Two weekends ago, Heather Kindt and I co-rented a booth at Albuquerque Comic Con (read her post about it here). Check us out in our costumed glory. You can’t see my A+ Rey hairdoo game, but I think the foam belt and wrist thingie get the point across. Heather thought her web outfit was lame,…
There’s an interesting phenomenon in the blogospere and in social media. It looks something like this: “I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a while.” “I’m sorry for posting so often.” “I apologize for the political post.” “Sorry for all the book posts.” And on and on and on. I noticed the first example in blogs…
Keeping up with a social media presence can be a daunting task. Especially for those new to the game, posting new and relevant content often feels like that “extra” thing that seems to have little effect and is easily forgotten. But if it’s neglected, potential readers, fellow writers, and maybe even agents and editors may…
Before I get started on today’s topic, I want to express a huge thank you to everyone who supported my fundraiser for Houston disaster relief or gave directly to an organization that will help people in need. We are seeing the best of America coming through every day, and if there’s a silver lining to…
Because I had nothing better to do (certainly not writing, editing, or marketing, apparently), I created a place where my smartass side could play. I call her Bad Writer. She gives bad writing advice. She doesn’t promote anything or use serious hashtags (though sarcastic hashtags may come into play). She’s all about snark. And if…
The title is one that I hope will spark some constructive discussion. I’ve asked myself the question many times since the election and on certain days when I find myself glued to my Twitter feed. I realize the title itself may cause a few to bristle. Everyone is “allowed” to say whatever the hell they…
Another year is coming to a close, and that means a time of reflection and resolution is upon us. 2016 was rather tumultuous, to say the least (we’ll miss you, Princess Leia!), and many are happy to see it go. Some good things happened, though – I heard a bunch of people in India planted…
A friend emailed me a question. She’s written a book and is considering what to do with it. Her question: “How do you self-publish on Amazon?” She didn’t mean what buttons to push on KDP that makes the book go live. She meant: “What are the steps necessary to prepare a book for publication?” I…
I like to think I’m pretty savvy when it comes to the interwebs. I took to blogging easily, Facebook and Twitter are my favorite hangouts, and I’ve operated my self-publishing business almost entirely online. So imagine my surprise when I recently discovered two things: 1. That StumbleUpon exists, and 2. That it’s existed since 2002.…
When I published my first book twenty-one months ago (two years ago come February, so you don’t have to math), I didn’t know what to expect. I knew I’d sell some copies, probably my friends would read it, and it would get a handful reviews (hopefully good ones). If you’ve followed the blog for a…
Allison Maruska 