ezine issues. As you know, the ezine’s not archived, so I get lots of messages from readers who beg me for issues they missed.

Help! Finding Sources For Writing Pitches

If you’re looking for sources for writing pitches for magazines, or websites, the Internet can seem vast and intimidating. Here are some fast and easy ways to find the sources you need.

Two Writers’ Traits Clients Hate

If you’re a writer, chances are you have a couple of traits your clients hate. These two traits are common among writers. The good news: they’re easy to overcome, as long as make an effort to do so.

Top Tools For Writers in 2011: These are mine, share yours

What are your top writing tools in 2011 — the tools you actually use every day? I’ve listed some of mine, please share yours in the comments.

Top Opportunities for Writers in 2012: Freshness Means Writing Jobs

We’re in the final weeks of 2011, so let’s look at some of the fantastic opportunities for savvy writers in 2012. The first opportunity comes to you courtesy of Google.

Writing Fiction: Ebooks For Fiction Writers

Fiction’s the hot new thing in ebook writing. Novels and short stories out-sell nonfiction 6 to 1 on the Kindle store.

Writers are taking to fiction writing with gusto, and I’ve had many questions about which of my writing guides will help you to create fiction.

Writing Fiction: Ebooks For Fiction Writers

Fiction's the hot new thing in ebook writing. Novels and short stories out-sell nonfiction 6 to 1 on the Kindle store.

Writers are taking to fiction writing with gusto, and I've had many questions about which of my writing guides will help you to create fiction.

So, I've made a list:

* The Write A Book Collection

The "Write a Book" collection shows you exactly HOW to write and sell your books FAST, and have fun while you're doing it.

You'll be writing quality books, and building an audience. This means that you're building a long-lasting career. Not only that… Once you have an audience, publishers will be eager to snap you up: you'll be their ideal author.

* Words into Cash: Write and Sell Your Ebook in Just 8 Hours

The benefit of writing and selling ebooks is that once written, they can keep on selling forever.

Would you trade eight hours for an income stream? Even if you did this just a couple of times a year, you've created little income streams which flood money into your bank account.

* Kindle Gold Rush -- Auto Pilot Income For Writers

A complete package for you which enables you to take advantage of this hot new publishing opportunity: writing for the Kindle and other ereaders. You can create an autopilot income.

 

Around the Blogs This Week: Ebooks, Christmas Treasures, Writing Tips

Here’s what we discussed on the blogs this week…

Ebook Writing Process: Promote As You Write

Writing and selling ebooks is the easiest way to make money from your writing, long after you’ve written it. In Words into Cash: Write and Sell Your Ebook in Just 8 Hours, I give you a super-simple way to write your ebooks, without floundering, so you just get it DONE.

Christmas Treasures For Writers

The holiday season is almost upon us. This year, as always, we have a Christmas Bundle of products for you.

Sell Your Heart Out — No, Really, I’m Not Kidding

Writers hate marketing. Selling anything, much less ourselves, makes us nervous. Here’s the solution, and it’s a simple one: just do it. Get used to marketing yourself, OR confine yourself to an itty bitty writing career. (And don’t complain if you choose to do that — it’s YOUR choice.)

WordPress for Writers 1: Which WordPress?

Every writer now knows that he/ she needs a blog. That blog of course, should be WordPress.

Therefore, our new series will focus on the ins and outs of WordPress. I have dozens of WordPress blogs, which means that I know the strengths, and the weaknesses, of WordPress for writers.

Piggyback Your Way to Success

Over the years, I’ve coached many writers. All successful writers discover that they’re not alone. They make professional contacts, and then piggyback their way to success.

Writing Secret: The Power Of Introductions

You’re a writer. You need profession contacts, but how do you make them? Never underestimate the power of introductions.

Pick Yourself: Words of Wisdom From Seth Godin

Seth Godin is a marketing genius. He advises that you don’t wait for a publisher to pick you; pick yourself.

Writing Tip for 2012: Get Proactive

I’ll be giving you lots of tips to make 2012 your best writing year ever over the next few weeks. So, here’s the first one: get PROACTIVE.

Want An Agent? Don’t Shoot Yourself In the Foot

Want an agent? If you do, try not to shoot yourself in the foot.