Blogging for Authors—Lesson #5 We all know that having an book will give you expert status. When you tell someone you are an author or hand them your book, they immediately see you as an authority on your topic. However, in today’s world, experts are found most often on the internet. Someone looking for a consultant or coach will look…
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The Energetic Piano, Week #2 What a great privilege it is to write about the late, great Freddie Mercury. I remember seeing some reality t.v. show a few years back, a show about regular people who sang and dressed like celebrities. I can’t remember who won the competition, but I distinctly remember that the guy singing and acting like Freddie…
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This post is a blogged draft excerpt from The Author Training Manual (Writer’s Digest Books, March 2014). Read the previous blogged excerpt, here. Remember Alice from Alice in Wonderland? She didn’t have a map. No destination. That’s why she wandered around and didn’t care where she ended up. If you have been following along as I’ve blogged this book, at…
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The Energetic Piano, Week #2 Welcome to week two of piano interpretation, our theme for June. This week, we’re turning up the heat on the piano, turning it into a living thing that is full of energy and zest. In every song this week, the piano does a great job catching up with the artist and giving us all a…
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This post is part of the “I Know I Can” WNFIN 10-Month Training. As we wrap up our first week of piano interpretation, I’m pleased to end on a high note and give a glimpse into next week. Today’s writing prompt features a classic by an African American singer, songwriter, and pianist – the incomparable Alicia Keys. Her song features both…
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Piano Interpretation: Background Accompaniment, Week #1 As we wrap up our first week of piano interpretation, I’m pleased to end on a high note and give a glimpse into next week. Today’s writing prompt features a classic by an African American singer, songwriter, and pianist – the incomparable Alicia Keys. Her song features both a meek piano and a riveting performance…
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Piano Interpretation: Background Accompaniment, Week #1 This week, we celebrate the piano as a gentle giant – – a nonthreatening background accompaniment to popular songs with lyrics. No piano theme would be complete without a mention of the Piano Man himself, Billy Joel. Interestingly, news sources focus on Billy’s most popular hits when describing or defining his musical style. In typical…
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This post is a blogged draft excerpt from The Author Training Manual (Writer’s Digest Books, March 2014). Read the previous blogged excerpt, here. All aspiring authors should complete a competitive analysis for the books they plan to write. No matter how you plan to publish your book, look carefully at the competition it faces and place this information in your…
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Most publishers are represented at BEA and are showing off the books they will release in the coming season. The publishing industry could do nothing but talk about Book Expo America for the last week or more, and it will probably continue to be news for a few more days. BEA, as it is affectionately known, is the largest publishing…
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