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Jami Gold

What Writing Rules Do You Hate?

Angry Face Drawing

Anyone who has had me read their work can attest to the fact that I can be a tad, um … detail-oriented.  *ahem*  All right, I’ll admit it.  I’m a nit-picky perfectionist, even on beta-reads. I know, I know.  I’m trying to control this tendency.  Beta-reading shouldn’t involve line-editing.  And I owe […]

January 11, 2011

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How Do You Decide on Your Author Brand – Part Two

Girl with Shush Finger

Disclaimer: I love Maureen Johnson’s “I am not a brand” manifesto down to the last punctuation mark.  That’s not the approach to branding I’m talking about. An author’s brand isn’t about selling.  It’s about recognizing that what we say and how we act affects what others think of us.  It’s about then […]

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January 6, 2011

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How Do You Decide on Your Author Brand? – Part One

Venetian Mask

I’m being interviewed over at Rachel Firasek’s blog today.  Me!  I’m marking this day on the calendar for sure.  However, before sending you over there, I wanted to share with you some thoughts about this “branding” thing authors have to keep in mind now. Yesterday, Roni Loren (my friend from […]

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January 4, 2011

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Where to Find Free Kindle Books – Legally

Kindle

*gush alert*  I got a Kindle for Christmas and it’s, like, totally the most awesome-est thing ever.  *end gush alert before I gag*  And judging by the comments on Twitter, I wasn’t the only person to receive one. So now I’ve been doing my best to fill it without breaking […]

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December 30, 2010

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What Does “Happily Ever After” Mean?

Special Effect - Light Swirled like a Tree

How were your holidays?  Was Santa good to you?  I got a Kindle and quality time with my family, so short of getting an agent and book contract, my Christmas couldn’t have been any better. As I mentioned last time, whether or not we’re disappointed often depends on what we’re […]

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December 28, 2010

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What Do Readers Expect?

Sad girl

We’ve all been disappointed at some point during our lives.  As a child, I once discovered my Christmas presents early, hidden in my parents’ closet (it was by accident, I swear!).  My fingers ached to play with all those toys and I couldn’t wait for the big day. But when […]

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December 23, 2010

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Is a Blog Like a Query Letter?

Acrobatic Alphabet

Today’s post is the unofficial “part three” of the results from my poll.  I hadn’t planned this post, but the comments from last time inspired a new thought. In part one, we talked about how to help your blog readers find you.  And in part two, we discussed the things […]

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December 21, 2010

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Poll Answers: Part Two – What Makes People Avoid Blogs

Line of stop signs

My last post highlighted ways a blog can serve its readership.  This post focuses on what not to do when designing a blog.  Some of the answers might surprise you. Once again, I want to thank all of you who voted in the polls, commented, and tweeted me with feedback.  […]

December 16, 2010

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Poll Answers: Part One – How People Access Blogs

Chart graphics

First of all, huge thanks to everyone who answered my poll questions last week about how you use blogs.  Hopefully, the high participation rate means the results will be helpful to all of us.  In fact, due to the abundant and informative feedback in comments and tweets, I’ll be dividing […]

December 14, 2010

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Can Blogging Train Your Muse?

Hourglass Timer

Should authors blog?  We’ve all seen this question in some form or another.  Some wonder if agents expect it.  (Not yet but close.) Others want to know if it will help build that elusive platform.  (It can.) But I propose another reason to blog: training your muse. My regular readers […]

December 9, 2010

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