Writer’s block. I don’t believe in it. Okay, I’ll hedge that a bit. All writers have moments when the words don’t come, or they have to be pried out of our brains like candy out of a three-year-old’s grasp. I do acknowledge that fact. Those moments are not fun. Those […]
President’s Message – February 2013
“The future starts today, not tomorrow.” Blessed John Paul II Every year, around this time, winter seems like it will go on forever and many wish for the warmer days of spring. This is much like the mother with a small baby who longs for her child to grow older […]
Self-Publishing and Web Presence
Since I self-published my first book eight years ago, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of self-published books being released. In 2009, nearly 80 percent of all books released were self-published. And with the e-book revolution, there are even more independently published books released each year. Many […]
Does Self-Publishing Mean Substandard?
Although I now own and run and a publishing company, all my books were self-published. I don’t like the connection that people often make between self-published books and “bad” or substandard writing. The truth is, the vast majority of self-published books (I’ve read a lot of them) are indeed substandard […]
Because this could be YOU
In lieu of a serious post about blogging, I’m going to put this forth as a reason to come to the Catholic Writers Conference Live: YOU could be the one in these pictures! Pat Gohn and me, who always makes me smile Ellen Gable Hrkach with me, who has an […]
Awards Contests for Self-Published Authors: Are They Really Worth It?
In my post last month, I gave a link which lists some popular awards contests for self-published authors: http://www.selfpublishingreview.com/blog/2009/01/self-published-book-contests/ This list doesn’t claim to be all inclusive, but it is helpful. And be aware that most of these contests require an entry fee. One award that doesn’t require an entry […]
The Stigma of Self-Publishing
I am the self-published author of four books. Three of my books are currently on various bestsellers’ lists on Kindle. My second novel, In Name Only, won a Gold Medal in Religious Fiction in the 2010 IPPY Awards (the first Catholic novel to win this award). It has been #1 […]
What’s it all about? How Theme can help your story shine.
Theme comes in lots of shapes, sizes, and variations, but embodies the core of what something is about, whether it’s your brand as a writer, the story you’re writing, the characters you’re writing about – or the music you’re listening to while writing. So what is theme, and how can […]
CWG NEWS
GABLE TRIPLES THE TOP TEN LIST Ellen Gable Hrkach, Vice President of the Catholic Writers Guild, reached a milestone last week: all three of her novels were in the top ten of their category on Amazon Kindle. At one point, all three books were in the top five! (As of […]
The “Control” of Self-Publishing
Self-Publishing is so easy nowadays that anyone can publish his or her own book. Because of that, many self-published authors are producing poor quality books. This can give self-publishing a bad name. In some respects, self-publishing is more difficult than publishing with traditional publishers. After all, publishers take care of […]