News
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Alexander Brito on Writing, Coaching and His Debut Novel Creatures of Habit
On April 25, 2016, Yovanni Guerra wakes to an ordinary morning: a sleeping wife, a six-year-old son, and the quiet comfort of family life in Miami. A devoted husband, father, and elementary school teacher, Yovanni has built a life defined by love, loyalty, and hard-earned stability. But beneath the surface lies a past he has…
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R. David Fulcher’s ASTEROID 6 Wins Wild Card Award at the 2025 Halloween Book Festival
We’re thrilled to share that R. David Fulcher’s short story collection, ASTEROID 6 AND OTHER TALES OF COSMIC HORROR, has been awarded the 2025 Halloween Book Festival’s Wild Card Award. Hosted annually in Hollywood, the Halloween Book Festival celebrates the best and scariest works of the season, honoring excellence in genres ranging from horror, science…
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“You Wrote It. Now Sell It.” Cross-Promotion
One of the most powerful tools authors have today is each other. Cross-promotion allows writers to share audiences, build credibility, and expand their reach without feeling like they’re shouting into a void. The key is to approach it as a partnership: you’re not selfishly asking others to share your work, you’re offering to amplify theirs…
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“You Wrote It. Now Sell It.” The Reader Magnet (part II).
Last time, we shared the concept of the reader magnet and its importance in helping expand your readership. If you missed that post, you’ll find it here. As mentioned in part 1, a reader magnet is a free, high-value offering—anything from a bonus chapter to a prequel to an upcoming work or an exclusive short…
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“You Wrote It. Now Sell It.” The Reader Magnet.
A reader magnet is a free piece of content—like a short story, guide, checklist, or novella—that you offer to your audience in exchange for subscribing to your mailing list. Its primary goal is to attract readers, engage them, turn casual visitors into long-term fans, and add stickiness to your site. By giving something valuable up…
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TikTok
We’re on TikTok! See all our videos, even the one with my disembodied head! Get practical publishing advice, and see our authors reading their work! Become a follower and support indie authors. Need some editing work done? Become a follower between now and the end of summer (September 22, 2025)email me, dianne@currentwords.com, and I will…
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“You Wrote It. Now Sell It.” Practical Marketing Tips for Authors: Elevator Pitch vs Hook
Writing a book is a major accomplishment worth celebrating. But finishing the manuscript is only the beginning of a larger journey—one that includes crafting a strong elevator pitch and doing the work to get your book not just published, but also read. Today’s question: Can you give me the elevator pitch quickly? Quicker than that?!…
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“You Wrote It. Now Sell It.” Practical Marketing Tips for Authors: Market Early and Often
Writing a book is a major accomplishment—and one worth celebrating. But finishing the manuscript is only the beginning of the larger journey: getting your work not just published, but read. Much of an author’s success depends on their willingness to market early and often—transforming your story from something known only to you into a book…
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“You Wrote It. Now Sell It.” Practical Marketing Tips for Authors: Collect Readers
Writing a book is a major accomplishment worth celebrating. But writing the book is only the beginning of a larger journey to seeing your work not just published, but also read. Today’s question: Who is going to read your book? It’s time to collect readers. Take about six minutes with me today to think about…
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Introducing “You Wrote It. Now Sell It.” Practical Marketing Tips for Authors
Writing a book is a major accomplishment worth celebrating. But writing the book is only the beginning of a larger journey to seeing your work published. That’s why we’re excited to launch, “You Wrote It. Now Sell It,” a new video series of marketing tips. This series is designed for writers who want to take…
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Wassup At Old Scratch Press?
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The Line Edit
Have you subscribed to our new biweekly newsletter that provides free, helpful editing tips? It’s called THE LINE EDIT. Here’s a copy of our first issue: Welcome to THE LINE EDIT, your go-to source for practical, professional insights that help you strengthen your writing one tip at a time. Whether you’re polishing your novel, rewriting a…
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From Blog Tour to Bookstore Tour: IGNORING ALVA @ Story on the Square
Emilie Khair is taking IGNORING ALVA from screens to shelves! After a successful blog tour, Emilie is heading to Story on the Square this Sunday at 2pm Eastern for a live, in-person author event you won’t want to miss. Come hear Emilie read from her warm, witty, and wise novel about two octogenarian sisters who hit the road—and hit a…
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How Does a Literary Magazine Get Made?
One of the questions we’re often asked is, “How does a literary magazine get made?” In the following video, Dianne (publisher of Instant Noodles) addresses this topic, highlighting the important elements that need to be managed with consistency, professionalism, and timeliness in order to produce and publish a quality literary magazine audiences will want to…
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Old Scratch Press Update
If you didn’t know it, CWP runs a poetry/short form collective called Old Scratch Press (OSP). Founded in 2022, and publishing its first books in 2023, the collective was formed as a way to make publishing poetry, and all types of short form creative writing, affordable and possible. It’s incredibly tough to get a traditional…
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The Book Tour Starts in 4 Days!!
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Back From The Atlanta Writers Conference
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You Never Know Where Our Authors Will Turn Up!
Emilie is having a book signing at the Academy Theater! She also has a blog tour coming soon. Just like with Emilie we can work on marketing your book together too! Read my interview with Emilie here. Emilie’s book is featured here. And come see me: I’ll be back at the Atlanta Writers’ Conference March…
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A Very Fond and Very Sad Farewell to Stan Charnofsky
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Bye-bye to the Wild Ride That Was Kindle Vella
Once upon a time there was Kindle Vella (KV or Vella). And in days it will be gone. With Vella Amazon thought it could put books in competition with streaming/binge-watching. It didn’t work, or they didn’t work out the kinks in time. Kindle Vella was a way to publish a book, in episodes, with basically…