The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

An Interview with Author Paulette Harris on Publishing

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Author Paulette Harris

I welcome multi-published author Paulette Harris to my blog today. Paulette is a delightful lady with a heart for God and a desire to help others.

Because Paulette is celebrating her birthday this month, one lucky person will win a print copy of her book Vapors. I’ll randomly choose someone from those who leave a comment. Comments will be open Friday through Sunday, so you’ll have a chance to win if you missed reading on Friday.

The winner will be announced on Monday, so be sure to visit again to see if you’ve won.

Let’s find out what advice Paulette has for writers about the publishing business.

[Read more…] about An Interview with Author Paulette Harris on Publishing

The Dreaded Rejection Letter & Why Editors Write Them

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Rejected manuscriptRejection letters.

Most writers dislike them. At least most of my writer friends do.

Rejection letters are discouraging and leave a nasty feeling in the pit of your stomach.

As the editorial director for CrossRiver Media, I can tell you I don’t like writing rejection letters anymore than I, as a writer, like getting them.

And, I will venture to say, [Read more…] about The Dreaded Rejection Letter & Why Editors Write Them

Ready for Repurposing?

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The Repurposed and Upcylced Life

My life is a good example of what my guest Michelle Rayburn has to share today. We all have bad experiences and hurts in our lives. Whether we allow God to work in, through, and with them is up to us.

At the age of 42 I started life over. And piece by piece God has created a new me. I use my skill as a writer to encourage and teach other writers so they in turn can share what God has done in their lives and shine the light of God into a dark world. Are you …

Ready for Repurposing? by Michelle Rayburn

I love trash to treasure and shabby chic decorating. In the decorating world, I would describe repurposing as the process of giving a worn out or abandoned object a new purpose—usually something imaginative and clever—despite it being too broken for its original use. One of my favorite repurposed possessions is the vintage bicycle I have in my flowerbed. The tires are flat and the gears shot, but it holds a basket of flowers in its rusty “arms” and the whimsical presence makes me smile. [Read more…] about Ready for Repurposing?

Top Twitter Tools for Authors

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Social media. Love it or hate it.

Utilizing it is a fact of life for authors. There are a multitude out there, with new ones emerging all the time. I understand how daunting it can be.

Today I have a special guest post for you from Twitter expert Jo Linsdell. Jo is a best selling author, illustrator, and internationally recognized marketing expert based in Italy. She has just launched her latest book How to be Twittertastic.Author Jo Linsdell

Top Twitter Tools for Authors
By Jo Linsdell

Are you ready to be Twittertastic?

Twitter is the most immediate of all social media and allows you to connect with readers and others from the literary industry from all over the world. The fastest growing network with a 44% growth from 2012-2013 Twitter now boasts 255 million monthly active users.

A lot of authors shy away from social media as they think it will eat into their writing time too much. The beauty of Twitter is that everything is bite-sized. Coming up with something of 140 characters or less isn’t going to take away too much of your time.

Today I’m going to share with you some of my favourite tools and why they make my “Top Twitter Tools for Authors” list. [Read more…] about Top Twitter Tools for Authors

Keeper of the Mountain and Dr. Nshan Erganian

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I met today’s Friday feature author Nshan Erganian through the local writers’ guild I belong to here in St. Joseph, Missouri. He’s a very interesting guy with quite a sense of humor. But I think you’ll discover that for yourselves as you read his interview.

Q: What did you know going into this whole publishing process that helped you the most, Nshan?

Author Nshan ErganianA: I think there is too much emphasis placed on this notion that the major publishers will not take the time to consider your story. I hear it every time I sit in a writing class or seminar. Maybe it’s true, but I think it causes new authors to shy away from sending query letters to publishers. It may be true that you’ll get back a lot of rejections, [Read more…] about Keeper of the Mountain and Dr. Nshan Erganian

How to Write Back Cover Copy that Sells

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library signLast week I had to complete the back cover copy for my upcoming book, Carried by Grace. The very next day I had two friends ask me about back cover copy. So I thought I would address that topic today. [Read more…] about How to Write Back Cover Copy that Sells

11 Free Resources to Improve Your Marketing Skills

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social media icons
Marketing your books can be time consuming and confusing.

You want to sell your books, right?

But like many of us you don’t have the budget to hire a publicist or marketing expert. That means learning marketing skills for yourself.

I know a whole lot more than I did when I first started freelancing, but I have a lot of room to grow, too. Plus, with today’s advancing technology the landscape is always changing. There will always be something new to learn.

The task of marketing can fast consume our time, so I offer the following resources [Read more…] about 11 Free Resources to Improve Your Marketing Skills

5 Benefits to Taking a Break from Writing

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Authors Elaine Marie Cooper and Debra L. Butterfield
Elaine Marie Cooper and me.

We all know it’s important to take a break now and then no matter what line of work we do. But it’s even more important to refresh and re-energize ourselves when we’ve completed a big project.

I recently completed the final draft of a manuscript and sent it off to writers and readers for feedback. In the meantime, I needed some rest, both physically and mentally. Two weeks vacationing with my kids is my ideal, but that’s just not in the budget right now. So I started looking for alternatives — a day trip or some place to visit for the weekend.

When I saw that author Elaine Marie Cooper was speaking in northern Missouri, I quickly mapped the event to find out how close it was to me. I read her newest book Fields of the Fatherless and was excited at a chance to meet her. [Read more…] about 5 Benefits to Taking a Break from Writing