Angela Booth's Writing and Reading Life

Self-Publishing And Novellas: 3 Easy Tips

Although self-publishing gives you unlimited opportunities, it has its drawbacks as well. The biggest challenge?

You get to do it all. Yes, you can hire help, but the decisions rest with you. So do the expenses.

Self-publishing in 2019: readers matter, so why will they read your novella?

If you’re confused by your self-publishing options and opportunities, consider your readers. They’re confused…

Self-Publishing? Novellas Boost Sales

How’s your self-publishing business progressing? We’re well into the second half of the year: the business half. The holiday season buying period begins in October.

Will you be ready?

Start preparing now. Now’s the time to:

Create a new series (fiction or nonfiction);

Think about holiday-themed books;

Explore your options for holiday promotions.

Hate book marketing? Here’s a secret: the easiest…

Writing Goals: One Word To Help You To Achieve Your Dreams

Do you want to write a book, but hesitate? You need writing goals, and they revolve around a single word.

Several weeks ago a writer contacted me who confided: “I’ve tried to write. But after I write a couple of chapters of a book, I give up. Please don’t ask me to set set writing goals. Clearly they don’t work for me.”

Perhaps you’re like this writer. You start more books than you finish. You…

Writing Short Stories: 5 Tips You Can Use Today

At least once a week a writer asks about writing short stories, and/ or selling them.

Here’s the thing. If you’d like to make money from just one short story, save yourself the trouble. A lottery ticket will give you a better return on your investment of time and energy.

As far as selling your stories: self-publish them. Sadly, the days when magazines paid thousands of dollars for a single short…

Writing Fiction: Your Most Vital Decision

“How do I choose my novel’s category?” A student asked recently. She’s new to writing fiction and it’s an excellent question.

Choosing a genre can be a challenge, but if you avoid thinking about your novel, and where Amazon and other retailers will “shelve” your book, you’ll miss out on sales. Readers who’d love your book simply won’t find it.

She sent me a summary of her story, as well as the…

Get Organized, And Write To Sell: 3 Easy Bullet Journaling Tips

Bullet journaling helps you to remember stuff; it also helps you to achieve your goals. How often do you say: “I forgot…”? Perhaps you get to the end of the day and realize that although you were busy, you achieved nothing important.

A typical comment from a writing student: “I’ll never keep my deadline for (fill in the blank), because I forgot…”)

Bullet journaling: essential to achieve your goals

When You Can’t Write Because You Have Too Many Ideas

“I’ve got too many ideas!” Every writer says this sometimes. It’s a good difficulty to have. Unfortunately however, it makes it hard to focus your writing.

To focus your writing, manage your ideas

You know you should be writing a current project, but you’ve just had a wonderful idea. You’re writing a novel, let’s say, when an idea for another novel pops into your mind.

Suddenly your current…

Get It Done: How To Double Your Writing Output, Fast

Developing a writing process which works for you is a challenge, so experiment. Try different strategies: adapt them to your circumstances.

One of my favorite strategies, which I pass onto my students who tell me that they have no time, is batching.

A writing process to lessen stress and increase your income

Look on batching as a companion process to time blocking.

“Batching” means grouping…

Become An Independent Writer: 3 Offerings

Do you want to become an independent writer? You may feel that it’s out of your reach… It may be. You may not be ready yet. Or perhaps you are.

In honor of US Independence Day, we’ve created three special offerings this week, to help you to declare your own independence.

Imagine you’re an independent writer

While life as an independent writer may not be all beer and pizza, at least you don’t…

Write Short Stories: 3 Powerful Strategies

Are you a self-publishing author? I’m sure you’ve heard of the many benefits when you write short stories. The publishing world changes constantly, so stay alert for new ways in which you can use your short fiction.

Write short stories: be alert for opportunities

I enjoy writing short storiesbecause it’s restful while I’m writing novels. If a novel’s a tangled mess, I take a break to write a…

Writing A Book: 3 Tips To Help When You Have No Time

If I only had a dollar for every writer who’s ever said to me: “I know writing a book makes sense, but I have no time. I have kids/ two jobs/ a chronic illness/ (fill in the blank) ”.

Let’s assume that no matter how busy we are, we can find ten to 20 minutes a day, somehow. If all else fails, we may need cut back on sleep, but we can do it.

You need more than time, however. While managing your…

Side Hustles: Three Great Writing Businesses To Start Today

Looking for profitable writing gigs? Side hustles can be fun, as well as profitable.

My favorite side hustles, copywriting and ghostwriting, are fun because I enjoy writing and playing with works.

When faced with unexpected medical bills, a writing student asked me whether I could recommend in-demand side hustles for him. He’s staying with his parents to help during their crisis, so he needed…

Improve Your Writing Today: 3 Easy Tips

“It’s hard to improve your writing,” a student told me last week. The remark shocked me, because as far as I could tell, her writing improved week by week.

“You’ve gained three new clients this month,” I pointed out. I asked what she meant by “improving.”

She named a couple of writers. “I’ll never be able to write like that,” she said, her tone wistful.

That made me smile. My student is in her…

Social Media Marketing: 3 Easy Tips You Can Use Today

Want to sell more? Use social media marketing — and focus on images. While that seems counterintuitive for a writer, images are vitally important in social media, and are vital for marketing in general.

If you’re an indie author, you know the importance of a quality cover — your cover wins attention. Similarly, in social media marketing today, images get attention for what you’re offering.

You’l…

Mystery Fiction: 3 Tips To Create Excitement And Suspense

Every author wants to write page-turning fiction. You’ve heard the first rule of writing: don’t be boring. Of all the genres, mystery fiction makes it easiest to avoid boring readers and generate excitement and suspense.

Of course, there are pitfalls. One of the biggest dangers is focusing too much on the mechanics of plot and forgetting to create wonderful characters your readers will love.

Rem…

Serial Fiction: 3 Easy Tips To Help You Start Your Serial Today

When an author tells me that he’s bored with his novel, I suggest that he try writing serial fiction. A serial gives him a break from the novel and a fresh start may trigger an author’s inspiration — it does for me.

Of course you don’t have to wait to write a serial until you’re bored. Serials have much in common with short stories, so you can start your serial at any time.

Serial fiction:…

Book Marketing: 3 Tips To Boost Sales Of Your Backlist

Authors’ book marketing discussions on blogs and forums tend to focus on launching and promoting new titles. What about your older titles?

“Old” books published a year or more ago get short shrift from authors. However, those older titles — your backlist — can be a virtual goldmine. They’re assets.

Book marketing: all your titles are assets you own

Every book you write and publish is an asset,…