Tag Archive: books

Your Blog as Stage: Building a Believable Author Brand

boyonstage

When I taught blogging workshops for writers and authors, one thing was predictable. Their eyes would always glaze over when I got to the part about building an author brand. They thought of selling out, of compromising their art, of consumer brainwashing. They had seen too many taglines, too many TV commercials—Coke (“refreshing”) and Apple…

5 Ways to Know You’re at a Writers’ Conference

girl on boat

Last weekend I hit the road—and the water—for the Whidbey Island Writer’s Conference. I have been to a bazillion conferences in my day: they were events for teachers, or direct mail copywriters, or bloggers or marketers, depending on what field I was in at the moment. They all blur together in my mind. The thought…

Write Better in 2012 by Reading More: What’s on Your Bookshelf?

bookshelf

I hope you are finding time to refresh and rejuvenate this week between Christmas and New Year’s. I’ve been reading a lot, since Bob, Mr. WordPress, gave me the best Christmas present ever. It was better than the warm, fuzzy socks. Better even than the foaming bath oil and scented candle from L’Occitane. It was…

A Sneak Peek (and Free Lifetime Membership) for Cat’s Eye Readers—if You Hurry

peek through fence

Many of you who hang around here are published authors. Some of you are writers with a book in the works—or on your to-do list. And even if you don’t have plans to write a book, you probably know writers in your family or social networking circles. You know me. I’m not one to get…

How I Got Unstuck: Story Engineering

Larry Brooks

Cat’s Eye Writer reviews Larry Brooks’s new book, Story Engineering. Find out how planning your story’s execution before you start can lead to a better story in fewer drafts.

Confessions of a Recovering Self-Improvement Junkie

Got your attention, didn’t I. Last week I read a post by Seth Godin, one of my favorite bloggers, called How to Read a Business Book. In it, he makes the bold statement that all business books are 95% motivational and 5% “recipes” for action. He contends that the bullet points are not the point….