February 2012 Issue
February Issue
Writer's Digest Magazine
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Website of the Week
Writing Website of the Week
Andrew Jack's site not only follows the journey of this writer on his quest to get his fiction published, but also offers solid writing advice.Andrew Jack Writing 
*Not affiliated with our 101 Best Writing Websites feature.
Build a Platform & Start Blogging
[description]Create a blog for your writing, learn blogging basics, and discover strategies for making money from your blog.[/description]
[keywords]make money from blog, start a blog, writing a blog, blogging basics[/keywords]
[keywords]make money from blog, start a blog, writing a blog, blogging basics[/keywords]
Every writer can benefit from having a platform from which to promote their work. And for writers of non-fiction, it’s critical. Here you’ll learn the basics, including setting up a blog, strategies for effective blogging, and how to make your platform a revenue generator as well.
50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day
If you’re the kind of writer who prefers being read and selling your work as opposed to being an unknown starving writer (who doesn’t?), here are 50 quick, simple ways to launch your platform into action and climb your way to success. Read more
Writer’s Workout Exclusive
Download a free motivational poster to keep you moving as your build your writing career. Read an Excerpt! Learn how to cultivate clarity, inventory ideas, write richly, and serve up words. About … Read more
Writer’s Workout Excerpt
Excerpt from The Writer’s Workout by Christina Katz CULTIVATE CLARITY When you write something needlessly prolix and convoluted, there’s a reason for it, and that reason is usually a lack of clarity … Read more
Writer’s Workout
The Writer’s Workout: 366 Tips, Tasks, & Techniques from Your Writing Career Coach by Christina Katz Writer’s Digest Books, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-59963-179-0 ISBN-10: 1-59963-179-2 $19.99 paperback, 384 pages Buy the Book! Read … Read more
How to Keep Some Privacy When Using Social Media
In an age when both working and aspiring writers are expected to be “out there” more than ever before, privacy has become a luxury unaffordable to those of us not named Stephen … Read more
10 Ways Writers Lose Blog Traffic and Alienate Readers
As a food and travel writer, I rely on my blog as my lifeline. It helps me connect with my readers and is a wonderful platform to make my voice heard. But … Read more
5 Excellent Tips for Platform Building
This past weekend, I had the honor of keynoting the Writers’ League of Texas Agents Conference in Austin.
During that weekend, I also had the opportunity to hear some wonderful advice from other publishing experts. Here’s some excellent online marketing advice I heard. All are direct quotes unless in brackets. Read more
Listen Free: The Future of Authorship & Publishing
Yesterday, I was a guest on The Best People We Know Show with Deb Scott, on BlogTalkRadio. It’s already ranked #4 in popularity in the writing category. Read more
2 Free Opportunties to Hear Experts Speak
Tomorrow (June 9) there are two FREE opportunities to get advice on writing and publishing. Read more
Free E-Book on Building Readership by Cory Doctorow
Portrait by Jonathan Worth My most popular post (so far) this year, 5 Free E-Books Every Writer Needs, could’ve benefited from one more addition: The Problem Isn’t Piracy, The Problem Is Obscurity … Read more
Do You Have a Marketing Support Network?
This month at Writer Unboxed, I discuss one of the invisible aspects of your platform that directly impacts your success: Your relationships. Click here to read “A Critical Marketing Secret: Don’t Go … Read more
6 Key Components of an Online Author Platform
Next week, on June 2, I’ll be teaching a live, online class on building your author platform. To help make “platform” more understandable and approachable as a topic, I’ve boiled it down … Read more
8 Things Readers Want From Self-Published Authors
My post last week, The “Self-Pub Is Crap” Debate, has probably generated more comments than any other post in 2011. Reviewing the comments provides an excellent to-do list of how self-published authors … Read more
Should You Self-Publish After a Near-Miss?
Writers often ask if it’s wise or helpful to self-publish their work if they have “near-misses” with agents or publishers. There’s no one answer that works for everyone. But I’ll try to … Read more
Is Email the New Blogging?
The meme these days seems to be that e-mail newsletters (or content marketing through e-mail) is the new blogging. Actually, I lie. It’s a fairly old meme—I can at least trace it … Read more
Midlist Nonfiction Books: Too Much Effort for Too Little Return?
Pictured above: A slide from Margaret Atwood’s marvelous presentation at TOC on the future for authors When it comes to non-narrative nonfiction books, I don’t think of the authors of these books … Read more
How to Start a Successful Newsletter
Next week, I’m teaching an online class on how to start a successful e-mail newsletter. This is a topic I’ve covered here at No Rules before, but this class will allow me … Read more
How to Build Your Website Without Knowing Code
Today I sent out the latest issue of my e-mail newsletter, which I call “3 Happy Things.” Each issue has a different theme, and this one focused on how to build a … Read more
5 Innovative Poets to Watch & Learn From
As everyone knows, you can’t make a living from writing and selling poetry. Or can you? Well, it IS next to impossible to make a living by only writing poems. Sometimes I … Read more
Helpful Insights for Self-Publishing Novelists
I moderated a panel at SXSW called The Self-Publishing Novelist, which included insights from 3 experienced experts: John Sundman. Read an interview with John here, Building an Enthusiastic Fan Base as a … Read more
Get Started With Your Own Website or Blog
If you’re serious about your career as an author, you need a website. And the sooner you get one going, the better. Why? The most important reason: There’s a learning curve. You … Read more
Elements of a Successful Fiction Platform
To really make your name, you need to put it out there—and not just on the cover of your book. Here, novelists share which strategies for attracting readers work, which ones don’t, and why craft is still as important as ever.
By Christina Katz
How to Get Reviews for Self-Published Books
Today’s guest post is by Joel Friedlander, one of the most informative people I know on the topic of self-publishing. Go visit his blog, or follow him on Twitter.– It’s never been … Read more
How to Start a Professional Newsletter for Free
Last year, I talked about why authors need to start building an e-mail list … NOW. Even though it may sound antiquated in light of other tools available, e-mail is still one … Read more
10 Steps to Secure Your WordPress Blog From Hackers
Today’s guest post is from Triona Guidry, a computer consultant and freelance writer in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Her blog offers tech support for Windows and Mac, security alerts, and advice … Read more