Have a New Book Releasing? Let’s Party!

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Hi everyone! Pamela Meyers here with my monthly post on marketing your books. Last month I described the inception of my debut novel, Thyme for Love, which released last November with OakTara Publishing. Along with describing how the idea for my story evolved, I also shared ways in which thoughts toward marketing the book materialized as the story took shape. As soon as I learned my release date of November 14, 2011, my thoughts went to how was I going to celebrate my debut novel and, at the same time, get the word out to people in my local area…

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Before He Went Away, Part 12

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As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. John 15:5 Good Monday morning from Elizabeth Baker! As wordsmiths and lovers of letters, authors often have a unique way of looking at the world. I suspect we tend to dig a little deeper and look for answers even when others are not asking questions! One of the first things a writer learns is to continually ask, “So, what?” For every article, every speech, every motivation of a fictional character, asking “So, what?” is critical to literary success….

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WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD: WRITING CONTROVERSY

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                                            [The woman] looked closely at Peter and said, "This man was with him." But Peter denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said. (Luke 22:56-57, NIV) A blessed day to you! Maureen Pratt here with my second CAN Blog post. This time, I'm going to dive right into the deep end and talk about writing controversial subjects, characters, and themes. I've had very recent (ongoing, actually) experience with doing this, so I'm looking at the topic with eyes wide open and have some tips for handling not only the material, but also the feedback that inevitably comes when one "stirs the…

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The Marketing Seesaw

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Hi from Ava Pennington, CAN Secretary… When was the last time you played on a seesaw? Maybe you called it a teeter-totter. The fun lasted only as long as the person on the other end weighed about the same as you. Enough of an imbalance and you either spent most of the time camped on the ground or hanging in the air. A seesaw is not the only place balance is important. It would be nice to think being an author meant spending all our time weaving words to enthrall readers. It would be nice…but not realistic. The reality of…

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Speaking Engagements – Pitching Your Program

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Hi.  Winnie Griggs here, with the next installment in my posts about speaking engagements.  So far we’ve covered why book speaking engagements, dealing with butterflies, selecting a topic, creating a speaker resume and finding speaking venues.  Today we’re going to talk about how to actually pitch your talk. Once you have selected your topic, have your resume together and have located possible speaking opportunities, how do you let folks know you’re ready and willing? Well, first you need to make certain you can effectively convey what it is you’re offering.  You do this in two steps:

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Intimate Storytelling – Part II Character’s Feelings

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   Warmest winter wishes from Gail Gaymer Martin at www.gailmartin.com It's amazing how the winter has marched by with warm temperatures in many of the colder states. It makes us anxious for spring, especially those places that have experienced the horrible tornadoes so early in the year. Prayers go out to all of them. I believe that intimacy in our storytelling style helps us to touch readers in an amazing way. Part I of Intimate Storytelling covered some of the elements of staying in a POV character’s viewpoint, but intimate storytelling needs more than a character’s viewpoint. The reader needs to feel…

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Let Someone Else Benefit

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Happy Thursday from Jeanette Hanscome! I started a new book recently that I’m extremely excited about, not because I’m writing the book that I’ve always wanted to write or finally got a new contract (we don’t have one yet), but because I’m helping someone else tell their story.

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Heavenly Horse Sense – A New Release

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Heavenly Horse Sense by Rebecca Ondov Horsewoman and bestselling author Rebecca Ondov invites you on some exciting horseback pack trips in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness. Drawing on 15 years of working from the saddle, she takes you into the mountains to discover the unique personalities of horses and mules, the beauty of God’s creation, and the wonders—and dangers—of nature. You’ll experience: *Three miracles in the life of a foal named Rahab *How a horse’s amazing gift demonstrates God’s provision and guidance *The ingenuity of a mule that reveals a strategy for handling trouble *A stallion who accomplishes the “impossible” because…

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PUGS Pointers #8

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Hi! I’m Kathy Ide. In addition to being a published author, I’m a full-time professional freelance editor. For CAN, I’m blogging about “PUGS”–Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling…tips for writers based on the most common mistakes I see in the manuscripts I edit. Each blog post will have one tip for each of the four categories, as well as a reason it’s important for authors to “polish their PUGS.” (For more PUGS tips, check out my website, www.KathyIde.com, or get a copy of my book “Polishing the PUGS” (available through the website or at the conferences where I teach). If you’re interested in…

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