Get a Book Deal® Editorial Coaching Tip: Batch Your Manuscript To-Do List

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The lazier you are, the more efficient you should be. But even if you're not lazy (because let's say, for the sake of argument, you are a super busy person), this tip will save you time.

Wouldn't you like to make your book writing process both easier and faster? The current model I advocate for my editorial coaching clients is based on creating with greater ease. It starts with breaking projects into bite-sized chunks and doing alike things together (aka batching).

That being said . . .

What's a To-Do List for a Book?

Once you have a solid idea for your book, you will set up an outline of your chapters. Each chapter has a purpose related to the overall theme. These need to be structured in an order that makes sense not only to you, but also to your prospective reader. The to-do list I'm referring to comes into play when you're ready to actually write those designated chapters.

==> Item #1 Set up your chapter folders: Make capturing ideas simpler by creating computer folders to dump all your great thoughts into as they come up. This way when you have an insight or flash of genius you don't have to switch gears. Save it and come back to it later. You'll never forget anything again since making a notation tells your brain, "Store this in long-term memory."

==> Item #2 Features: Are you going to have inspirational quotes at the top of each chapter, for instance? Then you can do those all in one sitting. Research them, and then input them, in one day's writing session. Of course, you can always play around and switch them later, as a polishing touch, however once they are input you can check them off your to-do list.

Other possible features are end-of-chapter summaries or exercises, sidebar quotes, top-of-chapter stories, bullet points, boxed tips, and so on.

==> Item #3 Build your endnotes as you go along: A big sob story I often hear from authors is how much they hate going backwards and trying to figure out/recreate their sources toward the end of their writing process. "Do I reaaaaaaaallllly have to include page numbers in my notes, Stephanie? But I just can't remember the video I watched/article I read/website I visited nooooowwwww." Boohoo. (Here's my tiny violin playing just for them: rrrereereerererererere.) Keep track as you go along in separate files organized by chapter, which you revisit and perfect at the completion of writing THAT chapter.

AND . . . and this one more thing is very helpful . . . highlight the numbered notation where it is located in your manuscript so that if you rearrange the chapter later you can swiftly find it. Every time you rewrite the chapter, redo your endnotes in the correct new order.

==> Item #4 Get signed releases at the TIME OF the interview: If you're interviewing subjects for case studies/book anecdotes, have them sign the release right at the time of the call or meeting. This way, they know going into the conversation that everything is on the record. They can raise any objections and state their preferences for being referred to by a certain name or pseudonym or otherwise state how they would like to be credited in the acknowledgements. Keeping things above board puts them at ease and helps them trust you going into the call or meeting. Offer to send them a free copy (or two) of the printed book when it comes out, and tape record the interview, including where they talk about their preferences for what is told or not told about who they are. Believe me, this can save you time, because getting releases signed at the last minute is like herding cats.

Batch your interviews: Make your requests all at once for scheduling appointments, and knock them out in the same week for each chapter.

==> Item #5 Do your research by the chapter: Some people don't research until the moment they get stuck, others distract themselves by jumping around from chapter to chapter. It doesn't matter which chapter you finish first (you should feel free to follow your flow), but once you set out to write a specific chapter, do all of the research for the sections of that one chapter at once before sitting down to write. This way, once that chapter is done being written, it is done to the best of your ability and you can check it off your table of contents. In the writing process you may ultimately discover gaps in your knowledge that you hadn't initially considered. These are happy discoveries which are easier to make if you don't have missing pieces. Handle filling in the gaps after drafting all the sections that are thoroughly planned.

==> Item #6 Establish an internal "rulebook" for your book: Set up a checklist of concepts that have to be touched upon in each chapter and review the list while you are drafting. For instance, if your book were on pet care and you were mainly hoping to appeal to people who have dogs and cats, but there were secondary markets with rodents, reptiles, and birds, at the end of writing a chapter you would ask yourself: "Have I done a section relevant to each type of pet owner?" "Is there a special case that applies to any of these categories?" In a chapter on feeding your pet you'd talk about special dietary needs for cats, dogs, etc. In a chapter on grooming, you'd talk about the furry ones, the feathered ones, and the fleshy ones, but you might have something special to say about molting birds or shedding snakes. If one chapter applies only to people in one category, you could even title it separately: "Exclusively For Bird Lovers."

When I am working with my editorial coaching clients, we talk through the mission and purpose of each chapter prior to the writing of it, and then a second time when we review the first draft, even before grammatical editing is undertaken. These kinds of consultations translate very well when it comes to the stage of marketing the published book, as you can set yourself up to hit the salient points that would most appeal to journalists or when speaking from a podium.

If you're interested Editorial Coaching for your Self-Published Book, please contact me: abundantwords@aol.com.

Love Your Mess, Free Webinar on Wednesday, October 12

As you know I am hugely interested in creativity: what boosts or enhances it, and what gets in the way of it. So this Wednesday, I'm being joined by my guest, author Allison Nazarian, to talk about concepts from her book Love Your Mess.

Why Should You Love Your Mess?
If you try to run from your mess, you're not going to get very far. Like the Zen masters say: Wherever you go ... there's your mess! Denial isn't the answer.

What if your mess was part of your process? Part of the process? Might that not be a liberating thought to embrace?

On Wednesday, October 12, at 8 PM Eastern (7 CT/6 MT/ 5PT), Allison and I will get down and dirty (pun intended) about being with what is and how it can serve us as creative types. We'd like to have you with us.

Register your messy self for this call:
http://stephaniegunning.com/teleseminar

Mess is there when we're at home, in the office, on a diet, starting a new business, engaged in our relationships, and talking to ourselves in our heads. There's a strong temptation to deny it, avoid it, defy it, resist it, and wrestle with it. It can get the better of us ... bring us to our knees ... but we've got to take the power back.

The best way to do that is to get on board with the mess.

By now, you know I'm not referring to the socks on the staircase. (Even though that mess can be a manifestation of the "mess" I am referring to.)

Mess is an inside job.
Real life can be messy.

Date: October 12
Time: 8 PM Eastern
Duration: 60 minutes
Recorded: Yes (so you can replay later)
Cost: zip. zero. nada.
You: Register (this way I can send you a reminder)

We're going to have fun and hopefully be a little inspiring on this call. Allison Nazarian is a copywriter, business owner, mom, walker, reader, texter, Howard Stern superfan, Counting Crows devotee, eater of very dark chocolate, lover of ladybugs, football fan, and much, much more, who lives a very messy life in Florida with her kids, dog, and a bunch of other messy folks.

Me, well, I try to hide my mess a lot, but it's there. I'm quite familiar with it. I even get emotional about it of an evening when the to-do list got longer instead of shorter, when I made a choice I don't admire and I'm wondering how the heck I can go on.

So, no gurus are going to be on this call (unless you're a guru--LOL). Come talk to us anyhow. This is a call for real people with real messy lives.

Inside the Making of My First EDITED YouTube Video

Last week I made a movie that runs just under three minutes. I'm calling it a "movie" to distinguish it from a "talking head" video, which is the only type of video I've done before that relates to my business. This one has a soundtrack, captions, still images, and footage of me talking. I made it over the course of two late nights, and frankly it probably could have been done in one if I hadn't been simultaneously learning to use the editing program on my computer.

Making my edited video was fun! For over a year I have been stalling in regards to videos. How silly my procrastination seems in hindsight. There's certainly a lesson in that. Especially now that my small production has been shared with a public audience and I've received positive feedback for it, I am thoroughly psyched to do more of them. Video is a powerful medium, one that I now highly encourage you to explore as a means of spreading your message. Fortunately writers are storytellers, so this won't be that big a stretch for you once you get started.

My equipment was a Flip Camera and the Windows Movie Maker software that came on my PC with the Windows Office software package.

Let me share my creative process, with the caveat that, of course, you must develop your own way of working. My example is only useful in the sense that I am a novice in this area--and if I can do it, so can you. Seriously! . . . And I mean SERIOUSLY.

First, a request was made of me to share a short description of my business and to offer a testimonial about what I had learned in the business mastermind in which I've participated in 2011. So my purpose was clear, which as a rule of thumb is a good place to start: Set a goal.

Next, I started brainstorming. I am in the "word business," so I asked: What are fun, expressive ways to film actual words? I pulled out my Scrabble set and began forming word combinations on my living room carpet, things like my name, the name of my business, short phrases. Then I remembered how much fun I'd had as a kid spelling words in my alphabet soup. The picture came to mind of a soup spoon that read, "I love words." It made me chuckle.

On a break, I went to the grocery store and bought alphabet pasta. I pulled out enough letters to write a whole bunch of short sentences, boiled some water, dumped the pasta pieces in it to expand the letters, and then wrestled with those little suckers on a plate. Finally I decided just to use two short sentences on two silver tablespoons. They looked a little bland in their natural state, so I found my paint kit and painted the letters in bright colors. To complete this segment in a playful way I pretended the words were edible and filmed my hand picking up the spoon with a voice-over of me going, "Yum yum yum." The purpose was to express my emotions.

Then, I decided to pull copies of books I've written and edited off my shelves and film a big pile of them. In practice that concept looked rather strange, so instead I made four displays of three books each and shot them with voice-overs. Because these would be static images, I wanted to show each quickly. The purpose of that segment was to demonstrate my credentials.

Keeping in mind that my ideal client is someone who has an idea for a book, I added an intro about having ideas that lead people to need my services. In running through my photo album, I found pictures of a lightning bolt over a mountain, a hand holding the sun, a patch of purple irises, and a full moon. I used royalty-free sound effects to give each photo its own soundtrack: rolling thunder, a cadence, and a jazz riff on a drum. Each had a matching caption that I wrote to evoke the sensation of an inspired idea. I used my headshot to complete this segment.

As you can see, I was not developing my segments in order of their final appearance. I was creating from a stream of consciousness. When I was assembling the pieces it was clear where there needed to be segues between the segments. My rhetorical arc was working itself out as I was already in the process of production. I didn't really "storyboard" this video, though filmmakers normally do, and I believe it is a best practice. Mine by contrast was a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants video production. I used what I already had! Only a few of the key elements were newfound or newly made.

I wanted to show how long I've been at the book business, and so I showed a "book" I wrote on paper and bound with staples as a kid. My dad had saved it in a box somewhere and gave it back to me recently. But I didn't want to be maudlin, so I filmed it in a funny way--as a "reveal"--by unpacking it from a beloved object in my home: My Wonder Woman lunch box. Again, this was amusing for me. Perhaps the "purpose," though it was not conscious, was to inject my personality into the video here, by being authentic about my inner landscape and history. I have to point out, if I were worried about being perfect and coming across to you as some sort of guru on a mountain I would NOT have shown you this. It may feel risky to be seen, but it's much more fun to be transparent.

Now, I knew a whole bunch of things I wanted to say about my discoveries this year, and I really wanted to share the latest and perhaps greatest of these, which is to act right when you have an inspired idea, not later after the moment has passed. I had a perfect series of photo stills of me on a trapeze that I knew I could create a slide show from, to physically demonstrate my point about making the leap and hitting those perfect "weightless" moments in business/creation. These also went with what I had to say in my testimonial about my coach. So I created the ending, and then I filmed the middle, which was my talking head. In editing, I set this series of pictures to tango music-tahh, dum, dum, dum, dummmm, tah dah dah dumm, dumm, dumm dummm. And I played with how many seconds each stayed on the screen. I finished it with a surprise ending that you have to watch the video to see.



To shoot my testimonial segment (about 1:28 in length) took me eighteen tries. About ten were discarded as verbal flubs on my part. Three ran too long. A couple were poorly framed (oops--I wanted my head in). One had a handprint smeared on the lens (oops--I fumbled). The final one was "good enough."

The hardest part for me was technical. Windows Movie Maker documents cannot be uploaded to YouTube. After a bit of consternation (read: short temper tantrum) I discovered that by simply storing the file to my computer it was translated into a .WMV file that uploaded fine. I already have a TV channel set up on YouTube (it takes only a few minutes to create an account there) so in about 20 minutes it was up and viewable.

Think what you like after you watch it; for myself, I feel darn proud of my maiden effort in video editing. I did not know my coach would show it at her conference, but she did--right on the first morning--and people laughed in the places I hoped they would, applauded at the end, and came up to me in person telling me wonderful inspirations they took from it. More than I anticipated. It gave me a way to connect to unfamiliar people on a genuine level, and that was a sweet, sweet experience.

While words are the medium of a writer, storytelling is one of the skills of a writer that translates well on-screen. Make a video to spread your inspiration around your book's concept and don't be afraid to share it. The power of your imagination is always unleashed by sharing what's inside you. Pictures evoke emotion. And people actually think in pictures. So it could be a great way for you to create a circle of connection or deeper connection with your audience.

Do You Worry about "The Competition"?

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This morning, during a phone conversation with a couple of colleagues of mine, I discovered I have strong opinions about the notion of competition. This issue comes up for authors when they're writing book proposals and being asked to specifically analyze other books like theirs. It comes up for entrepreneurs launching new businesses who want to find fertile ground and experience the least resistance. And it comes up for every one of us when we get into the mode of comparing and contrasting ourselves with others whom we admire or envy, especially if we are in a mood of seeking approval, attention, or love, and wish to "measure up" favorably.

Opinion #1: There's No Such Thing as Competition. There are common needs shared by many people: some narrow, others universal. But in the realm of creation, the individual matters. Creating a book, a business, or a life would never be done the same way twice. Even two people reading the same book don't have the exact same experience. How could two writers create the same book? While I don't believe in competition, I do believe in preferences. What your potential reader or client or customer prefers may be what you offer vs. what someone else offers because of personal preference, but if you're being authentic, and providing values you are uniquely capable of providing, your task is really to express them how and where the people who you aim to serve can find them and relate to them. Gaining their attention starts by being inwardly driven and valuing yourself and going forward from there. As an old acting teacher and friend of mine used to repeatedly tell me, "Do what you're doing and let the chips fall where they may."

Opinion #2: Studying the Work of Other People Is Illuminating and Inspiring. Civilization as we know it is a collaborative enterprise of humanity. What we see around us is the result of 40,000 years of human interaction and conception on every level imaginable. The culture in which we find ourselves immersed is a dynamic context where nothing is settled. Therefore if you study those who serve similar audiences as you do, you will begin to see patterns and changes that show you where there is room to grow and evolve further. In the realm of success and expertise, strong presences, brands, and leaders instruct us. We must stand on their shoulders and go higher than they have gone. Yes, there may be a job available for one and two apply. Someone does "win." Someone else doesn't get that particular job. You could perceive this as competitive. At times one person has crossed a threshold, broken a ribbon, or earned a spot on the team. This does not end the life of the ones who do not experience these milestones. When the Oscars are handed out, the nominees may feel disappointed. But to linger on disappointment is to be attached to pinpoints in time. We don't really define ourselves by our wins and our losses; we define ourselves by the training and the experience of striving and the satisfaction of doing our best. If you cannot imagine taking the gifts of other people's creations and integrating them into what you are doing, then you are cutting yourself off from a very powerful source of information and collaboration. People often ask me about the rules for quoting from other people's books. My answer is simple: Say where you got it. Honor your sources. Honor the offerings--and then go forth and make your own way.

Opinion #3: People Use the Idea of Competition as an Excuse for Inaction. Want a little tough love? I hope so, because I'm prepared to dole it out. If everything has been done, and it's being done better than you can do it, and you want to do some more research before acting, and you wait and wait and wait--then you aren't actually a competitor yourself. When you identify a value that you can contribute, how dare you wait? For yourself, how dare you? For those you intend to serve, how dare you? There is certainly a time for study--research the need, research the information, examine what you're offering, do all that good and appropriate stuff--but then move forward. The most successful people I've met take steps and then navigate their course--while they're already in action. Making choices, even tiny ones, and then taking steps to deliver on your ideas as best you can at this moment in your life is the only way to get anywhere. In the end, no action is a choice. If you reach a moment when no action is the right choice for you, then your wrestling should end. My advice is simple: Turn your mind away and go in a new direction. No direction is an active choice at certain times. This no-action action is called REST. Resting does not involve revisiting your already-made decisions a million times. If you're still engaged in the pursuit of a specific goal even when you've counted it out as a possibility for you, then something is wrong in your mind. You're just looping back on the past. Or you really should be acting and you're stuck in fear. Possibility is infinite. Being stuck feels infinite. But that's a lie. It's just an excuse not to go for it. Let your purpose override your fear.

Opinion #4: Comparing and Contrasting Is an Important Ability... Unless It Is Based in Narcissism. Remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears? This porridge is too hot. This porridge is too cold. This bed is too hard. This bed is too soft. That's comparison. Bob sells widgets and I sell gizmos that do the same thing in a slightly different way--that's a contrast. Contrast is where it's at! It's not necessarily an up and down proposition when you look at life based on distinctions. Narcissism means seeing everything through the eyes of judgment. Because it is soft, it is good (or bad). Because Bob sells widgets he is bad (or good). In books, in business, in relationships, the perception of being seen as bad or good is tricky. It's not the place to start from. If you're overly concerned with other people's judgments you may want to look and see if you can locate what you are seeking from them within yourself. Whose approval do you really need? Your own. Whose love? Your own. Whose attention? Your own. Do your best and stay open, and if things don't go your way, learn to do what you do better. One of the beauties of the age we live in is how many opportunities are available to us. This is a sweet, sweet era in many respects. I think we complicate matters for ourselves. At least, I know I do.

My question to you is this: Is there something you would love to do or write? My invitation to you is to do it, no matter what you think could happen. Don't plan for disaster. If you see a possibility, there probably is one in front of you. But please don't live in your head in this strange notion of winners and losers. Opportunity becomes real by making it so.

If you're interested in my Get a Book Deal® Coaching Program, please read the FAQs and submit an application. The next available spaces as of today are for November 2011.

Freedom: How We Can Be More Than Sheeple (Get a Book Deal News Article)

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My thoughts this past weekend were of soldiers coming home, oddly enough. I got on a kick after seeing televised on C-Span Gary Sinise speaking at The National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where he was announcing the formation of a foundation to help service people and their families. People always want to know his political ambitions, because he's conservative--but independent--and this time was no exception. He laughed and said, "I'm an actor." Then continued, "I am a citizen of the United States. I can do what I want. I can vote for who I want." I thought that was cool. Sometimes we are free and we don't act like it because of fear of criticism. Good for him for stepping forward and doing something he believes in just because he can.


Then I started thinking about the good films I'd seen about soldiers and war. The Messenger, The Hurt Locker, Good Morning Vietnam, Saving Private Ryan, M*A*S*H, and Born on the Fourth of July. I put a couple of funny ones on my list because we need to laugh in the face of pain. Sinise developed a calling after playing a wounded Vietnam veteran in Forrest Gump. Those are worth watching if you haven't yet.


Not too many projects have crossed my desk to date that cover this new terrain of people coming home. I hope writers write good, strong books about the experiences of these hundred thousand or so people. Our country certainly has been at war long enough. When will it end? I am praying for peace. I think we need to read voices that help us to process and integrate our feelings about these troubles we've faced.




Next I looked up the dictionary definition of "Freedom." It's extensive. I'm going to share it here, because it is something worth thinking about as a writer. Freedom of expression is almost the highest value in our culture (although Americans are so often trying to silence one another, especially those who disagree with us). But there is also the freedom of worship, or the freedom not to worship. And freedom to live where and with whom we please. Economic freedom. Self-determination. There are so many ways to be free. (Source of definitions: Dictionary.com)


1. The state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint.


2. Exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.


3. The power to determine action without restraint.


4. Political or national independence.


5. Personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery.


6. Exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually followed by the preposition "from"): freedom from fear.


7. The absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc.


8. Ease or facility of movement or action.


9. Frankness of manner or speech.


10. General exemption or immunity: freedom from taxation.


11. The absence of ceremony or reserve.


12. A liberty taken.


13. A particular immunity or privilege enjoyed, as by a city or corporation: freedom to levy taxes.


14. Civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government.


15. The right to enjoy all the privileges or special rights of citizenship, membership, etc., in a community or the like.


16. The right to frequent, enjoy, or use at will: to have the freedom of a friend's library.


17. Philosophy. The power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination. (Compare necessity ( def. 7.))


When you think about the subjects you write on, reflect on whether or not you permit yourself to exercise your freedom. Do you constrain yourself? Silence yourself? Tell your truth? Contribute to the liberties of our society or of consciousness? Or do you oppose yourself and others? Where is your investment? I think it's an interesting question we need to ask ourselves if we want to be more than Sheeple.


Before my montage experience ended, I finally shed a few tears due to my frustration with a world where we are not all living our creative best and so much money is put into fighting back and fighting forward and all that non-peaceful, conflicted mental anguish that we trouble ourselves with--and must do, it seems, at times, just to stand up for ourselves and to be authentic in the pursuit of our happiness and livelihood. I enjoyed the holiday, though I didn't go to see fireworks. I visited friends and family and dreamed dreams aloud about my future goals. And my vacation in August!


On my freedom list this weekend, I can say without hesitation that I experienced all freedoms except numbers 10 and 13. Not entirely without pushback from one quarter or another, but nevertheless fifteen items were fully accomplished. How fortunate.


Have a wonderful week!

Audacious Creativity Technique #1: 7-Day Mental Cleanse for Writers

Among the 12 most powerful keys for dissolving creative blocks and soaring as a creator is also perhaps the simplest: the mental flush. Use this technique first thing in the morning on a daily basis, and you'll soon notice you have a new degree of lucidity. Think of this flush as a process of dumping, a chance for the mind to let go.

Have you ever noticed how the first thought of the day often is the most vulnerable? That's because you release conscious control over your mental processes while you're asleep, and as you rise back into consciousness--in the moment just before you re-exert control--one last unconscious thought is picked up in the open: "I'm so angry with so-and-so!" "I feel terrible, GUILTY, about what I did last week!" "How am I ever going to get everything done on time? I'm in over my head." "Couldn't I just stay here in bed and rest some more?"

Your brain is readying you for the day and doing its best to make its priorities known; especially by revealing your innermost feelings--including those that are normally concealed. It feels dangerous and sticky to dwell on certain images, so your mind may immediately respond by shutting them down. Vulnerability is not normally a revered condition, although the longer I am a writer the more I appreciate it. When I compiled Audacious Creativity (2010), I became fascinated by what it took for contributors to deliver me a simple article. Some hemmed and hawed and resisted; others flowed their pieces out, seemingly effortlessly. I saw that the ones who wrote most freely did not avoid negativity, but had a way of responding to it that was healthy and simple.

Remember, all of this resistance of our thoughts and feelings happens in a flash. It's not something we necessarily do on purpose. It just is. The brain is tasked with keeping us alive, so it acts defensively. But when it comes time to create a life we love and really live forward toward our best intentions, ideally we want to be friendly with our subconscious thought streams--and this means letting them have their say. Good ideas are to be found in the recesses of the mind.

This is where the Mental Flush comes in. So, here are a few basic instructions.

Get out a clean piece of paper and a pen. For four minutes, write down every thought that comes into your head, without rushing, but also without pausing in the middle. You're going to throw away the output at the end, rather than save it. So you don't need to concern yourself with punctuation, grammar, or readability. Beyond giving your mind a chance to speak up, be heard and accepted, in this process you are enabling the rational mind to integrate the input of the feeling mind. Metaphysically you are recycling energy that otherwise will remain trapped inside your biofield.

At the end of four minutes, stop writing. Then throw away, shred, burn, or otherwise dispose of your handwritten pages. Resist the temptation to use this process for the generation of content. If you want to create good content, do the mental flush first, and then do your content-creation process second once your mind is clear.

Do mental flushing for a minimum of seven days in a row, and notice whether there is a shift in your consciousness. This prepares open space in your inner landscape where your inner creator can flourish and flow, functioning in peace and harmony.

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6 Interesting Blogs for Writers

There is a wealth of wonderful resources for writers in the blogosphere, all right at your fingertips to enjoy. Here are some of my favorites.

How I Met 10 Amazing Woman Bloggers: On Carol Tice's helpful "Make a Living Writing" blog, an excellent post on how to find good bloggers, plus a collection of 10 great women bloggers.

15 Blogging Tips I Wish I Knew When I Started: Also at "Make a Living Writing," this post covers a number of points that will help you skip over a lot of stumbling blocks as a blogger.

First Chapter Plus: This is a fantastic service that distributes an e-catalog of first chapters of new books to libraries, bookstores, readers, media, etc. A great way to get exposure and readers for your book.

The Author's Dilemma: To Blog or Not to Blog: This post outlines the various options for blogging: daily, weekly, issue-focused, or blogging with a group of people. Then it gives a great overview of what makes a good author blog, and the pros and cons of blogging for authors.

15 Must-Read Blogs for Blog Writers: A great collection of blogs that are worthy reading for those aiming to write a sucessful blog. Topics include writing, finance, and Internet business.

White Hot Truth: Danielle LaPorte is a writer, entrepreneur, and visionary whose blog consistently offers gems of inspiration, practical advice, and spiritual wisdom. Case in point: The "Open up Anyway" poem in her latest post.

Let me know if you find any others that I can share with the Get a Book Deal community.

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5 Fun Things to Do with Twitter

Anyone who knows me well enough has probably already heard me rave enthusiastically about the fun I'm having on Twitter. This social network is relevant to us as writers since it's a no-cost chance to promote our work, do research, and connect with people who share our interests.

In an article from Saurage Marketing Research's Key Findings, I learned that:

• Six % of American adults use Twitter.
• Young adults (18-29) use it most (14%), followed by those aged 30-49 (7%), 50-64 (6%), and 65+ (4%).
• Hispanics (18%) use it more than African Americans (13%) and Caucasians (5%).
• Urbanites (11%) use it more than suburbanites (8%) and rural dwellers (5%).

Depending on whom your writing serves, that demographic may be more or less likely to use Twitter. But once you're on, every demographic that's represented there is easy to target.

Once you're set up with a Twitter account (which involves choosing a moniker that defines you at essence--mine is @audaciouseditor--and crafting a tiny biographical statement that links people to your blog or website), here are five ways you can have some fun.

1. "Tweet This" Buttons. On the top right of the screen, next to your name, there is a down arrow. From the drop down menu, choose "Settings." At the bottom of the page, choose "Resources." Click through next to "Tweet Button." Here, you can generate the html code for a button saying, "Tweet this," which you can dump into a newsletter article or blog post. The beauty of customizing such buttons is that you can craft a tempting tweet, which will attract other Twitter users to want to explore the link they see on the Twitter wall. When a reader likes an article you wrote, he or she will hit this button and in seconds it will be posted.

2. Widgets. Still in the "Resources" area, you can click "Widgets." This solution creates a small box with moving parts, which can be displayed on your website or blog (stick it to one side) or even on your Facebook page. A widget scrolls recent posts on Twitter. These posts either come from you exclusively, a list of your favorite tweeters, or any search phrase/key word you think is relevant to your readers. You control the appearance and dimensions. If you're following a group of experts on behalf of your community, this enhances your role as a resource and insider.

3. Hash Marks. Attaching the hash mark (aka the "pound" key, which looks like this #), to any word or phrase enables you to search that word/phrase in all posted tweets. This introduces you to tweeters you wouldn't necessarily have met otherwise, who share your interests. For instance, you might try searching #MEDITATION or #TRAVEL or #QUOTE. You can then follow anyone whose posts you like, or retweet them to your own followers. This is terrific for research. And if you want new people to follow your activity, include a hash mark phrase at the end of your own posts. You can even set up a special event where a group of people can have a real-time conversation using an agreed-upon hash tag.

4. Automated Scheduling. There are a number of services--both free and for pay--through which you can schedule tweets ahead of time. This is good for product launches or just to make the most economical use of your time. It keeps you engaged with the Twitter community on a regular basis even at times you are disconnected from your computer or mobile devices. SocialOomph.com or HootSuite.com are two such services. Remember that posts have to be 140 characters or less. Prep your posts with live links, and shorten those links using tinyurl.com or bitly.com. Spend an hour developing a list of reusable tweets and inputting them once a week.

5. Mentions. On your home page, you may notice a button below the tweet box that reads "@mentions." This enables you to see which other users are mentioning you and circulating your posts or posting about you. Be sure to send them a thank you. Twitter is a conversation held in real-time and in public. A rule of thumb is to post your stuff 20% and other people's stuff 80%. Thanking keeps it alive. Mention other people offering information and opportunities that your own followers may enjoy. And understand that this act of altruism also will help you to build your list of followers. Every time you use the "at" sign--@--before a twitter name, your posts appear on that person's wall, exposing you to a whole new group of potential readers.

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Stephanie Gunning is a publishing consultant based in New York, N.Y. Her book Audacious Creativity is available both in paperback and Kindle editions.