Archive for September 2024
Copying the Style of Other Writers
How do you reach the level of success other writers have? Do you just copy what they do? That might work in the logistical sense, such as using great tools they’ve found or managing a book campaign in a certain way. But what about your voice? Should you just copy the style of others? If…
Read MoreWhy You Need to Write Your First Book (Even If It’s Bad)
When I was around 16, I got the idea into my head that I could write my first book. After all, I’d been writing tons of short stories. No one was telling me no or to be more realistic (although in hindsight, that was a product of neglect rather than of being encouraged to find…
Read MoreThe Most Expensive Book in the World
What’s the most you’d pay for a book? $50? $100? Most books are between $1 to $30, depending on format, genre, etc. But that pales in comparison to the most expensive set of volumes ever sold. The most expensive collection is The Birds of America by John James Audubon. Worth $11.5 million, the original collection…
Read MoreShould You Do a Cover Reveal?
If you’ve been on social media at all within the writing community, you know its common for an author to do a cover reveal. Sometimes, the reveal is a low-key announcement post. But others do serious marketing around the reveal and turn it into a full-blown event. They have a party, go live, and hype…
Read MoreShould You Repost Your Old Content As a Writer?
Over nearly 20 years, I’ve written thousands (yes, thousands) of pieces. But I rarely repost. Here’s why I don’t reschedule the bulk of my work. Watch/Subscribe It’s true that social media moves so quickly that giving people another shot at seeing the content is rational. Reposting means you can have a lot of content going…
Read MoreWhat Writers Sacrifice When They Follow Trends
I’ve noticed something over the years about some of the writers who get a lot of reads: They find a topic they can spin from a lot of angles as small new developments continue to come in. It’s often a topic that people are emotionally invested in or can learn from in some way. I’ve…
Read MoreThe Way We Teach Writing Is Bad
You probably remember it. Your English teacher carefully goes through how to write a formal essay, do an outline, and so on. You spend a ton of time on figuring out how to do citations. Aaaaand when you try to get into writing, you realize nobody enjoys that. (Like, nobody.) We do need to understand…
Read MoreTakingdictation.com Goes Biweekly
Dear readers, Those of you who follow my work know that I have maintained a weekly blog schedule for a long time. I have no shortage of ideas and advice I want to share, so coming up with content week after week is easy. What’s not so easy is maintaining a weekly schedule when I…
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