Latest posts
Calls to Action for Authors
/ 2025-10-24While assisting author Raven Digitalis to promote his new book, I noticed that his promotional emails were getting better responses than my own pitches for articles and new clients. More than 60% of our cold pitches for promoting Raven’s book (and requesting reviews) had worked, yet I was only getting... Read More
The Gatekeepers Versus Your Heart’s Dream
/ 2025-10-24“Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for you'll be criticized anyway.” — Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) Keep the above in mind as I opine here. I just read an editorial from someone who'd been attempting to traditionally publish for a handful of years. Dozens of queries.... Read More
How We Want What We Read
/ 2025-10-24We don't see things as they are. We see them as we are." ~Anais Nin Readers want to read stories by people. They want to read how someone else sees the world, to compare that viewpoint with how they see the world. It doesn't matter whether you're talking nonfiction or... Read More
Getting Started on Substack
/ 2025-10-17Many writers and authors, both aspiring and established, are turning to Substack as a way to grow audiences, showcase work and build a new hustle. Substack blends the intimacy you get from a blog with the professionalism of an email newsletter, with the possible bonus of paid subscriptions. But is... Read More
Which Do You Prefer to Read Online?
/ 2025-10-17Let me be clearer. When you sit down at your computer, to read about your favorite writer or catch up on literary news, which media do you prefer to read? 1) Facebook 2) Instagram 3) Substack 4) Website/blog 5) Email newsletter Over the years, now decades since people began incorporating... Read More
Around the Corner
/ 2025-10-17I heard a soul song created by AI today that made my chin drop, because it was that good. The time when AI will create music, literature, and visual art is just around the corner. All the more need for you to develop yourself as a brand. If your readers... Read More
Quicker Turnaround Income
/ 2025-10-17If there’s a single lesson I’ve learned in writing full-time, it’s that emergencies are inevitable. Food budgets run short, bills pile up, or there’s a medical situation or repair that needs urgent attention and grains time and money—often when the next publication date is far away, as is the payment... Read More
Copyright Before or After Publication?
/ 2025-10-17I personally had this question not long ago, with the advent of Hidden on Edisto, book 13 of The Edisto Island Mysteries. With the onset of Anthropic's $1.5B lawsuit settlement, I realized just how important copyright could be. If I could afford to file for copyright, why not do it? So I... Read More
Mining All Your Interests
/ 2025-10-03Once upon a time, there was a girl, and from an early age (10), she knew she wanted to be a writer. She went to college to study writing. After she was done with her schooling, she got her first full-time teaching job. This was in 1990. But she ran... Read More
Even Stephen King
/ 2025-10-03I have preached many times about being careful promoting your religious, political, and social opinions. Yes, you have the right. But also, others have the right to delete, cancel, and cease reading your work when they can't put that off to the side when they see your work. Stephen... Read More
