Creating Picture Books as a Team with Amy and Greg Newbold

Creating picture books is not always a solitary, lonely endeavor. Great books require great teams and where better to start than within the same home? Amy and Greg Newbold share their story, experience, and insight into how they work together, as husband and wife, in creating beautiful books for children. Join us as we gleam from their experience chasing, and dare I say reaching, the author and illustrator's dream of publishing books.

10 Things Only Writers Understand

Have you ever been asked what you're writing only to be looked down upon for your cute little hobby? Has anyone ever suggested you should just self-publish as if getting a traditional deal is beyond your reach and you may as well give up? Has someone given you their "next big idea" for a book that you should write? There are some things only writers understand. Here are 10 of them.

Why You Only Think Clearly After You Start Writing

I know you struggle with this. Know how I know? Because everyone struggles with this. I posed this question to Twitter recently asking people if they would still write if no one read what they wrote. The results surprised me. Not because just about everyone said they would continue writing. It's what so many added to their response. By and large they said, no one reads what I currently write so of course I would continue writing if no one reads it. Here's a simple truth. Writers don't write to be read. They write for a much more powerful and instinctual reason.

Why the Best Brands Grow Themselves Through Word of Mouth

If you're an author, illustrator, entrepreneur or anyone else passionate about their work and interested in having a wildly successful personal or corporate brand, this is for you. An epic transition has been taking place that has revolutionized the way brands are built. The old way doesn't work for the vast majority of cases. But the new way, the modern way of building an incredible brand is alive and well. Let the dead bury the dead and come along to ensure you're building your brand in a way that works now and for the years to come.

How to Write a Perfect Twitter Bio

One of the biggest complaints I hear from writers is writing the perfect twitter bio. Most would settle for just a decent bio! Even authors who have published books struggle when it comes to boiling down their life to 160 characters. So, I did some research for you from my 12,000 Twitter followers to bring you the best tips in crafting a Twitter bio you'll be proud of.

What to Do When You Think Everything You Write Is Bad

You've been there. Maybe you're there now. Everything you write is horrible. Terrible. It's the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad writing (day). Welcome to the club. Stay awhile. While you're here, you should know something. Everything you write probably doesn't suck. And even if it does sort of suck, that's good because...

How to Grow Your Twitter Platform to 5,000 Followers

One of the largest hurdles for creatives in gaining exposure for their awesome work is building a social media platform. For the #WritingCommunity, other social media platforms pale in comparison to the support, encouragement, and advice given daily on Twitter. Starting at zero, many authors and illustrators struggle to find even a couple hundred followers, let alone 5,000. Here's an effective strategy I used to climb all the way up from zero to 5,000. It worked for me and will work for you.

What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Write (Writer’s Block Fix)

Most writers eventually reach a point where they don’t know what to write, feel uninspired, or hit a creative block. Low levels of inspiration happen to everyone. The question is what you must do when writer's block arrives.