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March 23, 2014 By Anne R. Allen 237 Comments

Building Platform: What Most Writers are Getting Wrong

Building Platform: What Most Writers are Getting Wrong

by Anne R. Allen   Writers know we need a “platform” these days. That means we need to be on Twitter and FaceBook and Google+ and LinkedIn and Pinterest and Tumblr and have a blog with a ton of followers and get 100s of reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and drive ourselves batty keeping up […]

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Filed Under: Blogging for Authors, Self-Publishing, Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Publishing Business, Writing Craft Tagged With: Catherine Ryan Hyde, Click farms, Elizabeth S. Craig, Facebook, Google rank, Kristin Nelson, Sarah Burnes, Scratch magazine, social media for authors, Social Media Marketing, The Passive Voice

July 28, 2013 By Ruth Harris 32 Comments

The Writer’s Toolkit: Must-Haves for Today’s Author, with Links to FREE Downloads

The Writer’s Toolkit: Must-Haves for Today’s Author, with Links to FREE Downloads

by Ruth Harris   As a follow up to Anne’s post, How To Get A Book Published for new or beginning writers, we’ve decided to post a list of the must-haves and the beyond-the-basics that belong in every writer’s toolbox. Even writers just starting out will probably already have at least some of these tools, but there […]

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Filed Under: E-Books and Technology for Writers, Self-Publishing Tagged With: Calibre, Elizabeth Joss, How to get a book published, India Drummond, Jutoh, Keith Blount, Nisus, Scrivener, Sigil, software for self-publishers, The Passive Voice

February 17, 2013 By Anne R. Allen 61 Comments

12 Social Media Mistakes for Authors to Avoid

by Anne R. Allen   Are you “building platform” or just annoying people? This week, author Mary W. Walters blogged that promoting your books on Facebook and Twitter is a total waste of time for book sales. That’s because Social Media is not for selling books. It’s for making friends—friends we hope will help us in our […]

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Filed Under: Social Media and Marketing For Writers Tagged With: Anne R. Allen, Bit.ly, David Gaughran, Elizabeth Ann West, Elizabeth S. Craig, Facebook, Kristen Lamb, Mary W. Walters, Social Media, The Passive Voice, The Tech-Savvy Author, Twitter

October 21, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 35 Comments

What if J. K. Rowling had used a Pseudonym? Should Authors Use Different Names for Different Genres?

What if J. K. Rowling had used a Pseudonym? Should Authors Use Different Names for Different Genres?

by Anne R. Allen   This post was originally written in October, 2012. Here’s an update: July 14, 2013. It seems the critically acclaimed detective novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling was written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. Here’s an article in the Telegraph with details about the new revelation.  It got great reviews, but […]

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Filed Under: Social Media and Marketing For Writers, The Publishing Business, The Writing Life Tagged With: Ann Patchett, Anne Gallagher, author branding, D. G. Sandru, Dean Wesley Smith, J. K. Rowling, Justin Cronin, Mary Sisson, pseudonym, Robynne Rand, The Daily Show, The Passive Voice, Tom Simon, using a pen name

October 14, 2012 By Anne R. Allen 27 Comments

Beware the Seven Deadly Writing Scams

We first ran into Lila Moore’s scam-alerts at The Passive Voice. We visited her new watchdog site, PopularSoda.com and were impressed with all her savvy advice. Indie publishing has generated lots of new money-wasters and scams. Popular Soda adds an indie-focused viewpoint to other author-advocate voices like Writer Beware and Preditors and Editors. Whether you’re traditionally published or indie, the following tips can […]

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Filed Under: Scams and Alerts for Writers, Social Media and Marketing For Writers Tagged With: Alexa Ratings, Author scams, Duolit, First Rights, Lila Moore, paid reviews, PopularSoda.com, Preditors and Editors, RG2E, Social Media, The Passive Voice, Writer Beware, Writing scams

August 28, 2011 By Ruth Harris 40 Comments

Where Do You Get Your Ideas? There’s an App for That! How to Create Your Personal Idea Goldmine.

Where Do You Get Your Ideas? There’s an App for That! How to Create Your Personal Idea Goldmine.

 by Ruth Harris   Today we have our first regular monthly post from Ruth Harris. Ruth is in NYC, so she very well may be without power today, so if we don’t hear from her, we can blame Irene. All of you East-Coasters, hang in there: you’re in our thoughts. I think the most common […]

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Filed Under: The Writing Life, Writing Craft Tagged With: Anne R. Allen, Evernote, How to find plot ideas, Lawrence Block, Ruth Harris, The Passive Voice, Write it Sideways 101 best tips for writers

June 26, 2011 By Anne R. Allen 63 Comments

Literary Agents: An Endangered Species?

Literary Agents: An Endangered Species?

  by Anne R. Allen   Publishing keeps zooming into the future:   This week, J.K. Rowling announced she’s self-publishing the Harry Potter ebooks, and as one agent tweeted “why [does] she need a publisher anymore? I predict Pottermore becomes her sole publisher.” On the same day, Publishers Lunch announced yet another agent, Sarah Dickman, is leaving agenting […]

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Filed Under: The Publishing Business Tagged With: Agent Savant, Andrea Brown, Catherine Ryan Hyde, J. K. Rowling, Kris Rusch, Kristin Nelson, Laurie McLean, Literary agents, Meredith Barnes, Michelle Davidson Argyle, Pottermore, The Passive Voice

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Anne R. AllenAnne R. Allen writes funny mysteries and how-to-books for writers. She also writes poetry and short stories on occasion. She’s a contributor to Writer’s Digest and the Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market.

Her bestselling Camilla Randall Mystery Series features perennially down-on-her-luck former socialite Camilla Randall—who is a magnet for murder, mayhem and Mr. Wrong, but always solves the mystery in her quirky, but oh-so-polite way.

Ruth Harris NYT best selling authorRuth is a million-copy New York Times bestselling author, Romantic Times award winner, former Big 5 editor, publisher, and news junkie.

Her emotional, entertaining women’s fiction and critically praised novels have sold millions of copies in hard cover, paperback and ebook editions, been translated into 19 languages, sold in 30 countries, and were prominent selections of leading book clubs including the Literary Guild and the Book Of The Month Club.

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