by Kay Vandette

You don’t have to be a graphic design artist to take advantage of the online program Canva.

Even if you don’t have a drop of artistic talent, if you’re a freelance writer trying to do any sort of blogging or building a social media platform, Canva is your secret weapon with hundreds of resources waiting for you take advantage of them.

What started as the brain child of Melanie Perkins, a graphic design teacher who sought to streamline basic graphic design, has become a hugely successful online tool. Used by both professionals and amateurs, Canva’s easy to use interface makes graphic design accessible for everyone.

Continue reading Three Ways Canva Can Help with Your Writing Business →

by Doug Lewars

According to Forbes there are between 600 thousand and a million books published each year and roughly half are self-published. The average number of sales per volume is less than 250.

That’s not encouraging.

Of course I have no idea where Forbes came up with these numbers. Still, they tend to be pretty careful about what they publish so let’s assume the numbers are real. Now, if you are capable of writing, editing and publishing say, two books per year, and if you want to earn a conservative income of say, $30,000, then you would need royalties of $60 per volume. Given that publishers rather like taking their cut, your book would probably need to be priced around a hundred dollars. Better make that next book non-fiction.

Continue reading Here’s the Reality Check For Writers →

by Whitney Carter

It’s no secret that I’m a pretty big fan of Pathfinder. I’ve been on both sides of the table, and enjoyed some really well thought out adventure paths and one-shots from a number of different perspectives. Regardless of the story progression or where my character stands though, almost every session shares one commonality: I walk away buzzing with creative energy.

Continue reading 6 Ways Tabletop Gaming Can Help Improve Your Writing →

by S. T. Sanchez

1. Don’t be afraid to re-write

Writing isn’t always the simplest to do.  Inspiration doesn’t always strike at the right time.  Whether you are a few chapters in or almost finished, if you need to rewrite go back and do it!  You want your novel to be perfect.  If you need to fix something, no matter how much work it is going to take, DO IT!  Your book will be better because of it.

Continue reading 5 tips for New Writers →

by Lev Raphael

Nobody tells you that when you publish a book, it becomes a license for total strangers to say outrageous things to you that you could never imagine saying to anyone.

I’m not just talking about people who’ve actually bought your book. Even people who haven’t read your book feel encouraged to share, in the spirit of helpfulness.

At first, when you’re on tour, it’s surprising, then tiring — but eventually it’s funny, and sometimes it even gives you material for your next book. All the comments on this list have been offered to me or other writer friends in almost exactly these words:

Continue reading Bizarre Things People Say to Authors →