Guest Writers – The Creative Competitor

How to Sell Books on Twitter

Guest Author — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 09:50:33 +0000

How to Sell Books on Twitter By Kim Staflund Twitter offers many excellent ways for you to accomplish this; here are some tips on how to sell books on Twitter. Manage Your Expectations: Direct sales should not be your goal on Twitter; this may be too lofty a goal, at least at first. The goal […]

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Write a Book, and Publish It Fast: 3 Easy Tips

Guest Author — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 16:49:44 +0000

If you want to write a book and learn the easy way to publish, take a look at Angela Booth's article to streamline the process....

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Using Real Life to be Relatable

Guest Author — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 17:44:59 +0000

Use real life to create characters that are dynamic, gritty and strong....

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Stimulation: Creative Friend or Foe?

Guest Author — Sun, 21 Sep 2014 11:51:33 +0000

Our senses not only collect what is around us in the environment, but also demand things from us as we attempt to do our art. Some writers prefer to create in the same place, with a familiar chair, their favorite drink, perhaps some classical music on in the background, or complete silence.

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Two Exercises to Work With the Inner Critic

Guest Author — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 14:46:01 +0000

So often, the inner critic is our own fear of judgement from others that we blame for not making our art public. Actually, it is the battlefield of our creativity, where one side is the ego with its criticisms and opinions about whether or not we are any good at all, and on the other end is our heart, tender and bruised from the careless stomping of the ego, critics, and perhaps well-meaning friends. Should we share our work with others, allow it to see the light of day?

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Everyone Is A Critic

Guest Author — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 11:13:44 +0000

Finally, we remember that the ideas for our creativity come through us, are colored by our experiences, and deep down, we have the conviction that our work is worth sharing. Everyone is a critic, and we're often the harshest judge of our own artistic offerings.

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Make Your Storytelling Active

Annette Young — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 12:34:36 +0000

Whether you are writing fiction, a memoir, or relating a story of any kind, you must engage the reader actively in the story. This can be accomplished through a combination of writing style adjustments and by adding language to enhance the actions and dialog of the characters in the story. Follow these suggestions to create stories that are more readable and more 'sell-able' books.

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Life As a Writer – How Routines Save the Day

Guest Author — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 08:04:57 +0000

Content, we are told, is king and without it we may fall into obscurity!

Who wants to be obscure when you can get social credibility by just writing a few blog posts or perhaps using other people's posts on your own site. Writing is easy for some and very difficult if you do not know how to do it easily.

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How to Become a Hyperlocal Journalist

Guest Author — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 09:33:25 +0000

You want to join the ranks of the widening numbers of "hyperlocal" journalists. A large number of news organizations have turned to such individuals - and they are the backbone of web sites that focus on local content.

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Writing a Book – Tips For New Authors

Guest Author — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 14:12:34 +0000

Are you looking to become a successful writer? It's a long journey that many give up, but the following are a set of essential tips that every newbie writer needs to have in the toolbox. Becoming a writer isn't complicated, it just takes some preparation, motivation, and a lot of patience and once you're done reading this, you'll have those basic ingredients.

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The Secret of Success

Guest Author — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 11:05:47 +0000

Eventually, every even moderately successful writer hears "the question." It is, I think, an inevitable part of being a writer.
It's the question that sets us scratching our heads and wondering if there is anything we can possibly say that hasn't been said by,
oh, I don't know, every writing magazine, book, newsletter, conference, instructor and what-have-you for well over a century.
(I happen to know this last bit for

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5 Habits That Will Make You Successful In All Areas of Life

Guest Author — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 09:49:01 +0000

Successful people are willing to do all the things that everyone else isn't. Success in all areas of life comes from consistent hard work in pursuit of a goal or dream. It comes from a deep passion that drives you everyday.

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Writing a Pocket Novel

Guest Author — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 09:32:36 +0000

Writing a pocket novel. Pocket novels are 30,000 word novellas; short books that can be read from cover to cover in a few hours. The largest publisher of pocket novels is My Weekly, and Maggie Seed is the commissioning editor there. In a recent interview for the magazine ‘Writers’ Forum’, Maggie talks about how great pocket novels are for writers who want to find a way to bridge the gap between short stories and full 100,000 word novels.

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Freedom in Freelance: 4 Steps to a Freelance Writing Career

Guest Author — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 09:14:15 +0000

What kind of writing animal are you? What kind of writing most energizes you? What type of writing brings you the most applause? In what writing capacity do you find that you naturally do a good job or find it naturally energizing? These questions may take years to fully explore, but it is the most important step to growing your career in the right way.

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Why Should I Buy your Book?

Guest Author — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 13:03:53 +0000

How would you like to have countless people clamoring for your books and willing to visit your web site to buy them?

Most entrepreneurs wait until their ....

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Platform Tips for New Authors

Guest Author — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 18:30:53 +0000

Authors must develop and maintain a robust following with an interested audience in order to sell books. Being attractive to their audience, also known as building a platform, helps the author to sell books, and it helps a publisher to decide whether to engage that author in their portfolio.

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Ten Tips On How To Be A Better Writer

Guest Author — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 16:57:02 +0000

I've learned a lot about writing and I am still learning more. Here are my TEN TIPS on how to be a BETTER WRITER!

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The Space Time Relationship for Writing Content

Guest Author — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 13:20:27 +0000

In honor of the relaunch of Carl Sagan's iconic PBS television series "Cosmos" I have identified a new application of the space time relationship: Time disappears if you stay in the same space. You may have experienced this phenomenon... You sit down at your desk with the intention of doing a very specific thing. Something else catches your attention, and before you know it, you look at the clock and gasp! An hour has gone by and you still haven't done the thing you sat down to do. It's like it disappeared into a black hole. Here is how to avoid the black hole and get your writing done more efficiently.

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Cleaning Your House Offers 5 Steps to Tackle Writer’s Block

Guest Author — Thu, 13 Mar 2014 21:00:36 +0000

Everyone accumulates stuff and somewhere in your home there is a catch-all closet, room, garage or drawer that holds bits and pieces of knickknacks that could drive you crazy. It becomes more frustrating when you try searching for one specific thing amid the chaotic mounds of stuff. As writers, we tend to have areas in our space that holds a

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Elements of Writing a Mystery Novel

Guest Author — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 17:50:49 +0000

Like anything, a mystery novel is composed of different parts, which are referred to as elements. Each are critical in capturing the readers interest. If your story is researched and well written, it is sure to be a winner. By now, you are probably wondering what the elements are. They are the science, plot, characters with settings and writing technique.

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What Type of Mystery Do You Want to Write?

Guest Author — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 15:57:31 +0000

amateur detective,traditional mystery,classic mystery, fiction, mystery fiction, Cozy, PI,Caper

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Speaking on Cruises

Guest Author — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 17:20:43 +0000

I was conducting a business meeting about ten years ago when one of my clients asked if I would be interested in speaking on a cruise. Surprisingly, she had to convince me it was a good thing to do!

I wasn't sold on the idea of being captive on a cruise ship and I had not developed any "cruise appropriate" material at that point. So her selling points included: the cruise lines pays for your cruise; cruise line,cruise speaking,speaking

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Great Tips for Helping Out the Serious Blogger

Guest Author — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 21:44:17 +0000

Blogs and the people who write them are an important fixture of the Internet today. They are used to share information and news with an Internet audience. Standing out from the crowd by creating and maintaining an interesting, relevant blog can be difficult. Implement the ideas in this article blog,blogs,blogging,blogging tips,people start blogs

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Write a Best Selling Novel in Less Than Three Months

Guest Author — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:28:29 +0000

Ever wanted to be a writer? Don't think you are able to do it? You can do it, by following this strategic plan, and get writing. Before you know it you will have a potentially best-selling novel and your hands, and you will be on your way to being a best-selling author!

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Crowd Funding Your Screen Play Into a Short YouTube Film or Trailer

Guest Author — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 18:19:52 +0000

Well, every screenplay writer knows that the chances of getting your screenplay into Hollywood are rather slim. You can have the best screenplay in the world, but depending on the genre, season, recent profits of the studio, and what they happen to be looking for that week, month, or year - and they just won't be interested. You might have what some would call the worst screenplay, one that the studio wants to rewrite, but happen

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Marketing Your Book Offline

Annette Young — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 11:43:50 +0000

Many authors now recognise the benefits of social media and online marketing, however they sometimes forget that offline marketing and meeting potential readers in person can have huge benefits and contribute to increased sales. This article considers some offline options available to authors.

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Book Marketing – Yesterday and Today (Online Marketing Strategies to Use in 2014)

Annette Young — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 20:18:19 +0000

Marketing is one of those things that is in constant flux. What worked yesterday, doesn't necessarily work today. So, what are the strategies to use in today's marketing environment?

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How Characters Influence The Plot of Your Story

Guest Author — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 13:26:08 +0000

How Characters Influence The Plot of Your Story. Character development,plot,writing a novel,plot development,writer's resource,creative writing

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How To Put Together Your Own Book Blog Tour

Guest Author — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 11:29:41 +0000

When I published my first novel back in July of 2013, I knew nothing about book marketing. Then I discovered blog tours. Here's a few quick tips to get you on your way to doing one yourself.

Gather your promotional materials:.Jpgs, create a banner, your synopsis, excerpt,

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What Inspires Creativity? – 9 Methods to Summon Your Muse

Guest Author — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 18:33:16 +0000

Writers, entrepreneurs, and other creative types have their own methods of nurturing creativity. Mine always begin with a question: "What if... " Aside from the usual place (in the bathtub surrounded by bubbles), I began to think: What inspires creativity? And, how can we conjure more creativity?

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