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Overcoming Marketing Roadblocks

Author: Laura Resnick

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Overcoming Marketing Roadblocks

Sometimes, I think I might be a little psychic—and not always in a good way. Earlier this summer, I chose our topics for the fourth quarter of 2025. Marketing dread is something I’ve been thinking about for a while as I hear friends and colleagues gripe about how much they do NOT like that aspect of publishing, so that fit for October. Planning for a new year was also a natural fit for December. But as I mulled over what to discuss in November, what popped into my mind was one word: disaster. Authors...

business, career, Marketing, promotion, resilience, social media, solutions

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Feeling the Strain? Ergonomic Office Tools for Everyday Writing

Logitech’s ERGO K860 wireless ergonomic keyboard. Credit: Logitech Over the next few months, I will be transforming one of my bedrooms into a home office. My goals for this project include creating an inviting space and maximizing comfort. Authors spend numerous hours sitting at a desk staring at a computer monitor, which can lead to a sedentary lifestyle. Overall, some writers experience aches and pains from the process, which may be mitigated with ergonomic writing aids. The good news is...

ergonomic, health, productivity, self care, Tools, Writing

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Best Left Unsaid: Mastering Omission, Misdirection, and Precision in Dialogue

We all want to write fast-paced, energy-packed dialogue, but like everything else related to being a novelist, what looks the most effortless from the outside is actually the most challenging. The magic of sizzling dialogue lies in what’s not said—an invisible tension beneath the words. Omission, misdirection, and precision make otherwise mundane conversations come alive. The goal is dialogue that feels realistic, only better. The challenge lies in what to leave in—and what to leave out. When...

craft, dialogue, language, self-editing, tutorials, Writing

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Five Pain Points of Being an Author

Life as a published author, although immensely satisfying, can be fraught with day-to-day stressors that writers may not anticipate in their pre-published days. These stressors are the things I think of when new writers ask me what I wish I’d known 20 years ago. Let’s explore a handful of things that can influence success and emotional stability in an extremely competitive business. The loneliness of sustained success Some writers find that as their success grows they become separated from the...

creativity, mental health, mental road blocks, self care, Tools, writer psychology, Writing

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Prologue at Your Own Risk: When to Use Them and How to Make Them Work

  A prologue is an introduction to a literary work that comes before the main narrative of the story. Its purpose is to provide information to the reader that is not readily apparent in the first chapter. Simple, right? Anyone who has been writing novels for a while can tell you that the debate on prologues is fierce. Many of us writers refuse to include them, while the rest of us adore them in moderation. A quick Google search will reveal that the prevailing belief is a varying percentage...

craft, self-editing, tutorials, Writing

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Marketing Your Book with Key Phrases

How to find the phrases that sell your books Anyone who’s paid attention to advertising and marketing can tell you that the right phrases and words get a reaction from consumers. And that definitely goes for the marketing of your books. So how can you find the phrases and words that work for you and sell your unique books to your unique audience? What’s the point of your marketing? Marketing is communicating the value of a product, service, or brand, according to Wikipedia. Basically, if you want...

branding, business, editor advice, language, Marketing, promotion, Publishing, readers, sales, tutorials, Writing

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