Nick Thacker's Blog, page 3
July 29, 2015
Self-Published Authors: What You Should Know About Copyright and Plagiarism
The pressure to publish can be overwhelming. Whether it is information you want to provide, an edge on the market to discuss a topic that is trending, or to finally write that novel that has always been itching to get out. But in all cases, with self-publishing being as accessible as your laptop, safeguarding your own words, thoughts and ideas is troubling.
Before the dawn of the instant access with the Internet, writers (students and professionals) have been “borrowing”, paraphrasing and eve...
July 22, 2015
10 Ways to Inspire Your Writing
Writer’s block is a phenomenon that disables any writer, new or well-seasoned. Whether you’re stuck in the middle of your next novel or you’re just looking for a way to get in the habit of daily writing, here are ten tips to help you get inspired and create something beautiful.
1. Read Famous Quotes
As a writer, there is nothing more thought-provoking than the work of those who came before us. Google famous quotes from your favorite writers, filmmakers, movie stars, politicians, or whoever in...
July 15, 2015
Using Social Media to Network as an Author
It’s no secret that social media has affected the lives of many people from all around the globe. According to statistics, there will be an estimated number of 2.13 billion social media users by 2016. Among the numerous social media websites that exists today, Facebook remains at the top spot, with more than 1 billion active users per month.
With the existence of mobile applications for social media, it is expected that usage will continuously grow over the years. Because of this, social medi...
July 1, 2015
10 Elements of the Perfect Writing Environment
In my ten years of writing I noticed that I tend to write better in some environments, less well in others. This piece summarizes my observations. Hopefully it will help you create that perfect writing environment where words just seem to flow effortlessly.
Attire
You may think that this is a frivolous detail, but to let your thoughts adrift, dressing comfortably helps. So if you are at home, wear some loose, comfortable and casual clothing, and while at office, even if you have a dress code,...
June 24, 2015
Get Personal: How To Create An Author Website That Shows Off Your Writer Personality
It may sound obvious, but did you ever stop to think about WHY people visit an author’s website? Each person who types in your URL or clicks into your site has a particular agenda: Literary agents might want to learn about your latest work-in-progress. Lit mag editors might want to find out more about your publishing history. Fans might want to discover what else is available for them to read.
But no matter the core reason for a person’s visit to your site, every visitor has one thing in comm...
June 22, 2015
An Open Letter to Taylor Swift: Or Why Folks Like Her Should Stop Dictating Rules for Folks Like Me
Here’s a quick tl;dr of what’s been going on lately in the music industry:
Apple’s coming out with a streaming media service, akin to Spotify Word got out that (apparently) Apple wasn’t going to pay artists during the three-month free trial Taylor Swift thought that wasn’t too cool, and wrote an open letter to Apple Apple responds with “OMG lolz yur so right TayTay!!!”I have a background in music, and have a little knowledge on what the record industry is like and how it all works. I’m no...
June 17, 2015
The Secret to Successful Self-Publishing: Becoming a Ferocious Self-Editor
I’m honoredto have avery special guest this week… Jerry Jenkins (yep, that one!). It also happens to be on a topic that all of us can use: self-editing. So take it away, Jerry, and thanks for stopping by!
Regardless your reason for wanting to self-publish, your prospects for success will rise exponentially if you learn to edit your own writing. The crisper your prose, the farther you’ll separate yourself from the ocean of competitors who flood this vast new space.
There’s little point in pour...
June 10, 2015
12 Basic Steps to Optimize Your Website this Summer
Oh my goodness! Have you heard? Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines have become strict disciplinarians who don’t tolerate any nonsense. All their algorithm updates with cute names have made it harder for everyone to make it to page one of the search results. And they’re not done yet because they promise more challenges to come when we talk about website optimization and rankings. Oh, why are you doing this to us?
“Google has got to keep trying to be smarter and smarter. So our missio...
June 8, 2015
If I Could Be Honest… (How I Feel After Advertising on Facebook)
I recently began experimenting with Facebook ads to get people to sign up for my NickThacker.com mailing list. I offered ALL THREE of my first thrillers (The Golden Crystal, The Depths,andThe Enigma Strain) to anyone who signed up at NickThacker.com/free-books.
My biggest mistake was in expecting a single, simple landing page with instructions to be simple enough for people to get the books.
In the days that followed, I began to see comments on the ads (a really “cool” feature of Facebook adv...
June 3, 2015
Secrets for Great Short Story Writing
Writing short stories might appear to be a simple task. After all, you will only be writing a short one instead of a novel which entails a lot of time since you have to create different chapters, weave sub-plots, and supply more story details and a whole lot more. But even short story writing is never an easy thing to do. You can always create your own short story whichever way you want it. Yet, how do you create a story that can attract readers, a kind of story that is created to last and ca...
