In the list of common fears there is death, public speaking, heights, spiders, and the dark. I’m certain “the blank page” is right up there, especially for writers. Sure, there are people who can just write their book with great focus, grace, ease, and aplomb. But for the rest of us, fear not! There really are some tricks for getting your book on paper. I am a planner. I scribble outlines about all the things I am going to write. Somewhere in various files, I [...]

So you know the truth: your book won’t be the only one on your subject. You have competition. And the competition can be intimidating. (Take me, for instance – I’m competing with self-publishing guru Dan Poynter and George Orwell, for goodness’ sake!) But we are undaunted, if a little nervous. So let’s take a look at the competition and what to do about it. Finding the Competition If you are a subject matter expert, your bookshelf is already full of competition. And by competition, I [...]

 It’s something I hear all the time – and while everyone seems to have the “Great American Novel” in them somewhere, when most people say this they mean that they have a non-fiction book that they’re ready to write. Some of these people are consultants who want a book to support their practice. Others are academics ready to turn their work into ‘popular’ science/history/management. Still more are avid amateurs with a particular expertise in an intriguing subject such as the War of 1812 or gluten-free [...]