The writers world has undergone a revolution in the last decade. With 30 million bloggers (in the US alone), many of whom consider themselves to be writers, blogging has brought the fiercest competition to the writing profession, but it is also something that a good writer, with a little guidance, can turn fully to their advantage. Blogging for Writers shows you how. Opening the door on this exciting world, it profiles the best and most imaginative writer-driven blogs and details how you can start your own blog and see it flourish. From which platform to use (Blogger, WordPress, etc) to setting up the perfect blog; from layout and design to getting the tone right; from social networking and getting noticed to finding a readership and liaising with publishers, Blogging for Writers lays out the fundamentals and then digs deeper, advising how to make your blog and your skills stand out from the pack and, essentially, bring the customers your way.

Transform Your Blog into a Book! The world of blogging changes rapidly, but it remains one of the most efficient ways to share your work with an eager audience. In fact, you can purposefully hone your blog content into a uniquely positioned book--one that agents and publishers will want to acquire or that you can self-publish successfully. How to Blog a Book Revised and Expanded Edition is a completely updated guide to writing and publishing a saleable book based on a blog. Expert author and blogger Nina Amir guides you through the process of developing targeted blog content that increases your chances of attracting a publisher and maximizing your visibility and authority as an author. In this revised edition you'll find: • The latest information on how to set up, maintain, and optimize a blog • Steps for writing a book easily using blog posts • Advice for crafting effective, compelling blog posts • Tips on gaining visibility and promoting your work both online and off • Current tools for driving traffic to your blog • Strategies for monetizing your existing blog content as a book or other products • Profiles of bloggers who received blog-to-book deals and four new "blogged-book" success stories Whether you're a seasoned blogger or have never blogged before, How to Blog a Book Revised and Expanded Edition offers a fun, effective way to write, publish, and promote your book, one post at a time.

A step-by-step guide to crafting a compelling scholarly book proposal—and seeing your book through to successful publication The scholarly book proposal may be academia’s most mysterious genre. You have to write one to get published, but most scholars receive no training on how to do so—and you may have never even seen a proposal before you’re expected to produce your own. The Book Proposal Book cuts through the mystery and guides prospective authors step by step through the process of crafting a compelling proposal and pitching it to university presses and other academic publishers. Laura Portwood-Stacer, an experienced developmental editor and publishing consultant for academic authors, shows how to select the right presses to target, identify audiences and competing titles, and write a project description that will grab the attention of editors—breaking the entire process into discrete, manageable tasks. The book features over fifty time-tested tips to make your proposal stand out; sample prospectuses, a letter of inquiry, and a response to reader reports from real authors; optional worksheets and checklists; answers to dozens of the most common questions about the scholarly publishing process; and much, much more. Whether you’re hoping to publish your first book or you’re a seasoned author with an unfinished proposal languishing on your hard drive, The Book Proposal Book provides honest, empathetic, and invaluable advice on how to overcome common sticking points and get your book published. It also shows why, far from being merely a hurdle to clear, a well-conceived proposal can help lead to an outstanding book.

Learn how to take your work to the next level with this informative guide on the craft, business, and lifestyle of writing With warmth and humor, Paulette Perhach welcomes you into the writer’s life as someone who has once been on the outside looking in. Like a freshman orientation for writers, this book includes an in-depth exploration of all the elements of being a writer—from your writing practice to your reading practice, from your writing craft to the all-important and often-overlooked business of writing. In Welcome to the Writer’s Life, you will learn how to tap into the powers of crowdsourcing and social media to grow your writing career. Perhach also unpacks the latest research on success, gamification, and lifestyle design, demonstrating how you can use these findings to further improve your writing projects. Complete with exercises, tools, checklists, infographics, and behind-the-scenes tips from working writers of all types, this book offers everything you need to jump-start a successful writing life.

Each year writers and editors submit over three thousand grammar and style questions to the Q&A page at The Chicago Manual of Style Online. Some are arcane, some simply hilarious—and one editor, Carol Fisher Saller, reads every single one of them. All too often she notes a classic author-editor standoff, wherein both parties refuse to compromise on the "rights" and "wrongs" of prose styling: "This author is giving me a fit." "I wish that I could just DEMAND the use of the serial comma at all times." "My author wants his preface to come at the end of the book. This just seems ridiculous to me. I mean, it’s not a post-face." In The Subversive Copy Editor, Saller casts aside this adversarial view and suggests new strategies for keeping the peace. Emphasizing habits of carefulness, transparency, and flexibility, she shows copy editors how to build an environment of trust and cooperation. One chapter takes on the difficult author; another speaks to writers themselves. Throughout, the focus is on serving the reader, even if it means breaking "rules" along the way. Saller’s own foibles and misadventures provide ample material: "I mess up all the time," she confesses. "It’s how I know things." Writers, Saller acknowledges, are only half the challenge, as copy editors can also make trouble for themselves. (Does any other book have an index entry that says "terrorists. See copy editors"?) The book includes helpful sections on e-mail etiquette, work-flow management, prioritizing, and organizing computer files. One chapter even addresses the special concerns of freelance editors. Saller’s emphasis on negotiation and flexibility will surprise many copy editors who have absorbed, along with the dos and don’ts of their stylebooks, an attitude that their way is the right way. In encouraging copy editors to banish their ignorance and disorganization, insecurities and compulsions, the Chicago Q&A presents itself as a kind of alter ego to the comparatively staid Manual of Style. In The Subversive Copy Editor, Saller continues her mission with audacity and good humor.

"A wordless graphic novel in which twelve-year-old Marisol must adapt to a new life 1960s Brooklyn after her parents send her to the United States from Cuba to keep her safe during Castro's regime."--

An easy-does-it guide to simple, low-tech blogging for authors who want to build a platform, but not let it take over their lives. An author blog doesn't have to follow the rules that monetized business blogs do. This book teaches the secrets that made Anne R. Allen a multi-award-winning blogger and one of the top author-bloggers in the industry. And you'll learn why having a successful author blog is easier than you think. Here are some things you'll learn in this book: -How an author blog is different-and easier to maintain-than a business blog -What authors should blog about at different stages of their careers -Choosing the right blog topics for your genre and audience -How one type of blogpost can build your platform quickly -Basic SEO tips that don't make your eyes glaze over with tech jargon -How to write headers that will grab the attention of Web surfers -How to keep your audience by learning the tricks of content writing -Essential blog and social media etiquette rules -What happens to your blog when you die? "Anne writes the essential blog for today's writers." Mystery author Carmen Amato. "I love following the blog of Anne R. Allen...for up-to-date tips and helpful articles for writers on what's current in the publishing world." Author D. G. Kaye. "BRILLIANT! One of the Top 10 Resources for Self-Publishing Authors." author Mark Tilbury. "Anne is one of the most successful author-bloggers out there." Reedsy "One of the Top 15 Blogs for Indie Authors to Follow...I adore Anne's blog. Aside from being one smart lady, her mix of sass and education is priceless." Social media strategist and manager Frances Caballo "You know what a huge fan I am of Anne R. Allen's blog...absolutely marvelous." Romance author Collette Cameron "I recommend following the publishing blogs of both Jane Friedman and Anne R. Allen...I've implemented many of their tips, which have helped boost my SEO." New York Times bestseller Eileen Goudge in Publisher's Weekly