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Archive for November, 2009
Monday, November 30th, 2009
 Having worked with literally hundreds of aspiring authors over the years, I have witnessed what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to real progress being made with writing.
As I’m sure you won’t be surprised to hear, there needs to be a mix of inspiration, information, guidance, feedback and support in varying degress according to each person’s individual requirements.
The one single factor which seems to make the most difference to most writers is having an on-going working relationship with a professional who knows the writing journey inside out.
Yet is it enough for a teacher to teach without being currently engaged in the writing process themselves?
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Tags: author, guidance, inspiration, mentor, support, Writing
Posted in Creativity, Writing | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
 Writing a book is a ’whole person’ journey. This means that all aspects of ourselves are involved in the process – physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual.
When these are in harmonious alignment, the well of inspiration overflows with ideas, the words meet the page effortlessly and rewarding connections are made with publishers and readers.
Yet maintaining this state of being ‘in the zone’ isn’t always easy and the reality is that the path to publication involves finding a way through many different challenges.
One of the most challenging aspects of writing a book for publication is the emotional roller coaster we discover ourselves to be on.
And there are times when we wonder why nobody told us quite how hard the whole creative process can feel sometimes!
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Tags: alignment, author, creative process, inspiration, journal, mentor, publication, publisher, readers, Writing
Posted in Creativity, Publishing, Writing | 4 Comments »
Friday, November 20th, 2009
 This is a question which is likely to apply to increasing numbers of writers as the publishing landscape continues to shift in response to new developments in technology and readers’ requirements.
Opportunities with print-on-demand open up possibilities for writers to go ahead and publish their own books even when their ultimate goal is securing a deal with a traditional publisher.
The most important point to realize is that it is not enough simply to print and publish your book and expect an agent or publisher to be impressed sufficiently by those actions alone.
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Tags: agent, author, media, platform, print-on-demand, professional, publisher, success, writer
Posted in Publishing, Writing | 6 Comments »
Monday, November 16th, 2009
 Direct sales company, The Book People, has deliberately cut back on the number of celebrity biographies they are offering customers this year.
The reasons given for this ‘reining back’ on celebrity biographies are a combination of the recession and a lack of books which are ‘immediately compelling’.*
This action reflects a general downturn in the sales of non-fiction books. Obviously this is not good news for non-fiction authors.
On the other hand, it does mean that you have to sell fewer books now than has been the case over the last few years to reach the bestseller lists. Every cloud has a silver lining!
Yet perhaps there is a message in here for writers relating to how ‘compelling’ their non-fiction writing actually is?
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Tags: authentic voice, book, non-fiction, sales, Writing
Posted in Authenticity, Publishing, Writing | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
 What an extraordinary time it has been lately.
Over the last couple of months, it seems that many people have gone through – or are still going through – major change within themselves and in their lives.
This appears to be a time of old patterns coming to the surface to be released once and for all in preparation for moving on to a new phase.
It often seems to get worse just before there is a major breakthrough in understanding about what is really going on which leads to being able to ‘let go’ of what is no longer needed.
This principle can be applied to all aspects of your writing and to your life.
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Tags: breakthrough, change, creative process, Publishing, readers, transition, Writing
Posted in Creativity, Personal Reflections, Writing | 4 Comments »
Friday, November 6th, 2009
 Book titles are extremely important so it is really worth making sure that you have the ‘right’ title for your book.
If you are looking for a traditional publishing deal, as I’m sure you appreciate, the first few minutes when agents and publishers are assessing your work are crucial.
So the more you can do to create a positive impact the better and having a strong title is one way of doing just that.
An engaging title is also likely to make a significant difference to how your book is perceived by your readers and in the marketplace generally.
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Tags: agent, book, book proposal, publication, publisher, Publishing, reader
Posted in Book Proposals, Publishing | No Comments »
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
 As work continues on my ‘emerging vision’ project, I am preparing to take the next step up the ladder of creation which involves a serious investment of both time and resources.
This step is generating feelings which are a mixture of excitement and uncertainty.
Loving this project and its potential myself is one thing. The question is, will it ‘hit the spot’ for anyone else?
Many writers experience similar doubts when showing their work to others for the first time.
So how do you take those important next steps when faced with mixed feelings?
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Tags: creative, creative process, writer, Writing
Posted in Creativity, Emerging Vision, Personal Reflections, Writing | 2 Comments »
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