On Writing and the Business of Writing– some thoughts

Writing I recently read an essay about exposing MFA students too much to the business of publishing and being a writer. The theory put forth was that too much of that could stifle a student’s creativity. It was titled On Writing and the Business of Writing, so...
The Advantage of Indie Publishing: Speed & Coronavirus

The Advantage of Indie Publishing: Speed & Coronavirus

I’ve had a new version of The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide out for some months now. But given recent events, I wanted to beef up the section I already had on Pandemics with information on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) So I wrote a section, added it to...

Write It Forward: from writer to successful author

The publishing business makes little logical sense. That’s because it’s part of the “entertainment business.” The first word, entertainment refers to emotion, while business refers to logic. Trying to explain how publishing works to someone...

On Covers and the Importance of Title

Perhaps the biggest mistake I made early in my writing career involved titles. I’d never gone to a writing conference or had any classes on publishing. I was living overseas in the Orient, studying martial arts. This was pre-Internet– yes there was a time...

“Worst Advice I’ve Heard from a Speaker”

This was what someone posted on a conference twitter thread that I recently spoke at. Of course, the speaker was moi. Making friends and sowing happiness wherever I go. The advice was to query every agent who attended the conference whether the attendee met the agent...