Writer Branding: A Cheat Sheet for Your Brand Elements

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyADict

As writers, we regularly hear about branding, but what is it really? Simply put, branding is what helps others recognize you.

Stay on Track with Your Writing When Chaos Descends

by Tim Suddeth @TimSuddeth

September has arrived. In the air, there’s the sense of pumpkin spice and cooler weather.

Where has the summer gone? All the plans, the trips, the whole family gathering together and connecting. Okay, that last one was a bit much.

Book Launch Teams –10 Activities to Keep Your Team Engaged

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyADict

All summer we’ve been talking about book launch teams—how to choose members, design your team, and stay sane in the process. With pumpkin spice lattes just a few weeks away, it’s time to wrap up. But now that you have this fabulous book launch team, what do you do with it? How do you motivate your team members, sell your books, and create raving fans in the process?

Book Launch Teams – What Authors Need to Know that Will Make an Author's Life Easier

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict

We’ve been studying book launch teams for several months. In previous articles, I shared insights on how to run a launch team well from authors Mesu Andrews, Cathy Baker, Lynn Blackburn, and Rachel Dylan. Today, we’re going to focus on tips that make an author’s life easier during a book launch.

Book Launch Teams – What Authors Need to Know About Picking Members, Part 2

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyADict

Earlier this year, I contacted authors Mesu Andrews, Cathy Baker, Lynn Blackburn, and Rachel Dylan to learn about their experiences with book launch teams. They shared so many great ideas, I had to break their insights into multiple posts. 

Last month we looked at how to design your book launch team. If you missed the tips for envisioning your team, getting help, or initial planning, check out part one of What Authors Need to Know About Book Launch Teams.

This month, we’re taking the next step, investigating how to fill your team.

Marketing Books: Understanding Book Launch Teams

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict

One simple, cost-effective way to market your book is through a book launch team. This term has been around for several years, but not everyone understands how these teams operate or why they should join one. We’re going explore those questions today.

Marketing for Writers—How to Learn from the Masters

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict

Art students learn a great deal by studying and duplicating the works of celebrated artists. In class, students are encouraged to learn the techniques of renown creators, mimic their style, and even reproduce their famous works. However, the ultimate goal is not to become a devotee of a particular artist. It’s to tap into the skillsets and vision that made their art exceptional, then use these skills to make new, original creations.

These same methods can be used by writers to learn marketing. We can find people who are exceptional at marketing. Study their techniques. Practice mimicking their systems—and then create our own.

Reach Your Writing Goals Using Creativity

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict

It’s February. The bubbly optimism of “This year I’m going to succeed at _________ because I have the perfect plan” has worn off. Whether it’s snow days with the kids, pressure from a job, family obligations, or one of a thousand other life happens moments, the road to our goals in never smooth. This is when we face a choice: give up or get creative.

12 Quotes to Inspire Your Writing Journey

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict

It’s a brand new year, full of possibility and promise. We know that 2018 can be amazing, but how do we harness its potential? How do we make 2018 the year our writing grows and soars?

4 Goal Setting Tips for Writers

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict

It’s a December ritual—looking back on the current year and considering all the possibilities for the next. We celebrate, make resolutions to do better, and dream of what the new year could hold. However, statistics tell us that only 9.2% of those who make resolutions will achieve their goals.

I don’t share that to deter you. I list it so we know what we’re up against and can make a plan to overcome it. There are a lot of articles about how to achieve goals, but today I want to share four lesser known tips that have actually worked for me.

Making Memes with iPiccy

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyADict

Reviewing iPiccy, a free online photo-editing tool.

I’ve long been a fan of PicMonkey and Canva’s photo-editing websites, but when PicMonkey changed to a fee-based service in late September, I looked for other options. Don’t misunderstand—I’m still a PicMonkey fan. I just prefer to share tips about free tools whenever possible. Enter iPiccy.com, a robust and still free online photo-editing tool.

Tech Tools for Writers

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict

Take advantage of all the time-saving tools for writers

In today’s publishing world, authors have to wear many hats. Beyond being the creators of inspiring stories, we also have to be bloggers, website managers, publicists, marketing planners, and social media experts. With all these areas requiring our attention, shortcuts are a necessity. Below are a few online tools I use weekly to make my non-writing tasks easier.

Pinterest for Writers—Blogging Tools

by Cynthia Owens @EfficencyAdict

Don't miss this important info for bloggers!

Over the past few months I’ve focused on various aspects of how writers can use Pinterest. We looked at how to do research, collaborate with other authors, and market your writing. Today we’re going to see why Pinterest is such a valuable tool for bloggers.

Pinterest for Writers—Marketing

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict

Today we’re talking about the dreaded “M” word. No, not marriage—marketing! Specifically, how writers can use Pinterest to market their books.

Pinterest pulls together two critical things writers need: an interested audience and a place to share your book. The trick is to create boards that appeal to your readers. Then, include pins featuring your book with a link to where they can buy it.

You already have a feel for what your readers like. Now, it’s time to put that knowledge to work in your marketing. Here are three board types with plenty of examples to get you started.

Pinterest for Writers – Research and Collaboration

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyADict

Pinterest is a great tool for writers!

Today I get to write about my favorite social media format: Pinterest. People visit Pinterest to relieve stress, find information, get inspired, and just plain have fun. It’s a great place to go for entertainment and education. It’s also a great tool for writers.

Now, gentlemen, don’t check out. Yes, Pinterest has been heavily skewed toward female users in the past, but the number of men on the site is growing. Don’t believe me? Check out this article from Business Insider to see cool things men are sharing on this hot media platform: How Men UsePinterest. 

Describing Your Fictional World

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict

Become a travel guide for your readers!

One of my weaknesses as a writer is adding sensory details. I tend to start with the dialogue, add the critical action items, and toss in just enough deep point of view (POV) to help the reader connect to the character. Description and sensory details are the last things I consider. Part of this is because I can see my characters’ world. It exists in my head in vibrant detail, but as my critique partners frequently remind me, I’m not always letting the reader in on the action.

So today, as I’m reviewing a manuscript, trying to add all those worldview details I didn’t include on previous edits, I’m reminded of the last time I traveled.

Write to Finish

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyAdict

4 Mindsets that make a difference!

I have a confession. I’ve struggled to finish writing a novel. Articles, blog posts, devotions, short stories, poems—these I can handle, but wielding 55,000+ words, making a fictional story bloom on paper the way it has unfolded in my head, has been my personal unicorn.

Until recently, I didn’t know how to change this. But, in the last six months the barriers have fallen. My current manuscript is 75% complete and on target to be finished in the next few weeks.

3 Tips to Get the Most From Your Next Writing Conference

by Cynthia Owens 

@EfficiencyADict

Three tips? Surely there are more. There are, but I want us to focus on the ones that will make a real impact on your writing life. If you attend a conference and do just these three things, you’ll not only gain value from that event, you’ll be taking positive steps in advancing your writing career.

If you’ve decided to attend a writer’s conference, you probably already have a specific priority in mind. There’s a set of classes you want to take, a key editor or agent you need to meet, or an author you want to question for career advice. Each of these priorities highlights a different benefit of conferences. To gain the most value from your experience, it’s important to take advantage of all the benefit areas.

How to Name Writing Files for Easy Access

by Cynthia Owens 
@EfficiencyADict

Recently, I spoke with our local American Christian Fiction Writers chapter in Anderson, South Carolina about how to organize writing files. Two simple tips we discussed really got those writers excited. So, in honor of National Clean Out Your Computer Day this Monday, February 13^th, I’m sharing them with you today.

What Writers Can Learn from Olympic Athletes

by Cynthia Owens @EfficiencyADict

You may be wondering why I’m writing about the Olympics now. Didn’t we just have one of those? And isn’t the next one a couple of years away? Yes, to both of those questions, but something has stayed with me since our last Olympic games. It’s a thought that keeps reverberating in my mind.

What kind of writer would I be if I trained and “performed” like those Olympic athletes?