By Kendall, on January 22nd, 2012 
With today’s dynamic publishing landscape and tight economic times, writers are increasingly expected to take on more of the marketing aspects by publishers for their books that make it to market. One subtle effect of this shift is that agents and publishers are looking at more than just the text of the book when deciding whether or not to sign the author. Yes, the author has to have written something great, but agents and publishers are also looking to see how well the author can help market the book.
For example, consider a book that is being proposed–the text is flawless and the book tells a compelling, interesting, and sellable story. Now, consider two hypothetical authors of that book. The first author is a housewife in Prairieville, Kansas, who tends to her house and family but otherwise has no community or online presence. The second author is a woman who is the CEO of a Fortune 1000 company, has a regular segment on NPR, and frequently is asked to keynote important industry conferences.
Both women write equally well, but hardly anyone knows the first author, while the second author is well-known across the country and perhaps in other parts of the world.
Suppose an agent or publisher loved the book and now has to decide which author to sign–the first author or the second author? Hopefully you can see why the agent or publisher would sign the second author–she is a widely known figure and her book would likely sell just because she is so well known.
This is the dilemma facing authors today. Yes, you have to write a great book, but there are things you need to be doing now in order to increase the likelihood that an agent or publisher will sign you once you finish writing your book.
What should an author be doing, in addition to writing the best book they can?
In Every Writer’s Dream, Jeff Goins details three important tools all authors should be using in order to increase the chances that an agent or publisher will accept a manuscript. These tools are called platform, brand, and connection. In this short, focused book, Goins explains what these tools are, why they are important, and how to get started using them. In fact, if an author uses these tools well, agents and publishers may come calling on the author instead of the author having to pitch to the agents and publishers.
Get Every Writer’s Dream and Before Your First Book using this link to Jeff Goins’ website.
As a bonus, Jeff is also including his short guide Before Your First Book, which includes motivations and tips to help get an author to stop waiting and start writing, right now.
For the next week, you can use the promo code “stopstalling” for $2 off.
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By Kendall, on January 17th, 2012 
It’s early in the morning—-the sun is not yet up, but here I am, typing away, coffee at the ready.
What’s going on? Why aren’t I sleeping?
Though I didn’t get home last night until 1:30AM, I’ve got things to write.
You see, I’m just back from a creative writing residency as part of the Stonecoast MFA program in Creative Writing, at the University of Southern Maine–I’m brimming with ideas, energy, knowledge, and . . . → Read More: How to Choose a Creative Writing MFA Program
By Kendall, on January 11th, 2012 
My dog has died, and also a part of me.
She came into our lives 16 years ago during a snowstorm in Wisconsin.
I had just come home from work in nearby Madison. It had started snowing earlier in the day, and by the time I got to our isolated farmhouse out in the country, the snow was more than a foot deep. Usually I entered the house via the back door, but something . . . → Read More: My dog has died. Diamond: December 1996 – January 2012
By Kendall, on January 6th, 2012 
I made a resolution to myself years ago that I would make a serious effort to pursue and improve my writing.
I’ve always been interested in writing stories and telling tales–hey, maybe I’ll even write a novel one day–but somehow job, career, and family always seemed to take a higher priority. And so no progress was made toward my goal.
There wasn’t enough time left over at the end of the day to . . . → Read More: Resolutions, Goals, and Improving Your Craft
By Kendall, on December 31st, 2011 
I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for their support, friendship, and love throughout 2011. I’ve had a lot of visitors to my website and have enjoyed keeping up with old friends and making new ones on various social networks.
2011 was a year of change for me, full of risks and surprises, big wins and failures. But 2012 is here now and it looks to be an another exciting year . . . → Read More: Blue Skies Ahead: Thank You, Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012
By Kendall, on November 26th, 2011 
If you’ve just received a new Kindle Fire, it may not be immediately obvious how to watch movies on your device.
Your Kindle Fire comes with a free month of Amazon Prime, which includes not only free 2-day shipping, but also free Amazon Instant Videos (TV shows and movies).
To watch Amazon videos, tap the “Video” label on the home screen of your Kindle Fire. I’ve highlighted where to tap in the picture:
. . . → Read More: How to watch movies on your Kindle Fire
By Kendall, on November 25th, 2011 
So the Amazon Kindle Fire ereaders are out now and there’s a lot of anticipation in the air as folks wonder what this new device is all about.
Here’s a quick guide I put together, explaining what are ereaders, ebooks, and Kindles. And here’s an overview of the Kindle ereaders now available.
As for the Kindle Fire itself, I put together a quick unboxing video so that you can see exactly what comes . . . → Read More: Amazon Kindle Fire Unboxing
By Kendall, on November 22nd, 2011 
We’ve no doubt all heard the cliche, “It takes a village to raise a child.” But award-winning author Neil Gaiman turns this phrase on its head and, with The Graveyard Book, explores a much more interesting premise: “It takes a graveyard to raise a child.” The prospect leads to tantalizing questions. For those who can imagine it, can the dead teach a child how to live? Can the dead protect a child from being . . . → Read More: Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
By Kendall, on November 18th, 2011 
Here is the third annual Totally Awesome Gift Guide–a collection of gift ideas that go beyond the mundane.
These gifts are curated based on: my personal review (i.e., after using the item, I found it to be totally awesome), or I just really, really want the item myself (i.e., it is totally awesome, period).
So, here are some totally awesome gifts for totally awesome people (like you!). I’ve grouped them into three categories: . . . → Read More: Totally Awesome Gift Guide 2011
By Kendall, on November 17th, 2011 
Last night at Muay Thai practice, where I’m the veritable definition of a newbie, we did lots of boxing and kicking combination drills. No pads, light contact, low intensity. The point was to start getting used to reacting to threats (punches and kicks) in a natural, non-scripted way.
Man, did I react badly.
Let’s put it this way–I zigged when I should have zagged.
Multiple times.
My usual training partner was not . . . → Read More: What to do when punched in the face and kicked in the ribs
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About
Kendall Giles is a writer and computer scientist on a quest to live an epic life.
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