Reading, wRiting, and Roaming with Author Valerie Biel

The New York Pitch Conference (NYP) focuses on one thing: the pitch that sells a novel to an agent. It’s more of a workshop than a conference. There are no breakout sessions about craft, editing, or book marketing. The NYP is all about the pitch. If you’re in the right mindset, the event could be a valuable step in your writing journey. After four days in the “hot seat,” writers learn to be concise, persuasive, and engaging in a pitch.

I recommend attending the conference if you’re open-minded about your work and, most importantly, willing to change it. The four-day event is an emotional rollercoaster. Be prepared for honest feedback.... Continue Reading

Since the beginning of the year, I have read 15 books. That’s a lot—even for me! This is a great start toward my goal of reading 60 books this year. Does anyone else set book-reading goals? Goodreads has a fun way to do this and keep track of what you’ve read.

You probably already know about two of my January favorites from my separate blog posts that included both a review and an interview with the authors. If not, catch up on what I thought about R.R. Campbell’s Imminent Dawn (a sci-fi thriller) and... Continue Reading

FEATURED ARTICLES: Wordplay Author Lineup & Top 10 Publishing Industry Trends for 2019

The Writers' Forum is a compilation of the month’s important publishing news and helpful writing information for authors, particularly those independently publishing their books. As an independently published author who is now agented, I provide this information to assist others in the way that generous writers assisted me when I was at the beginning of my publishing adventure. On a professional level, I also use my publicity and editorial skills to aid other authors through my company Lost Lake Press. I'd love to use my skills to guide you through the steps of independent publishing!

FEATURED... Continue Reading

Often, the first impression people form about authors comes from digital sources – an author website, social media accounts, book sales’ websites, blogs and more. This handy checklist makes sure you won’t miss any of these important ways to reach readers and others in the publishing world. Even for pre-published authors, these digital resources are important. Consider it dressing for the job you want!

CONSISTENCY & BRANDING

One of the most important things to keep in mind when creating the content for your online image is to be consistent in how you present yourself. This means that you should not only be using the same general artwork, colors, and fonts, but also that you should be using the same biography and information about yourself and your books. Consistency... Continue Reading