Happy Monday, everyone! And, we’re rolling with another Ask the Publisher. A few weeks ago, I wrote about building your author brand. This is the image you put forth and it needs to be in alignment with the perception of your work. It needs to express who you truly are and not a surface image or persona you are trying to portray. This is important because it shows the integrity of your brand and, honestly, people can sniff out a phoney at 100 paces. If you don’t feel comforta

Happy Friday readers! This week’s Around the Web features writing advice, librarians, and more. Read on and then share what you’ve been reading in the comments! Literary Cocktails It is Friday, which is about as good a time to indulge as any other. Check out these literature inspired cocktails from the mixologist from Washington D.C.’s Petworth Citizen. Drinks in this Electric Literature article are inspired by the likes of Richard Adams, Neil Gaiman, and more. Perfect for bo

The Boatman author Kat Hawthorne will be kicking off Halloween events at Chapters St. Catherines with a reading and signing. Stop by the IndigoKids section to get in on the action! Reading and Signing Date: October 27, 2018 Time: 11 a.m. Location: Chapters St. Catherines, IndigoKids section New Fairview Mall, 285 Geneva St. Catharines, Ontario L2N 2G1

To Blog or Not to Blog? For most authors, the answer is “Yes.” As we discussed in my previous post, it’s a place on the internet where people can easily find you and regularly engage with you and your writing. It can be a part of the Content component of your author platform and lead people to your books. Here are a few benefits of blogging we didn’t consider in my previous post. The Blog as Writing Exercise A blog can also help you to develop a voice and practice writing. Bl

Hello again everyone and happy Friday! Once more it’s time for Around the Web, so settle in for some reading or get ready to bookmark some pages for later because I’ve got lots to share with you this week. Women in the Rare Book Trade The rare book trade is largely made up of old white men, says a recent piece in the Paris Review by Diane Mehta. But women have been making progress in this space, especially when it comes to acquiring and preserving texts by women. If you like

In my last post, I included a blog as something that is nice to have on your author website. If you do plan to blog, there are some things you should know. So let's dig into the topic a bit more. Blogging, as part of your entire body of content, is good for some things and bad for others, so it is best to have the right expectations before putting fingers to keyboard. Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. Blogging alone is pretty lousy for: Outreach: Back in the good

We've already looked at essential website features, now let's look at other features that are nice to have on your author website.

Hello all! Things have been going well in the CDP offices as we work away on our fall releases. I hope your week has been going just as well. Here’s what caught my eye this week. Archaeological Finds I studied Classics in university, so please excuse me as I continue to share ancient literature topics. Last week I shared a Homer themed BBQ, and it turns out that said meal plan is even more appropriate (if you like celebrating archaeological discoveries that is), because excav

Now that you know you need an author website, let's talk content. There are four pages that are necessary for an essential author website: Home, About, Books, and Contact Before we get into the key components of each page, a few general comments: Design As we discussed in my last post, a clean organized design, visually appealing without being distracting, is your best friend. Keep your navigation simple and avoid fancy page tabs. Have your page tabs or menus clear and concis

Over the last two posts we have looked at your author platform and your author brand. A key component of both is your author website. This post will give an overview of an author website and over the next few posts we will drill down on individual elements. Why do I need a website? You need a home on the Internet where you own the site and the content. It is somewhere permanent to serve as a hub for all the links to your books, reviews, events, and products. It is the key loc