Carma Spence's Blog, page 89

Real-World Change

Can our dreams create real-world change? Edward Lindaman obviously thought so when he said, “Your dream might change our planet.” And I tend to agree. Even if your dream is locally focused, it still changes the planet somewhat. One of my dreams is to help 1 million authors get their books out of their heads and into readers hands. What’s your dream?

Humble Beginnings

My first published book, which still steadily sells, was Bonkers for Bundt Cakes. Do you want to know how it got started?

It all started as a booklet I created as a Christmas gift for my family. I started with the rum cake my granma used to make and then developed several other recipes using that one as the guideline. When I got the idea to turn it into a full book, I added more recipes and some info about Bundt cakes. Then I paid $99 to get it published on Lulu (CreateSpace now KDP didn’t exist back then). Without an audience or much promotion, I made my money back within 9 months.

It doesn’t matter how humble your beginnings are, if you believe in your dream of being an author, and make strides toward that dream, you can make it happen and make it work for you.

Those Rosey Roses!

One of the fun songs from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is “Up from the Ashes,” performed by a bunch of inventors and Mr. Pott’s dad. The message is that success is often born from seeming failure. And that is so true! Those mistakes you make on your way to success are lessons to be learned, they are the fire that forges you. So, rejoice in those failures! They mean you are one step closer to success!

Web Design for Authors: Why It Matters

We all know that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but we also know that more often than we probably care to admit, we do it anyway. The same goes for how your website looks. Your website is the most important representation of your work as an author. If you want to sell more books, you have to acknowledge the importance of web design for your author website. These tips will help.

https://authorneering.com/web-design-...

You Are Good Enough To Be an Author

One of the many reasons people don’t start or finish their book is because they are afraid it won’t be good enough. The problem with this line of thinking is that this problem is not fixable. That is simply not true. Here are 4 simple things you can do to “fix” a less than perfect idea so that you won’t waste your – or your readers’ – time:

1. Vet the idea before you start. There are lots of ways to do that. I provided some advice on this one here: https://authorneering.com/how-to-eval...
2. Write an outline. If you outline your book before your start, you’ll be able to identify holes that need to be filled that you hand thought of already.
3. Research the competition and make your book better than what’s out there. What are those other books missing? What are they getting right? Don’t steal their ideas, leap off from them with your own signature style and expertise.
4. Hire help. You can hire a ghostwriter to take your ideas and write the book for you. You can hire a developmental editor to help you strengthen your work.

The Way You Read Affects Your Mind

Joseph Addison said, “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” And he’s not far from wrong.

A Stanford University study discovered that reading a novel closely – thinking about its value – exercises the brain. Conversely, reading the same novel simply for pleasure increases blood flow to different sections of the brain. Their conclusion was that studying what you read gave your brain a more complex workout than light, “brain candy” reading. Now there is food for thought!

Don't be a pigeon

Have you ever noticed that pigeons seem to use flight as a last resort? They toddle away from you when they could simply fly. So many of us act just like pigeons. We can fly, but we choose to walk. We stay in our comfort zone and never even attempt to soar.

TRUTH BOMB: You are an eagle, not a pigeon. Spread your wings and fly!

Make Your Author Dream Come True Now

Scottish author and government reformer Samuel Smiles once said, "An intense anticipation itself transforms possibility into reality; our desires being often but precursors of the things which we are capable of performing." I agree.

“Capable” doesn’t mean you have to do it yourself. If you have a strong desire to write a book, do it. That passion welling inside you is an indication that you have a message to share with the world – through fiction or nonfiction.

It doesn’t matter if you are a good writer now – you can get help. Writing is, in part, a learned skill. In fact, you can even hire someone else to write the book.

Develop a sustainable book marketing strategy

It's no secret that marketing is essential for any published author, but what many people don't realize is that a sustainable book marketing strategy requires effort and time put in long before the book goes live. In this blog post, you'll learn how to build a successful – and sustainable – book marketing plan.
https://bookmarketingclub.com/sustain...

Not enough time?

You want to write a book, but you keep telling yourself that you don't have the time.

How many times have you said that to yourself?

Probably more than you'd like to admit. The truth is, if you really want to write a book, then you'll find the time. In this post, I'll show you how to overcome your internal objections and finally start writing your book

https://authorneering.com/overcoming-...