I’d always heard that landing a Bookbub deal could really help with marketing your book.

I’d tried a couple of times before with no luck. But recently, I submitted my historical fantasy, The Curse of King Midas, and was selected for a BookBub Featured Deal.

But there was a catch—it wasn’t for the U.S. market. My deal was for international readers only.

When I realized that, I wasn’t so sure about moving forward. I did some research and then decided to go for it.

In this article, I’ll discuss my experience, share my results, and tell you whether it was worth it.

How Much Does a BookBub Featured Deal Cost?

Cost is one of the biggest factors in deciding whether to apply for a BookBub deal. Prices vary depending on several factors:

• Your book’s genre
• The price of your book during the promotion
• Whether your deal includes the U.S. or is international only

For my deal, I promoted a fantasy novel at $0.99 (the second-lowest pricing tier available, after “free”). My international-only deal (which included the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia) cost $196.

The price would have been significantly higher if I had been selected to include the U.S. Since this was my first experience with Bookbub’s featured deals, I was kind of glad to have been chosen for international only. It gave me a chance to see what the deal would do for me without spending as much as a U.S. deal would cost.

The trade-off between price and royalties is important to consider. A lower-priced book will sell more copies but yield lower earnings per sale. (At 99 cents per book, I earned only about 30 cents per copy, for example.) Plus, the Bookbub featured deal costs less.

A higher-priced book (you can go up to $4.99) means fewer sales but greater royalties per copy. It also means a higher price for the Bookbub deal, though. (You can find the prices here.)

I’ve also heard that you have a better chance of being selected for a Bookbub deal as an indie author if you price your book on the lower end of the spectrum.

I opted for the $0.99 price point because my primary goal was to increase readership rather than maximize immediate earnings—and I wanted to improve my chances of being accepted for the deal.

What Was My Goal with This Bookbub Featured Deal?

My main objective was to introduce more readers to The Midas Legacy series before the release of Book II in June (2025). I wanted to get my book into as many hands as possible so new readers could discover the series. I was hoping to earn some of my money back, but I wasn’t overly concerned with breaking even or turning a profit from this deal alone.

Results from My BookBub
Featured Deal

BookBub estimates that a deal like mine (in the fantasy genre) could result in between 10 and 2,250 copies sold. Thankfully, I sold more than ten! Considering my book remains relatively unknown to the general fantasy audience, I feel pretty good about the results.

My BookBub email went out on February 12th, and by the end of the next day (February 13th), here were my total sales:

• 124 copies sold (all ebook)
• Amazon: 102 copies
• Draft2Digital: 22 copies
• Total royalties earned: $46.93
  • Amazon: $36.40
  • Draft2Digital: $10.53

By the end of the day on February 15th, I had sold 50 copies total on Draft2Digital (all international buyers), bringing my Draft2Digital earnings up to $23.24. Additionally, I sold eight more copies on Amazon (not counting U.S. sales), adding roughly $2.40 to my total Amazon royalties (I’m not sure how the exchange rates may affect this).

Updated Totals:

• Total books sold (excluding U.S.): 160 copies
• Total royalties earned: $62.04

(A few more sales trickled in later on that I didn’t include here.)

Since this was an international-only deal, I’m counting only UK, Australia, and Canada sales. I did have some U.S. sales at the same time, as I ran a concurrent 99-cent deal in the U.S. to take advantage of the opportunity. (I sold nearly 200 books with the deals combined.) I’m not counting those sales here, though, as they were not due to the Bookbub international deal.

Was My BookBub Featured Deal Worth It?

Based on my primary goal—introducing more readers to my series—I’d say yes, it was worth it.

Did I make all my money back? No. I spent $196 and earned $62.04 in direct royalties, meaning I recouped about 31% of my investment. But that wasn’t the only metric I was tracking.

Here’s why I still consider this deal a success:

1. New Readers Found My Book – 160+ new people in international markets now own my book. Some of them may read it, love it, and go on to buy Book II when it releases in June. That’s my hope, anyway!
2. Potential Long-Term Impact – I’ll be watching to see if I gain new reviews, email subscribers, or follow-up sales in the coming months.
3. Exposure in Key Markets – The UK, Australia, and Canada all performed well. These are valuable markets for fantasy books, so getting my foot in the door was beneficial.

Would I do it again? Possibly! If I see strong engagement from the readers who picked up my book, I’d consider another international deal—or, ideally, a U.S. BookBub deal to see how it compares.

If I do get another chance, I think I may go for a higher price point. One drawback of the 99 cents is that many readers will purchase, but then not read the book. They’ll leave it to languish on their ereaders. A higher price point may result in fewer sales, but inspire purchases from readers ready to read—though I’m not certain on this.

If you’re a writer considering a BookBub international deal, I hope my experience helps you decide whether it’s the right move for your books!

Note: Get more articles, free reports, and free chapters of Colleen’s award-winning books when you sign up for her motivational newsletter for writers!

COLLEEN M. STORY - Resident Writing Coach

Colleen M. Story is a novelist, freelance writer, writing coach, and speaker with over 20 years in the creative writing industry. In addition to writing several award-winning novels, Colleen’s series of popular success guides, Your Writing Matters, Writer Get Noticed! and Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, have all been recognized for their distinction.

Colleen offers personalized coaching plans tailored to meet your needs, and frequently serves as a workshop leader and motivational speaker, where she helps attendees remove mental and emotional blocks and tap into their unique creative powers. Find out more about our RWC team here and connect with Colleen below. Free chapters | Master Writer Mindset

The post I Tried a BookBub Featured Deal—Here’s What Happened appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

The rise of AI-generated books is sparking concern among many. We all know the book market is huge, yet the speed at which new works are being added prompted Amazon to place a ‘3 books per day’ upload limit. I think we all agree that’s more than a little worrying.

It’s frustrating, too. Vying for a reader’s attention has always been challenging, but this new competition has some authors fearing it will soon become too hard (and expensive) to grab the reader’s attention. Dread rises in the form of a question: in this widening sea of books, what are my chances of being found and read?

It’s easy to give over to anger and depression when things change, especially when it feels unfair and unjust. But as authors have always done, we must use our emotions to fuel transformation.

The board has changed. It’s time to change with it.

We’ve weathered disruptions in the book industry before, and while AI is reshaping all industries, as people, one of our biggest strengths is our ability to adapt. Marketing will become more challenging for authors, but we can use our human edge to come out on top. It’s time for us to push ourselves and leverage our strengths, showing readers we have much more to offer them than machines.

Let’s talk about how we do it.

1. Write an amazing book.

Seems sort of obvious, right? Sure, but the real message here is that AI books will only get better in time, so we must continue widening the gap. Readers will have many choices on what to read so our books should be exceptional. To date, many authors have focused on volume to make a living, but moving forward, writing better books will become as important (if not more).

Amazing books in the age of AI should contain something else, too: emotion, insight, and depth rooted in human experience. This is something that machines can’t replicate (although they will try). As humans, we understand how isolating life can be when we experience certain things that stir deep emotions, struggles, insecurities, and vulnerabilities. Who better than us to create authentic characters that our readers can truly relate to and connect with? (Read: How to Leverage Humanity in Stories to Outshine AI.)

2. Embrace authenticity, building trust and connection.

AI isn’t only impacting the book industry–it’s everywhere, with readers being as exposed to it as us. AI curates searches at Google, chatbots claim the bottom right corner of every website. Meta AI bots piss everyone off with their uncanny ability to ignore hate speech but flag that cute picture of someone’s cat as harmful and inappropriate.

Fake social profiles. AI-generated images everywhere.
Every third ad is a new AI tool or service.

It’s the gold rush of AI, but guess what follows? Saturation. People get sick of all things manufactured, simulated, and fake. It’s early still, but a looming saturation is coming. Authors should be ready because, in an increasingly artificial world, people will crave one thing above all else: Authenticity. They will be drawn to human presences, voices, and interactions.

This is an incredible opportunity for authors. By recognizing the universal need for authenticity and connection, they can draw their potential readers in by being someone who shares their human side!

Go deeper with your interactions with readers. Think about points of common ground: What experiences do you and your readers share? Which of your thoughts and perceptions will resonate, making them feel seen and heard? How can you share anecdotes, ideas, sparks of humor, and bits of your personal life alongside discussions about your creative work? What topics and themes in your book suggest areas of common interest? Start some conversations.

It might take practice, but being open and authentic can turn readers into lifelong fans…of you. These relationships are incredible–knowing people are in our corner sustains us when life gets hard. Too, not only will devout readers look forward to the next book, but they’ll want others to discover your books, too.

3. Create a “clubhouse” for your readers.

Adding to the point above, I have always believed marketing is about relationships, not sales. We build strong relationships by caring about others, making them feel valued, and giving them something they need. When this is done right, sales follow naturally.

It’s great to use social media as a way to find potential readers and connect with them, but trying to be everywhere at once is overwhelming. People can become fatigued by social media too. This is why thinking about creating a meeting spot away from the noise of the online world can be a great way to forge meaningful bonds with readers.

Your “clubhouse” can be anything that works for you: an online community or group, a personal newsletter or Substack, a private forum attached to your site, etc. Whatever your clubhouse looks like, don’t bombard folks with promotion. These people aren’t dollar signs and trust me, AI will be targeting them everywhere, trying to sell, sell, sell. So be different. Focus on the relationship: share content they’ll like, ask and answer questions. If you’re communicating through a newsletter, be the person they are always happy to hear from! Your clubhouse should make people feel seen, cared about, and valued.

4. Think we, not me.

As the fight over a reader’s attention heats up even further, we may think we need to isolate ourselves from other authors because they are our competition. Not so. Human authors are our allies.

No matter how well you write or how big your audience is, you only have a sliver of the potential reading audience. Authors with similar books also have loyal readers, and many are different from your own. Collaborating with authors who write similar, high-quality books can be a win for you both as you’ll each reach new people.

Collaboration is about more than sharing audiences—it’s about creating a sense of camaraderie. Readers will notice and appreciate authors who prioritize relationships over sales pitches. Too, every author has unique experiences, ideas, knowledge, and connections. Joining forces with other authors and sharing what you each know means less trial and error.

5. Educate yourself and watch for scams.

Whenever there’s a disruption, people look for opportunities to monetize whatever has changed. Part of thriving as an author will be staying informed and watching for profiteers selling “easy solutions.”

Self-publishing created a ramp-up in vanity presses, predatory promotional and editing services, and low-skill freelancers looking to bleed authors of their cash. This era of AI will be the same.

If you need AI solutions for marketing, research before investing in courses, ad services, or tools. Look to trusted industry leaders like Jane Friedman, David Gaughran, or the Alliance of Independent Authors for guidance. Don’t fall for pressure tactics, FOMO, or fear-based marketing. And remember, if someone is selling something that seems too good to be true, it probably is.

One area to be especially cautious of is Ads. As the book market becomes increasingly huge, pay-to-play platforms (Meta, Amazon, etc.) are the real winners as people run ads (or more ads) to gain visibility. Likely we’ll see a rise in ‘Ad experts’ pitching their company to run your ads or use their AI tools and platform solutions. Some may be a good investment. Others will drain your pockets. Investigate and talk to other authors. Make sure the ROI is clear.

6. Decide how (and if) you’ll use AI as an author.

AI is a threat and a tool. Creatives (and folks in other industries who had their content scraped without content) are rightfully upset about AI. But it’s here to stay so we will all need to eventually decide if (and how) we’ll use it. This is a moral question and a practical one.

You may decide that while you’re morally opposed to using it to write, you use AI solutions to help you with other tasks–researching, marketing, time management, whatever. Or you are a firm no. But whether you use it or not, it’s important to understand how others are incorporating it, and the impacts this may have on our business.

The Key to Thriving:
Using Your Humanity

AI may be here to stay, but so are authors. We can’t control AI’s disruption over our industry, only how we respond. By focusing on what makes us uniquely human, we can create stories that resonate far more deeply than AI-generated books. Best of all, by simply being ourselves, we can forge genuine connections with readers and fulfill a universal longing for authenticity—an ironic consequence of the rise of AI.

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post How Authors Thrive in a World of AI-Generated Books appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

By Eleanor Hecks

Many writers are all too familiar with rejection. You pour your heart and soul into a piece, imagining how it might sound to readers, only to face the crushing reality of a “no” in response.

For writers, the publishing world can feel like an endless uphill battle paved with setbacks and self-doubt. It is enough to make even the most steadfast question whether it is all worth it.

The truth is that hope is what keeps you going. While rejection is part of the process, so is resilience, and learning how to maintain that resilience is key to flourishing as a writer.

1. Develop Resilience Through Practice

Resilience takes time to build. Yet, you can cultivate the grit needed to prosper as a writer through consistent practice and willingness to push your boundaries.

Set Small, Achievable Goals

One effective way to develop resilience is by setting goals. These could be as simple as writing 500 words daily, completing one short story a month or submitting to a handful of publications each quarter. Small goals create a feeling of accomplishment, helping you maintain momentum even when larger milestones feel far away.

Over time, these efforts build perseverance and teach you to push forward in the face of setbacks. By celebrating these small victories, you remind yourself that progress is happening.

Experiment With New Styles or Genres

Consider stepping outside your creative comfort zone. Experimenting with a new genre, style or format can be a powerful way to reignite your passion for writing. Try your hand at screenwriting or explore creative nonfiction — these experiments make the process of writing feel fresh and exciting again. Even if the results are far from perfect, trying something new can help you develop confidence in your ability to adapt.

2. Gain Peace and Mental Clarity

With constant noise and rejection in the publishing world, finding moments of peace and clarity can feel like a lifeline. They are essential because they quiet doubts, clear mental clutter and create space for creativity. Whether through mindfulness or age-old traditions, these strategies can restore balance and keep optimism alive.

Finding Solace in Nature

Sometimes, the best way to clear your mind is to step away from the page and into the great outdoors. Take it from Al Roker — the beloved journalist and Today Show weatherman — who finds peace by walking along the lake. On his walks, he prays, meditates and allows the rhythmic sounds of nature to help him process life’s challenges.

This simple but profound activity of reconnecting with the natural world can offer renewal, helping you return to writing with fresh eyes and a calmer spirit.

Cultivate a Positive Mindset

Rejection can cloud your vision, making it hard to focus on the progress you have made. However, building and maintaining a positive mindset enables you to reframe those feelings.

Instead of seeing rejection as a stop sign, consider it a detour leading you to refine your craft and find the right audience. Practicing gratitude journaling helps you reflect on the wins and reminds you of the joy that writing brings.

Engaging in Labyrinth Prayer

Labyrinth prayer is an ancient practice that promotes peace and introspection. Walking a labyrinth’s purposeful, winding path mirrors life’s journey, offering a chance to reflect and release burdens. As you walk, you can focus on a word or phrase to center your thoughts and open yourself to creativity.

3. Build a Support System

Writing may feel like a solitary pursuit, but surrounding yourself with a community of fellow writers can make all the difference.

Online or local writing groups offer a space to share struggles, celebrate wins and exchange constructive feedback. Hearing others’ stories of persistence can inspire you to keep going, even when the odds feel stacked against you.

4. Reframe Rejection with Growth

Rejection is an inevitable part of any writer’s journey that can feel like a dead end. Rather than viewing it as a failure, consider it an opportunity to grow.

Every “no” you receive can share some insight. Many of the world’s most successful authors — including Stephen King — faced repeated rejections before finding the right publisher. Therefore, persistence is key.

Use rejection as a stepping stone by implementing the following:

• Extract the lesson: If feedback is available, read it carefully and objectively. Identify areas where you can improve and incorporate that into your next draft.
• Celebrate the effort: A rejection means you dared to put yourself out there — a feat in itself. Celebrate the progress you have made by submitting your work.
• Diversify your submission: Avoid pinning all your hopes on one opportunity. Submit to multiple outlets or publishers to increase your chances of success.
• Keep a rejection journal: Track your submissions and rejections. Over time, this can help you see patterns, measure growth, and remind yourself how far you have come.

Holding Onto Hope and Moving On

The publishing world may feel overwhelming, but hope keeps writers going. To keep that optimism flowing through you, use practices to help you get through the ups and downs with grace and determination.

Every rejection, challenge, and moment of doubt is a step toward honing your craft and finding your place in the literary world. So, keep creating and trust that your voice will find its audience.

Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine and a freelance writer passionate about helping other writers of all genres grow their following and community. You can find her work featured in publications such as IndependentPublishing.com and Self-Publishing Review, or connect with her on LinkedIn to keep up with her latest work.

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The post How Writers Can Stay Hopeful in a Tough Publishing Climate appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Welcome to 2025…and say hello to a brand new Writers Helping Writers® bookstore!

Like many other authors, Becca and I have switched to a Shopify storefront so we can provide a better experience for everyone wanting to buy direct.

We’re excited about this upgraded storefront, both for the flexibility to eventually branch out to offer things beyond books –workshops, on-demand webinars, packets, etc.– and the fact that it is a vast improvement over the system we’ve had to use to date.

But first, what does “Buy Direct” mean?

Buying direct means instead of purchasing a book from an etailer like Amazon, Kobo, or Apple (who take a big chunk of each sale) you buy from the author’s website. This helps the author because when more book revenue lands in their pocket, they’re closer to making a livable wage. And when they do, it gives them the freedom to write more books, offer discounts, and more. So buying direct is a win-win for the author and readers.

But buying direct also has other benefits, like…

Buying Direct can better protect your books

A problem with buying a digital copy from someone like Amazon is they have control over that book file, not you. If it disappears from your Kindle library due to a glitch, syncing issue, or because they decided you did something wrong, getting it restored can be hard (or impossible). When you buy a digital book from our store, our partner Bookfunnel always keeps your book safe and accessible. You own the book.

Buying Direct means early access

Our bookstore will allow us to offer new releases before they are available elsewhere. Often Becca and I have a new book in hand for weeks prior to a book launch but we have to wait for the official release date. Now, we can pop a new guide into our store when it’s ready and minimize waiting.

Buying Direct keeps you in the loop (and saves you $$$)

Right now our store is set up to offer digital formats (ebook and PDF), but print is coming! And we’re looking to expand to other things as well. If you sign up for store notifications we’ll pop a quick message into your inbox whenever a cost-saving bundle, special workshop, on-demand webinar, discount, or something else becomes available. (But that’s it–no ‘hard sell’ stuff. That’s not us.)

Buying direct is a great way to support an author you care about, and Becca and I want to thank you for considering our Writers Helping Writers Bookstore when you’re looking for writing help. Thank you!

So, ready to check out our new store?

Visit the link above and take this celebratory discount code with you: WHWTHANKSYOU

This one-time code is a buy one, get the second ebook single at a 50% discount. You’ll see a place to enter the code when you checkout. (And a tippy tip: if you sign up for store notifications, you’ll get a bonus code that discounts your entire order a further 10%!) Add that second code at checkout to use both in the same order.

We’d also love your feedback. We’re just getting stared and have improvements in mind, but you guys are the pros here. You know what you need to see when deciding to buy a book, and we’d love your ideas on what might make this store better. If you’d like to leave us impressions or suggestions, zip over here. (It’s anonymous.) And thank you!

Don’t forget to redeem your buy one, get one code by January 15th, 2025, and happy writing!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Meet Our New Bookstore (& Save 50% off a Thesaurus!) appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

I feel so fortunate to be working in this industry. Running my own business, despite the headaches it brings—say, around tax time *twitch*—gives me so much freedom. I also get personal satisfaction from knowing I’m doing something really hard and am stretching myself to learn new things all the time.

But one of the best things about being a writer is all the ways I get to give back. Angela and I are fairly intentional about this, and one of things we decided early on was we wanted to donate some of our proceeds to deserving charities and nonprofits. You can see a list of past recipients here.

This year, we were excited to watch the professional evolution of one of our writer friends. Talk about doing hard stuff and stretching! After 13 years in publishing, Shayla Hale (formerly Shayla Raquel) put away her pen to start Crime & Compassion Inc., a nonprofit that advocates for the incarcerated. She runs a podcast now, as well as teaching fiction writing at a women’s prison in Oklahoma.

Her story, and what she’s doing now, is so interesting and inspiring that we wanted to share some of it with you. Read on to learn more about how Shayla parlayed a love of literature into a ministry to the incarcerated.

Shayla, tell us more about your work with the women at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center.

Crime & Compassion Inc. offers an advanced fiction writing class called the Writers Guild, aptly named by the MBCC students themselves. There are 15 students in the class, and we meet twice a month in the chapel to learn all about novel writing.

To complete the class, the student must write, rewrite, and publish a full-length novel. And let me tell you: these women are working nonstop on their books. They are super dedicated, always grateful, and ridiculously talented. One student, who is a co-facilitator for our class, will be publishing her novel soon, as she just finished it and is going through the rewriting process.

The novels will be self-published under their names, and the students will own the rights to their books, as they should. These women encourage each other and give feedback too. It’s a community they have built, and I cannot wait to offer more classes (as we have a waiting list). 

What prompted you to shift from writing and publishing fiction to creating and running a nonprofit?

I’ve been saying for a while now, “I left the publishing industry so I could come back in a whole different light.”

I’ve known since 2020 that I wanted to launch Crime & Compassion—a podcast that tells the stories of those who were written off. I enjoyed two years (2018–2020) as a volunteer chaplain at Oklahoma County Jail, which played a big role in my heart’s desire to work with the incarcerated. But when I worked on author Shari Bower’s memoir, Before They Executed Him: A Wife’s Story of Death Row, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the only thing I wanted to do with my life was reach the incarcerated.

My lifelong dream was to become an author, an editor, a speaker. I wanted nothing but the publishing world—and I had it. I loved my company, which I ran for 14 years. But a dream job is not the same as a life scripture. I’m so grateful that I got to enjoy my dream job, but my life scripture of working with and for the incarcerated is more important to me than anything else.

So . . . I sold off my assets and launched C&C this year. Though it did launch as a podcast, I’ve often reminded supporters that C&C is an umbrella with many facets beneath it. The podcast was just one element to the mission of C&C—I knew things would fall in place and make sense if I just started. It took no time at all for a class to be dropped in my lap in the best way possible, and boy am I a sucker for baptism by fire! It worked out beautifully.

I recently hired Oklahoma Nonprofit Solutions to handle my 501(c)3 filing with the IRS. The C&C board of directors includes Shari Bower’s daughter, a former Texas death row chaplain, a formerly incarcerated soldier who wrote a memoir about his time in Fort Leavenworth, a therapist with a big heart for these women, and my closest friend. Go team!

What’s one thing you wish people knew about the women you work with?

There are a hundred things I wish people knew about the incredible women I work with; it’s very difficult to choose just one thing because I want everyone to know how talented, generous, and kind these women are. But . . . I wish people could truly comprehend the unbelievable role that trauma plays in someone’s life before they commit a crime.

The minute you try to discuss trauma and incarceration, you’re often met with, “It’s not an excuse to do what they did!” I want to see people soften their hearts and grasp that no one is excusing the crime by discussing the trauma—they’re educating you on why the person made the choice they did. With that education comes more compassion, more understanding. And isn’t that really all they’re asking—to show compassion when no one else does? You can either be the person who turns your nose up at the incarcerated, who forgets about them, or you can be someone different, someone who sees the need and reaches out to offer hope.

From this short interview, I’m sure you can see why we chose Crime & Compassion, Inc. as our 2024 charity. It’s so important to find our purpose and be able to pass along the blessings we’ve received, and Shayla is doing that in a big way.

So if you’re seeking for purpose, I’d encourage you to keep looking. Keep trying new things—especially the hard stuff. If you know what you need to do but haven’t pulled the trigger, ask yourself Why Not? What roadblocks are in your way? Consider making 2025 the year you make a plan and start moving toward that finish line.

If you’d like to learn more about Crime & Compassion (including donation information, if you feel inclined), the following links are a good starting point.

• Substack
• Substack subscription/donation 
• TikTok
• Instagram
• Threads
• Pinterest
• YouTube
• Facebook

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Pursuing Your Passion and Paying It Forward appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

One Stop for Writers‘ BIRTHDAY WEEK is here!

Nine years ago, Becca and I stepped outside our world of book-making and opened the doors of One Stop for Writers, a site filled with one of a kind tools and resources to make writing easier. Year by year, the toolbox at One Stop for Writers has grown and we’ve had the pleasure of helping writers all over the world. We love being part of other writers’ journeys!

25% off all plans

To celebrate NINE YEARS, we’ve cooked up a discount. Whether you’re new to One Stop for Writers or you’ve been using it since the very beginning, grab this code to access our arsenal of tools for less:

HAPPY9

To use this code:

1. Sign up or sign in.
2. Choose any paid subscription (1-month, 6-month, or 12-months) and add this code: HAPPY9 to the coupon box.
3. Once activated via the button, a one-time 25% discount will apply onscreen.
4. Add your payment method, check the Terms box, and then hit the subscribe button.

And that’s it!

Get ready to put the largest show-don’t-tell database available to writers & the rest of our incredible storytelling tools to work!

New to One Stop?

If you’re not familiar with One Stop for Writers, join Becca for a virtual tour. She’ll show you how using the right tools will help you write stronger fiction faster.

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Happy 9th Birthday, One Stop for Writers (Save 25%) appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Try this: Think about your writing or writing business as a partner.

Start by giving it a name. What would you call your writing (if you haven’t started selling yet) or writing business (if you are selling books)?

Mine is “Dolores,” because she’s demanding. (If your name is Dolores, my apologies!) During all my waking hours, she’s babbling on about what I need to do for my next book, my author platform, my website, and more. She’s a slave driver and never lets up enough to give me a break.

Once you have a name, it’s time to see what sort of partnership the two of you have.

Do that, and you can better understand what the problems are and what you might need to change so you feel more energized, motivated, and successful.

Let me give you some examples. I based them on well-known movies just for fun.

Five Writer/Writing Business Relationship Types

1. Pride and Prejudice: Too Sweetly Perfect!

You are like Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, perfectly suited for one another. You have your strengths and your writing business has its strengths, and together you are the perfect combination. You feel motivated, excited, and eager for tomorrow, and if problems arise, you have faith that you’ll solve them together.

Key Characteristics:

• Strong partnership that regularly produces great products (books and related writing business items).
• Thriving relationship that gives both partners energy, motivating each to be at their best.
• Both sides give back—you to your writing business, and the writing business back to you (via positive feedback, reviews, income, and growth).

Couples Counseling: Keep doing what you’re doing and enjoy the ride! It may also be wise to establish some checkpoints to make sure you both continue to thrive.

2. Titanic: Sweet but Doomed Because One of You Is Dying for the Other

If you have a Titanic relationship, you know it, because one of you is dying. Maybe it’s the writer. Her books are doing well, but she is exhausted, burned out, and ready to quit. Or perhaps it’s the writing business. Subscribers are down, reviews aren’t good, money is near nonexistent, and it feels like a deep dark hole. The iceberg is looming, and the ship is headed right for it.

Key Characteristics:

• The partnership is unbalanced—one of you is giving too much and the other is taking too much without giving back.
• One of you is exhausted and running on fumes while the other keeps demanding: give give give!
• A sense of doom surrounds you, and you wonder if you are cut out for this writing thing.

Couples Counseling: Step back and assess. Which of you is giving too much? Usually, it’s the writer. You’re slaving away to the point of exhaustion, but your business isn’t giving back. You’re not getting the rewards you hoped for, whether that be money, positive feedback, recognition, or an expanding readership.

If you’d like to earn more money, stop doing anything that is not earning money and regroup. Educate yourself on how to earn money as a writer, then restart your efforts incorporating that learning.

If you’d like to grow your readership, stop everything you’re doing that’s not working. Educate yourself on how to do that, then start again.

The point is to clearly identify the issue so you can direct more of your time and energy toward those things that will bring you the rewards you crave.

3. Alien: You Started Out Curious but Now You Want to Run and Hide

Things were great in the beginning. You were writing and building your business and feeling wonderful. But then you submitted your book and were rejected, or you published your book to poor sales or lackluster reviews. You thought this partnership was going to be great, but now you’re having a hard time looking (Dolores) in the eye.

Key Characteristics:

• The partnership is on a tenuous footing. Things haven’t gone like you wanted them to and you’re thinking of getting out.
• You feel overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to figure out how to kill the monster that’s tearing everything up.
• You’ve read books and taken workshops, but self-doubt is consuming you. You’re not sure you’ll get out of this alive.

Couples Counseling: Take a deep breath and realize that every partnership goes through dark times. Failure is part of the deal. Try to relax, take a break, then try again. Few succeed their first time out—be compassionate with yourself, reconnect with “why” you’re writing, and believe in your talent and ability to improve.

4. Harry Potter: You Can Do Magic but There’s an Unknown Problem That Will Not Be Named

You love the writing, and people love your writing! Those who read your stories have nothing but wonderful things to say, and you know this is where you’re meant to be. Why then, aren’t your stories selling? Why can’t you grow your subscriber list? What demon is in the shadows obstructing your hero’s journey?

Key Characteristics:

• Some parts of the partnership feel magical—they keep you motivated and excited.
• But something is still not working right and you’re not sure what.
• Because you’re lacking some true markers of success (lots of readers, high sales numbers), you question whether you’re just deluding yourself that writing can create a viable future for you.

Couples Counseling: If you’re doing everything you should be doing—updating your website, creating an attractive freebie for your subscribers, getting yourself out there on social media and podcast interviews—and you’re still not reaching the goals you’ve set for yourself, reach out to a mentor. A fresh set of eyes can often see more clearly what needs to change to root out this unnamed demon!

5. ET: Everything Was Exciting but Then the Alien Went Home and Now You’re Bored

You got that three-book deal, or your series of romance novels are selling well. The reader feedback is good, the money is coming in, and the two of you are on your way! But there’s one big problem: you’re bored. What you’re doing no longer excites you. Your creativity waddled onto the spaceship and left. Your writing business partner wants you to keep it up because, um, success! But you don’t know if you can muster the motivation.

Key Characteristics:

• By all indications, the business is going well, but the writer is not excited about it anymore.
• The writer may feel guilt or remorse for her feelings—she should be happy for the success she’s experiencing.
• The writer is starting to see writing and everything related to it as a chore.

Couples Counseling: It’s time to go looking for another alien—or at least a way to make writing fun again. If you’re locked into a publishing contract, maybe you can work on something new on the side. If the business tasks are dragging you down, perhaps you could hire an assistant. No matter what, you have to find a way to infuse excitement back into this partnership or it’s likely to eventually dissolve.

What Story Describes Your Relationship?

I hope these examples gave you some ideas for how you might describe your writing business relationship. I’ve found that using your imagination to look at it creatively can often reveal new insights about how to do things better. The more fun you can have with it, the more ideas will come to mind.

Note: Colleen offers coaching on breaking through stuck spots and balancing writing with life. Get your FREE report: The Secret to Powerful Writing: Embracing Your Shadows.

COLLEEN M. STORY - Resident Writing Coach

Colleen M. Story is a novelist, freelance writer, writing coach, and speaker with over 20 years in the creative writing industry. In addition to writing several award-winning novels, Colleen’s series of popular success guides, Your Writing Matters, Writer Get Noticed! and Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, have all been recognized for their distinction.

Colleen offers personalized coaching plans tailored to meet your needs, and frequently serves as a workshop leader and motivational speaker, where she helps attendees remove mental and emotional blocks and tap into their unique creative powers. Find out more about our RWC team here and connect with Colleen below. Free chapters | Master Writer Mindset

The post How to Identify Your Writing Business Relationship Type appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Another book joins the family today: The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility!

Writing authentic emotional reactions can be difficult when a character is the sort to hide what they feel. Whether it’s due to fear, painful past trauma, or personal insecurities, they believe that if they keep their emotions in check, it will save them from being judged, feeling vulnerable, or being viewed as weak.

Sure, self-preservation is common in the real world (don’t we all hide our feelings at times?) but in fiction, it can spell disaster.

Why? Because emotions need to be accessible to readers if we want them to care.

One way or another, our characters need to reveal what they truly feel, and this is where an emotion amplifier can be a handy tool. These states or conditions act as a challenge, conflict, and emotional destabilizer all rolled into one.

Pain, pressure, competition, mortal peril, arousal…these and other amplifiers have the power to increase a character’s volatility, making it nearly impossible for them to emotionally self-regulate. This sets them up for overreactions, misjudgments, and (hopefully) colossal mistakes they will need to fix and learn from. 

A Companion to The Emotion Thesaurus

What began as a small ebooklet is now an expanded second edition that explores 52 unique amplifiers capable of causing physical, cognitive, and psychological strain. In addition to our signature descriptive lists, this companion will show you how to use amplifiers to enhance inner conflict, overturn the status quo, reveal deeper emotions & vulnerability, and create opportunities for your characters to gain self-awareness and personal growth!

A more detailed look at this book
The list of amplifiers covered in this guide
What writers are saying about The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus
Where to find it in print and digital formats or buy direct as a PDF.

Win a Free Workshop!

We are so excited for you to meet this new book we’re doing something fun to celebrate: a workshop giveaway! If you’d like to win a seat in a Zoom webinar where we’ll dive into Emotion Amplifiers and show you their superpowers, enter below.

Giveaway now closed – watch your inboxes!

Psst! Your odds are great – our Zoom room holds 100 seats!

The date and time for this workshop are yet to be determined, but if you win and can’t make it in person, don’t worry. A recording will be available for a limited time.

Enter by May 17th, and good luck!

Don’t forget to let your writing friends and clients know about this giveaway – we’d love to see you all win seats!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Release Day: The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus Is Here (& a Giveaway!) appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

It’s been a while since our last book as we needed to recalibrate our release schedule from fall to spring (resulting in a year gap), but now we’re back in the thesaurus-making saddle. May 13th is coming fast, so it’s time to dish some details about our next writing guide!

First up…the cover!

As this is an upgraded second edition and companion to The Emotion Thesaurus, we wanted the style of the books to match. This book is now a true thesaurus, packed with incredible help to showcase your character’s emotional state and help readers feel closer to your characters. More on that in a minute.

Next, the back jacket.

THE EMOTION AMPLIFIER THESAURUS:
A Writer’s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility

STRESS YOUR CHARACTERS TO THEIR LIMITS 

Characters who are in control of their emotions rarely slip up, which makes for boring reading. To avoid that pitfall, channel your dark side and introduce stress that will make it harder for them to think clearly. Your weapon of choice? An amplifier. Pain, arousal, dehydration—conditions and states like these make it difficult for a character to emotionally self-regulate, setting them up for overreactions, misjudgments, and (hopefully) colossal mistakes they’ll have to fix and learn from. 

Inside The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus, you’ll find: 

• A deep dive into cognitive and emotional dissonance and how psychological discomfort steers a character’s reasoning and impacts their ability to make decisions
• Information on emotional stress as a trigger for self-awareness and personal growth, which makes amplifiers powerful levers to help steer story structure and character arc
• Lists of body language cues, internal sensations, thoughts, and other descriptives to show the effects of more than 50 amplifiers
• Brainstorming help on how to use each amplifier to generate tension and complication, apply everyday pressure, and make a character emotionally volatile
• Fifty-two bonus writing tips to help you wield amplifiers with skill and precision, taking your scenes from good to great

Push your characters. Give them no quarter. Use physical, cognitive, and psychological strain to force them to face their mistakes, acknowledge their true feelings, and work through the contradictions at the heart of every inner struggle. 

How is this book a “companion” to The Emotion Thesaurus?

When we were building the original Emotion Thesaurus, writers would ask us to cover specific emotions only some were not feelings at all, rather more states of being that had the ability to disrupt and amplify whatever the character was feeling. So, we created a quick mini booklet in the same style as The Emotion Thesaurus for 15 states like Boredom, Pain, and Stress. Now, that mini-guide has been expanded to over 50 states and conditions that will challenge your character’s ability to control their emotions, and it is packed with knowledge on how to use them to create bigger emotional moments that readers will feel part of.

I have the original ebooklet. How is this guide different?

Great question! Our original Emotion Amplifier ebooklet (45 pages) was a bare-bones guide, intended to provide quick help for describing common states like pain, illness, hunger, etc. that are often mistaken for emotions. It contained a brief how-to and 15 entries. This second edition (~200 pages) is a true deep dive into this storytelling element to show you just how powerful amplifiers are. This guide shows you how to use them to destabilize a character’s emotions, generate conflict, support story structure, and most importantly, bring readers inside your character’s emotional experience using common human struggles and internal turmoil. We’ve expanded the thesaurus to cover over 50 amplifiers, and for the first time ever, each entry has three pages of brainstorming material, not two. Because emotion amplifiers are so versatile and perfect for unlocking a character’s psychological state to create intimacy with readers, we couldn’t contain our lists to two pages.

Will there be a preorder?

Sorry, no. We’ve tried a preorder in the past, but a certain online store made a mess of it (costing us hundreds of sales), so we’d rather not have that happen again. But if you’d like a notification as soon as the book is out, add your email here. (If you’ve done so in the past, you won’t need to do so again.)

Are you giving out ARCs?

We do have 50 digital ARCs, and as we do at every launch, we’ll be drawing names from our lovely Street Team who have expressed a desire to review the book, whether they win an Arc or purchase the book.

Do you have a Street Team?

Yes, yes, and YES! The window to join has closed, but I hope you’ll consider joining us for the next book launch!

Can I access The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus at One Stop for Writers?

Yes! We’ll be updating this database closer to May with the additional entries, but you can see the current list of emotion amplifiers here. (If you’d like to poke around & view the entire THESAURUS DATABASE in full, we recommend starting a 2-week free trial.)

Did we miss a question? If so, please ask, and we’ll be happy to answer!

Thanks so much for always supporting us. May 13th will be here soon, and we can’t wait. We hope this book is everything you need and more!

Click here to be notified when this book releases.

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus (May 2024 Release) appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Every author starts out as a hobbyist. We write as kids, for fun. As we get older, we write when we have free time or the fit takes us. For many, that’s as far as it goes, and there’s value in that.

But for others, over time, our writing passion grows. Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you’re looking to take the next step and become a professional author. Here are 8 changes you should make, in no certain order, to level up your writing to pro status.

1. Make Writing a Priority

This one is kind of a no-brainer, but it’s hard to do because we have other responsibilities and activities that are important. Paying the bills (working a day job). Parenting. Developing friendships. Bingeing Stranger Things for the third (fourth?) time.

Life is busy, full of non-negotiable duties and fun stuff that steal our time. But the truth is, we make time for what’s important to us.

Pros prioritize writing. This requires a reshuffling of our To Do list. It may mean jettisoning some things completely. Because only when writing is a priority will it get the time and attention needed to take you to the next level.

2. Practice Patience

The fact that you’re reading this post shows that you recognize the importance of honing your craft and acquiring new skills. Research, learning, application…these all take time.

But once you decide to pursue writing as a career, there’s a natural temptation to escalate the process. After all, this isn’t like other jobs; no one’s monitoring your progress and deciding when you can take the next step. There’s no hierarchical ladder that must be climbed. It’s just you, your computer, and the Publish button.

Patience is a defining characteristic of professionals because they recognize that becoming really good at something doesn’t happen over night. They know that positioning themselves for success takes time. So don’t just focus on the end result of publishing the book or hitting a certain sales milestone. Dedicate yourself to growth and improvement. Respect the journey, and resist the urge to skip steps along the way.

3. Seek Out Criticism (and Be Able to Take It)

I’ve got an eighth-grade son who loves music. He plays multiple instruments but is focused mostly now on the bass clarinet. Recently, he entered a Solo and Ensemble competition, where students perform a piece of music for a professional adjudicator and are given a grade of Superior, Excellent, Good, etc.

I sat in on his performance and was able to listen to the judge’s feedback. I thought Dominic had done very well, so I was surprised to hear the judge offer so much criticism. I kind of wanted to punch her.

Walking out, I said to D that he’d unfortunately pulled a tough judge, and we would just hope for the best. I got my second surprise of the day when my son said he was happy to have gotten this adjudicator because her helpful feedback was going to make him a better player.

Sure, the score mattered (he got a Superior, by the way), but D recognized that if he wanted to become a premier player, he needed to improve his areas of weakness. And he couldn’t see what those weaknesses were. None of us really can. It takes other people to point them out.

If you want to become better as an author, you have to get helpful feedback. Critique partners and beta readers, writing coaches and editors—there are so many knowledgeable people in the industry who can help with this. But they won’t come to you. To become a superior writer, you’ve got to seek them out and be willing to take their feedback.

4. Become a Perpetual Learner

Becoming a pro takes time because there’s always more to learn. New writing methods and techniques, emerging technologies and software (A.I., anyone?). Marketing, bookkeeping, business strategies . . . Pros know that writing, as a career, is always in flux. If you go into it with the mindset of a lifelong learner, you’ll be able to adjust and won’t get steamrolled when things change.

5. Approach Writing as a Business

This is one of the toughest mindset shifts to make because we love the writing so much. We have this image of ourselves as successful authors, sitting in our office typing or scribbling away day after day. And while I would argue that writing is the most important thing, there’s so much more to becoming a pro.

To get there, we have to view writing as a business. Yes, success requires researching and drafting and revising. But it’s also setting up a bank account and ordering checks, filing annual taxes, building a brand, marketing our products, hiring people to do the things we can’t or don’t want to do, creating and maintaining a website, figuring out which distributors to use to sell your books and familiarizing yourself with their platforms…

Oi.

It can be overwhelming because we don’t want to do all that stuff. We. Just. Want. To. Write. Can’t we just write?

Well . . . no. Professional writers do plenty of writing, but they’re also building a business. And all the other stuff is part of that.

This goes back to #4. Broaden your mind and accept this fact: to be a professional, you will have to learn all the things. You don’t have to become an expert; just look at me doing Angela’s and my finances (/shrieks). It’s not easy. It’s definitely not natural, and sometimes it’s not pretty, but I do it because it has to be done. Embrace the lifelong journey of learning these tasks (or learning to outsource them), and you’re on your way to being a pro.

6. Learn to Set (and Meet) Deadlines

Have you heard the (very uplifting) saying that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions? Well, so is the road to becoming a professional author. Intentions won’t get you there. Once we prioritize our writing, we have to set goals. And goals need deadlines because without them, it’s easy to get sidetracked. Setting reasonable timelines for your objectives (and sticking to them) will increase your efficiency and help you get more done in less time.

This tip may seem obvious, because many writers are used to setting goals and deadlines for their writing (1,000 words per day, 3 day per week, complete the first draft in 6 months, etc.). But deadlines can also streamline other parts of the process to keep you on a professional track.

Continuing Development

• Read 2 craft books this year
• Attend a conference next spring
• Take a course on story structure

Planning a Novel

• Limit planning and researching to 3 months
• Schedule an interview with XYZ expert before January 10th

Publishing

• Query 2 agents each week in the month of August
• Research formatters and hire one (3 weeks total)

Business

• Set up a corporation or other business by the end of Q2
• Find software or a service to track book sales (February)
• Create a storefront at your site for direct sales (2024)

Marketing

• Draft the back cover copy this week
• Decide on a launch event for the next book (summer of 2024)
• Experiment with Amazon keywords in April and July
• Approach 4 podcasters about being a guest on their show (3 months prior to launch)

Setting deadlines for our objectives is crucial. Need help with the goals themselves? We’ve got some posts for you on Writing a Business Plan and Creating a Publication Deadline for Your Next Book.

7. Value Collaboration Over Competition

I don’t know why this is, but we tend to view other people in our space as rivals. We have to be better than them, outdo them, and—Heaven forbid—don’t help them because they’re our competition!

But professional writers realize they don’t corner the market on talent and savvy. The people in their industry who are killing it? Pros want to work with them instead of against them. So pros seek to share knowledge, funnel customers to other writers’ helpful resources, offer to help with someone else’s book launch, promote their course, etc.

Why? Well, because it’s nice to help our fellow humans, and kindness has a pretty good ROI.

But pros also know they have a lot to learn (again, with Point #4—I’m seeing a pattern here). Partnering with the people who have done all the things and are doing them well can shorten their own learning curve. They also know that while they could do the job alone, it’s easier, more efficient, and typically more enjoyable to do it with others.

8. Build Resiliency

Look, those of us who’ve been writing any amount of time know it’s a tough gig. Feedback from critique partners and editors is never what we want it to be. Rejections are more common than acceptances. We get stuck creatively. Other people are writing up a storm or improving by leaps and bounds, and we feel like we’ll never be any good . . .

Sometimes professional writing feels like a middle-school dodgeball game. You’re just getting hammered.

When you get knocked down—by discouragement, industry changes, the jerky internal editor, whatever—keep getting up. Call a writing buddy to commiserate, then get back to work. Take your dog for a walk, then get back to work. Get some coffee, a pink drink, or a jumbo-sized bag of chocolate, then get back to work.

Because even though you haven’t achieved your goals yet, you’re a pro now. And pros are in it for the long haul.

BECCA PUGLISI

Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post 8 Steps from Amateur to Pro Writer appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Valentine’s Day is coming, and people have big feelings about it. On one hand, it’s nice to have a set day to celebrate loved ones, but on the other, pressure to buy overpriced chocolates and flowers to ‘show’ love can cast a shadow on things.

Me? I think gifts are nice to give and receive, but pressure shouldn’t be part of it. But on the subject of Valentine’s Day, I have a question for you:

When you’re showing others you care on V-Day, are you giving yourself some of that love, too?

Because you should. You deserve it. Think about how you put a ton of effort into others each day, being the best employee, partner, parent, dog walker, dinner-maker, errand-runner, etc. that you can. It’s who you are, and how you provide for others.

But doing so means there’s not much time for you, is there? And that’s my point, especially for writers.

Our reality is that we need to squeeze writing in around everything else, and after a long day, there’s not always a lot of gas left in the ‘ol mental tank. But we roll up our sleeves because we have books to write and careers to build.

It can be a heavy load.
We need to be kind to ourselves.

So, this Valentine’s Day, think about what you need. And be sure to give yourself these three important gifts:

1) The Gift of Grace

Are you becoming self-critical because you think your writing progress is too slow, you find it hard to manage all the things that come with this career, or right now, certain things are beyond your skill? Let that go. You aren’t a machine, just someone doing their best. Silence your internal critic who is saddling you with unreasonable expectations. Everything takes time to learn. You’re doing great and you’ve got this!

2) The Gift of Time

Because you usually put everyone else first, this Valentine’s Day, carve time out for you. Reflect on what is important to you, and what makes you happy. Put those things on the front burner, prioritizing them. Put your needs first.

If you want to be able to write guilt-free, take that time. If you need a break from duty and responsibility so you can do something for yourself, ask someone to step in and help. And while you’re investing in your mental health, consider what small changes will ensure there’s always time for you and what you need moving forward!

3) The Gift of Patience

Because life zips along at a breezy clip, we assume our writing career will too, but it doesn’t work that way. Learning to craft strong novels, understand the industry, build a platform, and become proficient at the business end of things all take time to accomplish.

It’s easy to forget this, especially when others are releasing books and furthering their goals. We feel a sense of urgency to keep up, and falsely believe that if we can’t, something’s wrong with us. Not true. This journey will look different for each of us. And, it’s not a race, so be patient with your progress. Remind yourself that when you rush, bad things can happen.

Remember, it’s okay to put yourself first!

This isn’t said enough, and it needs to be!

Many of us feel near-constant pressure to do ‘all the things’ and we try, but it comes at a cost. Neglecting our well-being for too long saps our energy and creativity, and we need both to further our writing goals. And if we start to feel we’re not making headway because we never have time or we’re too tired, doubt creeps in. We may start to worry we don’t have what it takes (and we do!)

This is why self-care is essential. When you invest in yourself, it reminds you that you have WORTH, that those goals of yours are valid and deserve your time and focus.

When you take care of your personal well-being, you feel confident and capable. You have energy for the road ahead. And that’s a win-win-win.

So, as we inch closer to February 14th, think about how you’ll celebrate yourself. Read a book, take yourself on a long walk, and treat yourself to guilt-free indulgence. You deserve it!

Speaking of Valentine’s Gifts…

Becca and I like to put something together for writers this time of year because we love this community and feel so lucky to be part of it. So if you have been eyeing a One Stop for Writers subscription, please use this 25% off code to save a bit.

SHOW-DON’T-TELL THESAURUS DATABASE
CHARACTER BUILDER
CHARACTER ARC BLUEPRINT
TIMELINE TOOL
STORY & SCENE MAPS
WORLDBUILDING SURVEYS
IDEA GENERATOR
WORKSHEETS & TEMPLATES
THE STORYTELLER’S ROADMAP
All the story support you need to write fantastic fiction, in one place.

To redeem this one-time 25% discount:

1) sign up or sign in
2) Go to Account >> My Subscription and choose any plan
3) Add & activate the VALENTINE code in the box provided
4) Enter your payment details, click the terms box, & hit subscribe

And that’s it. Our storyteller’s toolkit is now your storyteller’s toolkit!

If you are a current subscriber, add/activate this code on the My Subscription page. It will discount your next invoice. Offer ends February 17th, 2024.

What is your favorite type of self-care? Let us know in the comments!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Why Writers Should Be Their Own Valentine This Year appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Let the good times roll…
One Stop for Writers‘ BIRTHDAY WEEK is here!

It’s hard to believe Becca and I have been helping writers grow into confident storytellers at One Stop for Writers for EIGHT YEARS now. That’s eight years of supporting writers as they plan, write, and deliver their books into the hands of excited readers. Eight years of watching creatives all over the world go from pre-published to published. What an incredible ride! Thank you so much for letting us join your journey.

Save 25% On All One Stop for Writers Plans

Eight years is worth celebrating, so here’s a sweet birthday discount for anyone wanting a war chest of storytelling tools to support them as they plan, write, and revise:

EIGHTYEARS

To use this code:

1. Sign up or sign in.
2. Choose any paid subscription (1-month, 6-month, or 12-months) and add this code: EIGHTYEARS to the coupon box.
3. Once activated, this one-time 25% discount will apply onscreen.
4. Add your payment method, check the Terms box, and then hit the subscribe button.

And that’s it! All of One Stop for Writers’ resources, including the incredible descriptive THESAURUS, are now part of your storyteller’s toolkit.

New to One Stop?

If you’re not familiar with One Stop for Writers, join Becca for a virtual tour. She’ll show you exactly how this site is going to help you write stronger fiction faster:

Planning your NaNoWriMo Novel?

If you’re gearing up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) now’s a great time to start building your characters, plotting your story, and creating your world. The Storyteller’s Roadmap will guide you step-by-step to the tools and resources you need.

Once November hits, you’ll love having non-stop ideas on what to write using our Show-Don’t-Tell Database, too. Thanks for helping us celebrate our birthday, and happy writing!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Happy 8th Birthday, One Stop for Writers! appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.