1. A Reason to Use a Pen Name
Authors write--it's what we do. But sometimes we write a book that doesn't exactly fit our brand. Derek Haines discusses when the use of a pen name is appropriate.
2. Dictating a Book
Software technology has advanced to the level where dictating a book is actually possible--at least for a first draft. This article has some good tips for authors who choose to go this route.
3. 11 Mistakes New Self Published Authors Make
More tough love. Excellent advice, however. Sometimes we need to hear these things.
4. Createspace penalizes international authors
The writer of this linked piece points out the shortcomings of Createspace for an international author. Something to think about if you ever find yourself living overseas. (Some American authors also have reservations about Createspace, but that's a story for another time).
5. Fifty Shades of Bad Movie
When a blockbuster novel is made into a movie, it usually helps the novel. In the case of Fifty Shades of Grey that doesn't appear to be the case. It received a razzie nomination for worst movie of the year.
6. Oscar Nominated movie based on a novel
The flip side of the movie coin is the novel Room. The author of best-selling novel Room was so confident it would be a hit movie she wrote the screenplay for it before the book was published. Now it's nominated for an Oscar.
7. Revisiting David Oglive's 10 Tips for Business Writing
David Oglive was an advertising genius. We are all in the business of advertising when we promote our work. PR Daily recently went back and looked at his famous 10 tips, and they hold up. Recommended reading.
8. A new category of author--the Artisanal Published author
This is a much needed new label in the publishing world. There's a big gap between traditional publishing and self publishing. Hybrid publishers are a middle ground (sharing the costs and profits with authors). Slightly closer to self-publishing, artisanal publishing is a good name for high quality self-publishing. More at the link.
9. What Can Hollywood Teach Brands About Content Marketing?
Dave Wishnowsky is a local writer who examines the lessons Hollywood teaches us as brands. Not all of it is applicable to authors, but it's worth a read to get your brain in a marketing mindset.
10. Publishing and Publicity Packages
At Chicago Author Solutions we've been signing up clients that need all sorts of help in the publishing process. This link takes you to a few of our packages. Remember that each individual part of the process is available on an ala carte basis. You can e-mail either of us for more information (david@eckhartzpress.com, rick@eckhartzpress.com)
