What every writer wants for Christmas #amwriting #books

Georgina Cromarty provides us all with the presents writers want for Christmas. 😀 Thanks, Georgina! At least after this we know we’re going to get something good!

The Writing Chimp

Well, its that time of year again where we start thinking about writerly gifts 🙂

1. Pencils!

Sit down and get Writing! – Thesepencils aresure to increase your productivity!

2. Mugs!

The best literary mugs- you know you want one!

3. Cushions!

Bibliophile Cushion Designs- bookish cushions and pillows- perfect to throw at anyone who interrupts your reading time!

4. Kindle Covers!

Kindle case book covers– If you don’t have a real book – fake it! …and pretend you are reading something far more literary than 50 Shades of Grey!

5. Soap!

Soap for writers block– all you need is a shower and your writers block days are over!

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5 Basic Tips on Staying Focused When Writing a Book – Guest Post…

Guest blogger Audrey Throne published a post on TSRA’s blog about how to stay focused when writing a book. Thank you Audrey!

Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

To be able to work with sheer dedication, a writer needs the ability to fully concentrate and stay focused at all times. Maintaining your focus for sustained periods can be a difficult task to do. Psychologists suggest a powerful form of concentration for writers called ‘flow’. This refers to an individual fully engaging in the task they are doing. For a writer, ‘flowing’ concentration is essential to write pieces with utmost fluency.

Inability to concentrate can be fruitless, especially for a writer. In order to make each day productive, writers must employ these 5 basic tips to stay focused on work and exercise their minds for better concentration:

Stick to the Schedule

The type of schedule you keep doesn’t matter as long as it caters to your needs and helps dedicate time to your book on a regular basis. If you’re not experienced in writing projects, avoid scheduling as you…

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30 Facebook Groups Every Author Needs…..And It’s Free!

A. S. Chung of Pigeon Hole Books names us 30 FB groups every author needs. Thank you very much for this useful information for our Marketing and Promotion!

Pigeonhole Books

Posted by A.S. Chung.
Award-wining author of children’s picture books A Brand New Day: about divorce and Wishful Wedding: about LGBT equality and same gender families. Creator of Pigeonhole Books and blogs about self-publishing, writing, online book marketing, peer bloggers and illustrators.

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30 FACEBOOK GROUPS EVERY AUTHOR NEEDS…..AND IT’S FREE!
ONLINE BOOK MARKETING TIP
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Facebook Groups continue to evolve over time to support writers and authors in a myriad of ways. I have collated a list of Facebook Groups to help indie authors in all facets of the self-publishing journey. If you are searching for the following, you have come to the right place:

• Support for self-publishing authors.
• Book marketing ideas.
• A space to promote your book/s.
• Author support through discussions and forums.
• Improve your writing and manuscript assistance.
• Lover of books in general.

1. Amazon Book Club
Download free e-books, join our book loving platform, or…

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So, You Think You Know Everything ???

Thank you, Chris, The Story Reading Ape for all this information. This is interesting and fascinating enough for me to share. 🙂

How to make your own video

Jean M. Cogdell published a video on her blog to demonstrate her process on how to make your own video. I think there’s quite a lot to learn from her. Thank you Jean!

Jean's Writing

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I’ve made a little video to explain the program I use for my tutorials.

A few readers have asked about my process.

My videos may not be Emmy-ready, but they get the job done, so here you go.

Did this help anyone?

Let me know if you’ve found a better mousetrap for making videos.

I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment or click the “write me” tab or look for me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdell and Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! The lights are on, and I’m waiting.

Please remember to share this post with your Twitter  peeps and Facebook fans.

Keep reading for more tips!

5 Tips for Making a High Quality Video for Your Website

28 Tips To Start A Vlog And Make Videos Like YouTube Stars

How to Make Your First Video

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How to Write a Press Release for a Book – The Happy Self-Publisher

Christine Keleny of CK Books Publishing provides self publishers with an article on how to write a press release. Thank you very much! This is amazing and very useful!

CKBooks Publishing

“You’ve just published or are about to publish a book and you want the world to know about it, right? A press release is an effective way to capture the attention of the media and other organization…” Lois Hoffman

“An effective way to capture media attention”? I’m not so sure. I’ve written and sent out many press releases and have garnered little media attention, and I know I’ve done a decent job with the release.

Are they still a good idea? Yes, mostly because it’s not that hard to do and it is something you want on hand, in case an opportunity comes up for you to use it – like if you have a book launch at a local bookstore or library; and it is another marketing tool that media are used to seeing, so it doesn’t hurt to send it out – especially to smaller, local papers, radio…

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Monday Funnies…

Oh – how I missed Maxine! She’s amazing, even on a Friday. 😀

December 2016/January 2017 Writing Contests

Thank you, Rachel Poli for all your work providing us regularly with the next two months’ writing contests!

Rachel Poli

December 2016

Type: Fiction (Short Short Story)
Hosted by: Writer’s Digest
Deadline: December 15, 2016
Entry Fee: $20

Type: Flash fiction, nonfiction, or poetry
Hosted by: Redivider
Deadline: December 15, 2016
Entry Fee: $6

Type: Nonfiction (Inspiration for Teachers)
Hosted by: Chicken Soup for the Soul
Deadline: December 31, 2016
Entry Fee: None

Type: Fiction
Hosted by: River Styx
Deadline: December 31, 2016
Entry Fee: $10

January 2017

Type: Fiction (Family Matters)
Hosted by: Glimmer Train
Deadline: January 2, 2017
Entry Fee: $18

Type: Fiction
Hosted by: Literal Latte
Deadline: January 15, 2017
Entry Fee: $10 for one entry or $15 for two entries

Type: Nonfiction (Dreams, Premonitions, and the Unexplainable)
Hosted by: Chicken Soup for the Soul
Deadline: January 30, 2017
Entry Fee: None

Type: Nonfiction (Stories About Cats/Dogs)
Hosted by: Chicken Soup for the Soul
Deadline: January 31, 2017
Entry Fee: None

Please be sure to read through…

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