April 18, 2023
What Marketing Really Is
by Kristin Oakley
I’ve become a student of marketing, which is something I never wanted to be. Now that I’m an authorpreneur, I realize that understanding how to market my books and myself is, unfortunately, part of the writing package. But who wants to peddle their books on street corners? It’s demeaning.
According to Dictionary.com, “Marketing is the activity or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.”…
April 4, 2023
Reading and Writing, Tip 7 of 7
by Annie McCormick
When you’re not writing, I would encourage you to spend time each week reading about writing.
There are several books I love. They look like the textbooks (and cookbooks) I’ve had over the years. When you put them down, they fall open to a key page, there are endless notes…
March 28, 2023
Thank You For An Amazing Event
by Samantha Hoffman
The CWA Board of Directors wants to say thank you to our attendees, to our presenters, our panelists, our agents and publishers and last, but certainly not least, our sponsors for making the 4th annual Let's Just Write! An Uncommon Writers Conference a sold out event.
I've received…
March 21, 2023
The Best Marketing Tool is a Well-Crafted Book
by Kristin Oakley
When my debut mystery/suspense/thriller, Carpe Diem, Illinois, was released in 2014, I posted the news on Facebook and Twitter, ran a few ads, submitted to book to contests, and sent shout-outs to my email list. But I focused most of my marketing on in-person events—a book release party at a…
March 14, 2023
A Month of Networking
by Matthew Beardmore
As a writer, one of my 2023 goals is to reach out to as many writers and editors here in Chicago (and even a few outside the city) as I can, to get a better view of the writing and editing landscape. Where are people finding work? How much should…
March 7, 2023
Just Write, Tip 6 of 7
by Annie McCormick
Odd that writing is the 6th of the 7 things you should do in pursuit of your dream to be an agented writer. #CliffHanger
At some point, sooner rather than later, you have to sit down and do it. Ideally, you’ve put a few plans in place with respect to…
February 28, 2023
Looking for Beta Readers?
by Tim Storm
A beta reader can be an invaluable aid in the genesis of a publishable manuscript. They give honest feedback from a reader perspective and help you preemptively address criticism you would have likely received from an agent/publisher/reading public.
Finding a beta reader can be a challenge, but once you’ve…
February 21, 2023
Why Aspiring Authors Belong at a Writing Conference
By Maggie Smith
Writing is often thought of as a solitary pursuit. An author alone in a room, typing away at their computer, their only companions the characters they create. But writers who isolate themselves from their peers, be it in their office or the local coffeeshop, can miss out on an important…
February 14, 2023
The Pros and Cons of Indie Publishing
by Kristin Oakley
In 2012 when I was finishing my first novel Carpe Diem, Illinois, I’d heard about self-publishing but I thought it was for authors who couldn’t get their books traditionally published. I reasoned that their writing just wasn’t good enough.
Two years later self-publishing was losing some of its stigma. I…
February 7, 2023
The Art of Misdirection: How To Keep Your Readers On Their Toes
By Maggie Smith
As fiction writers one of the most important tasks we have is to keep our readers wanting more. One way to do that is through the use of surprise. But what happens when the surprise becomes too predictable? We’ve all read novels where we could easily anticipate what was coming…
