What a marvelous world we live in and what an incredible time to be a writer. There are just so many opportunities and ways we can get our words and our work out into the world these days.  So many that it might at times be confusing as to which ones to use and which ones to pass on by.

Just the other day, someone posted a great question on Word Journeys: Resources for Writers, one of the

Books by Porpoise Publishing

Facebook groups I frequent. Here’s the question:

Should I ‘do’ my ebook on Book Baby, Kindle or Smashwords? I can do most of it myself, but how best to get to all the e readers….?

Yes, that is the $64,000 question, not… Continue reading →

Read, Review, Pass Along Form

Writers know the importance of garnering reviews of their books to draw the kind of attention that will result in more book sales.  But how do you do it when a book first comes out, and hardly anyone has bought it to review it?

You give a few books away, right?  Maybe more than a few, like dozens, but that can be costly especially if you only get one review for every book you give away.  There must be a better way.

That was my thinking a few months ago that lead me to my most recent experiment — the Read, Review and Pass Along Plan. It’s really pretty simple.  I created a Read, Review and Pass Along Form and… Continue reading →

The section of this blog is called The Learning Curve for the simple reason that I want to share with other writers what I’m learning as I continue my journey to become a successful indie publisher. Today I want to explore what I’m learning about the balancing act of being an indie publisher.

First and foremost, I am no longer just a writer or author. As one of my online mentors, Dean Wesley Smith, points out in his blog section I’m learning to “Think Like a Publisher” as well as to continue to think and act as a writer.  So, there’s a balancing aspect between these two important part of turning out new books and stories through my publishing company – Porpoise Publishing.… Continue reading →

We’ve all heard how important it is to have a really great book cover.  Despite the old adage, “You can’t judge a book by its cover,” we know we all do — right?  Right. And you’ve probably all read how damn hard it is to create really great covers.  True?

Okay, now here’s where the contrarian in me comes out.  I say hogwash to that.  Here, let me

Covers Designed by Ann Swift & W. Bradford Swift

explain. I see many really good authors who end up getting stopped, sometimes for weeks, months or longer, in getting their book published because they don’t know how to create a really great cover, and they don’t have the funds to hire a professional.

So I say, don’t… Continue reading →

Equal Energy Exchanges Work

One of the things I’m finding as I focus more of my life energy on being a visionary writer that’s both interesting and fun is how many different aspects of being a life coach I can apply to my writing aspirations.  For example, using Equal Energy Exchanges – a self made distinction I’ve used with many of my coaching clients in the past.

So, what is an Equal Energy Exchange (EEE) and how can we visionary writers use them to our advantage (and everyone else’s advantage for that matter)?  Well, an EEE is a way of looking at life that can free us up from the constraints often placed on us when it comes to matters of money.  You see, it’s… Continue reading →