Just Because...

it's a delightful sentence!

"So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning fork that had been struck upon a star."

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

It's Covered!

Check out these two beguiling book covers. I think they are very cool and it reminded me that a great book cover is an important part of the overall package.
Enjoy!

Press On!

I've just returned from a magical three days in the 'city of dreaming spires', a place I love to visit partly because of the stunning architecture.

After downloading the images from this trip, I started to find fault with the composition and lighting on some of them. It then occurred to me that I didn't hesitate when taking any of the photos; my desire to capture what was in front of me took over completely.

It is easy to fall into the same trap when writing, agonising over our choice of words, rather than just doing it. After all, changes can come later when re-drafting.

Here is one of the photos I took, ever so slightly tweaked!!

What Are You Doing?

If you are on Twitter then you will be used to answering the above question. Originally called micro-blogging, it is really about connecting with people and having conversations in real time. It is rather like being in a restaurant and being able to hear all of the conversations and then deciding which one you are going to listen to. Users can send and receive updates, known as tweets, which must be no more than 140 characters in length.

I was at the London Book Fair the other week and attended a seminar about online publicity. Twitter is apparently growing by 3,000% per month! It is a great way for authors to interact directly with readers (although considering the required brevity, quite a challenge!).

I recently attended an Alternatives workshop with Debbie Ford, who thinks of herself as a teacher who writes and is using online media very effectively. She sends out regular newsletters, is on Twitter and you can be her friend and her fan on Facebook (a double whammy!).

There are many ways to communicate with your audience and it’s about finding the right one for you. For example, I am a reluctant public speaker, but enjoy interacting with people one to one. You can hear a podcast interview with me (and some great authors) on Steve Nobel’s Magical People

The next step up is a webcast or webinar, where you can be interviewed live, although there is no direct audience interaction. If you like the sound of that, then check out People You Should Meet with Damien Senn

If you fancy something a little more interactive, then you may want to think about teleseminars. Nick Williams regularly runs them for his Inspired Entrepreneurs community.

All of the above are great ways of sharing your expertise with a global audience from the comfort of your own home.

If you are looking for a different way to connect with your audience, then you may want to go into a Mango clothes store, where you’ll find T-shirts featuring quotations from the author Paolo Coelho such as Never give up on your dreams, follow the signs, The path to wisdom is not being afraid to make mistakes and The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. The T-shirts are already the top-selling item at all Mango shops around the world and more than half the earnings from the sales will be going his institute in Brazil that helps children.