This article says that the number of books will one day outnumber the number of readers if current publishing trends continue. Should I just give up on my book dreams now?
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How to Publish a Bestselling Novel
No one knows. Of all the entertainment industries, the book industry knows the least about their audience, according this article in the NY Times.
It’s time for publishers to learn something from bloggers about interacting with readers.
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Writing About Pink Socks
Here’s a writing exercise to try for 20 minutes:
Pink socks.
Blue convertible.
Go for it!
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E-mail Newsletter Tips
Mail Chimp has a great list with six mistakes designers often make when putting together an E-mail newsletter. I’m not saying I haven’t made any of these mistakes, but the possibility of making such errors is reduced by simply using one of Mail Chimp’s newsletter templates.
I’ve used both of their templates for numerous newsletters and so far so good.
Technorati Tags: newsletter, email
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Why You Need a Google Account
Aside from the possibility that Google is gradually taking over the world, I am greatly indebted to this rapidly expanding company due to the various benefits of a Google account. In fact, my productivity at home, work, and personal business pursuits has been revolutionized by simply signing up for Gmail when it first came out. What started as a tentative jump on a fad has quickly spread to my entire life.
For starters, the best thing Google offers is e-mail through Gmail. Gmail has a smart and simple interface, grouping e-mails into conversations, so a series of e-mails appear together. The editor has all of the features basic e-mail requires, the spam filter is 99.99% effective, and it offers a search feature that is still the only way I can find most of my passwords. Storage is lavish, sent messages are saved, and older messages can be archived: what more can one desire?
Closely integrated with Gmail is Google’s calendar feature. Events can be listed as one-time or recurring, and have a reminder option that shoots an e-mail off at the time specified by the user. Just about any religion or nation’s holidays can be displayed as well. The share feature is a nice way to keep in touch with family, friends, and co-workers, especially when the calendar is embedded into a web site or blog.
Word processing and spreadsheets are also included in a Google account, and can be accessed online simply by logging in to one’s account. Most of the features from Microsoft Office and Open Office are present, and just like the calendars these documents are open for collaboration and viewing by other users.
The list of benefits continues with Blogger for a free blog, a free web site under the Google domain, and a customizable home page that can display Gmail the inbox, RSS feeds, weather, and the day’s news.
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What size? Decaf.
I overheard a conversation today at a cafe. The server asked a lady which size she wanted for her drink, and she replied, “Decaf.” That’s a precious conversation in my humble estimation.
Such out-of-the-blue conversations are the perfect subjects for practicing the craft of dialog. Dialog is a challenge and starting with something a little zany and unusual may help take some of the pressure off.
What will the server say in response? Will the customer correct her statement or insist that decaf. is a legitimate size? The only way to find out is to start writing.
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Blank is Beautiful
Clean, clear, crisp, conducive, contemplative: these are words every writer should associate with a blank page.
Despair, dubious, daunting, doubt, drivel: are another collection of words that typically stick to the blank page like a stubborn sticky note and give these white building blocks a bad rap.
Part of the challenge in writing is moving from crisis to opportunity, and this is never more evident in the writer’s routine encounter with the blank page or screen. Though the white wasteland is a perilous place, the writer must embrace the chance to create, to give life to unknown thoughts and personalities.
The blank page is simultaneously the writer’s friend and foe. Without it the writer is nothing; it is the only tool that enables fresh creations. Nevertheless the threat of swallowing up the creative mind is always present.
In order to win over the blank page as a partner in creativity, try the following:
– Always have cards, a journal, or a scrap of paper handy for scribbling down ideas throughout the day. These precious raw materials can be laid out on the blank page in order to lay the foundation for more writing—that’s how this article came about.
– Begin your day by typing out something you’re already written out on paper. This is a great way to warm up before starting from scratch.
– Another great warm up is using a writing exercise. Many of these are available online, but one need only take a fragment from an overheard conversation and dive into it.
– Plan out a story or a series on a particular topic and stick to it. You will be surprised how focused time on a particular topic yields a wealth of writing.
Incarnation Instant Breakfast
The popularity of low carb diets has caused a sales slump at breakfast giant Sunrise Foods, leading to an exploration of alternative breakfast markets. Incarnation Instant Breakfast is the newest line of breakfast bars from Sunrise targeting the Christian segment of the market.
A doughy breakfast bar with a grape filling, the bar is modeled on the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples. This meal, involving the breaking of bread and the drinking of wine, is enacted by some Christians once a week and by others once a month with wafers or bread and sometimes with wine or grape juice.
“This breakfast bar is the perfect snack for busy Christians on the go who need more time in the morning for Bible study and prayer,” commented Seth Fillings, the CEO of Sunshine Foods. “They can just grab a bar, break it, and have a ‘holy wholesome snack,’ as we like to say.”
A market analysis of local pastors has yielded positive results thus far. John Thompson, pastor of Western Mountain View Christian Center in Colorado Springs, received a case of the Incarnation bars. “My kids loved them, but got a little carried away with the breaking of the bread bit. They made a real mess of my car on their way to school.”
Fillings’ vision for the Incarnation bar goes beyond breakfast. “There are thousands of churches with volunteers spending countless hours on communion preparation. They have to purchase bread, break it, pour the wine or juice, and then clean everything afterwards. Now consider this: Incarnation bars are passed out in a few minutes and the wrappers are just tossed in the trash. Think of all the good these people can do when they are freed from preparing and cleaning up communion.”
The vision for the Incarnation bars is immense at this point. “I’d love to also partner this bar with a bestselling Christian inspirational book,” shared Fillings. Though he has approached several popular church leaders about endorsing the bars, no deals have been inked so far.
Incarnation bars will be available in grocery stores and in elect churches this summer.
"I Wish I Was a Writer"
During my college years my friends and I looked with awe at a woman who chased around nine children and still took time to welcome hordes of students into her home. Those who called her mother were far more than her nine children.
One friend mentioned that she always felt an inferiority complex around this woman when she thought of having her own children until one day she realized that even this matronly saint at one point had to start with her first child. Even the ultimate mother had a rough start at first.
The same is true for writers. All writers start off as awkward, clunky, and intimidated. Stephen King filled up a spike with all of his rejection letters. The key for published writers is they not only started, they kept at it.
Keeping in mind that we all need to start somewhere, perhaps some great would-be writers need to dive into the elementary or adolescent years of awkward, underdeveloped writing in order to unlock the potential they have stored within them. Set small goals and keep building them. Don’t give up if the magic does not happen right away!
I am continually surprised to see how my own writing has changed over the past two years. Each little accomplishment paves the way for another step. Each day of writing encourages me to try again tomorrow.
Technorati Tags: writing, writer
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Writing Reality Check
Barbara Ehrenreich brings the world of writing down from the clouds into the hard earth of reality. Her best advice: start small. For example:
“More to the point, most books don’t start as books. They evolve from humbler efforts such as magazine articles, doctoral dissertations, even op-eds or blogs. If you find yourself saying “I could write about a book about it,” start by writing something far shorter. If you can’t get that published — as an op-ed, for example — you’re not ready for a book. Correction: you may be ready, but an agent or editor isn’t going to pay much attention to an entirely unpublished writer.”
Ed Cyzewski: Author // Contemplative 