Ever notice those footpaths between bushes, those stomped down walkways that go from a parking lot to the sidewalk, the ones clearly NOT planned by the landscaper where folks have made their own trail to get from Point A to Point B?Those are called Desire Paths. That's a term architects use to desire "non-authorized" walkways. Ones that occur spontaneously rather than through top-down planning.You and I must establish Desire Paths to our books if … [Read more...] about Desire Paths–Why Authors Must Create Them to Sell Books
Travels with Joe: What It's Like to Follow J.A. Konrath Around for a Day Visiting Booksellers
Despite the fact he was recovering from the stomach flu, Joe (aka JA) Konrath made it clear we'd hit the ground here in St. Louis with my SUV tires spinning. We managed to visit 11 bookstores and one library in six hours. (I think…I have to admit my head was spinning almost as much as my tires.)We did not call in advance, so these were all stock-signing opportunities, or as Joe said, "We're here to be ambassadors." He waved a yellow paper … [Read more...] about Travels with Joe: What It's Like to Follow J.A. Konrath Around for a Day Visiting Booksellers
What Published Authors Do That Non-Published Authors Won't
In a few minutes, I'll leave to teach a class called "The Practical Guide to Getting Published." I'm all prepared except for changing out of my jeans. I have this nifty 14-page handout with all sorts of resources, and I have tons of stories.I tell all my students this: "You might not like what I have to say, you might disagree with what I have to say, but please know, that what I tell you is the truth according to my experience or the truth as … [Read more...] about What Published Authors Do That Non-Published Authors Won't
A Crafty Type of Girl
That's what my friend Rosemary Harris calls me. You know how you meet someone and even without a lot of chatter, you recognize a "kindred spirit"? Yep. That's how I feel about Ro. She's very elegant, very smart and you can almost see the wheels clicking as she listens because she's REALLY tuned in and thoughtful. (The page above is a "virtual" cupcake from me to Ro. Enjoy!)Ro is celebrating her new book The Big Dirt Nap. Nab it now--I predict it … [Read more...] about A Crafty Type of Girl
Missing: A Mysterious Gathering of Tales
by Amy AlessioWhat a treat to blog on this site. I really enjoyed Joanna's mystery and love to make scrapbook cookbooks for folks. (I'm a cookbook junkie: http://vintagecookbooks.blogspot.com)It's an even bigger privilege to write about Missing: A Mysterious Gathering of Tales. In 2007, Echelon Press President Karen Syed asked me to contribute a story to her anthology The Heat of the Moment, benefiting the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County, … [Read more...] about Missing: A Mysterious Gathering of Tales
Tweet, Tweet, Tweet–and You Could Win a Big Box of Books!
Argh. Every day I open my email and think: I don't have time for all this. I especially don't have time to update my website, to check all the posts on all the list-serves I belong to, visit every online community I need to, and comment on everyone's blog as I should.But I do have time to Twitter. Apparently, the rest of the world agrees. The site has reported an eight-fold rise in visitors since 2007, and in December reported 2.7 million people … [Read more...] about Tweet, Tweet, Tweet–and You Could Win a Big Box of Books!
