July 01, 2019

Traditional vs. Self-Publishing: Which Is Right for You?

July 01, 2019/ Shayla Raquel

You’re brand new to this whole publishing thing. Which route should you take? Traditional or self-pub?

June 26, 2019

Margaret Atwood's MasterClass: 30 Lessons for the Novelist

June 26, 2019/ Shayla Raquel

“What is it like going into writing? Darkness, but illuminated.”

April 25, 2019

Dreyer's English: An Editor's Review

April 25, 2019/ Shayla Raquel

If Strunk and White impossibly yet miraculously had a love child with Mark Twain’s rapier wit, it would be named Dreyer’s English.

March 12, 2019

How to Write a Self-Help Book That Actually Changes Lives

March 12, 2019/ Shayla Raquel

From anger management to self-esteem, from spirituality to creativity, there is a self-help book for every individual need. But does every self-help book actually . . . help? Make a difference? Change a life?

February 05, 2019

Instant Kick-in-the-Pants for Discouraged Writers

February 05, 2019/ Shayla Raquel

Writers have bad days. We get negative books reviews, we take too long to finish a story, and we get rejected—sometimes all in the same week.

January 03, 2019

12 Creepy Documentaries for Crime/Thriller Writers

January 03, 2019/ Shayla Raquel

Educate and entertain yourself while writing your crime novel.

November 13, 2018

The Writer's 2018 Christmas Wish List

November 13, 2018/ Shayla Raquel

You’re going to want everything on this list for Christmas!

October 28, 2018

Your Quintessential NaNoWriMo Prep Guide (Freebies Galore!)

October 28, 2018/ Shayla Raquel

Quite literally everything you need to prep for NaNoWriMo 2018.

October 17, 2018

Shayla’s All-Time Favorite Novels and Why You Should Read Them

October 17, 2018/ Shayla Raquel

These are the best novels ever written. Fight me.

September 20, 2018

Self-Publishing Your Children's Book: A Simple Guide

September 20, 2018/ Shayla Raquel

Self-publishing your children’s book doesn’t have to be difficult. Follow this easy guide.

August 14, 2018

How to Market Yourself on Instagram without a Book to Sell (Yet)

August 14, 2018/ Shayla Raquel

Melissa Frey provides top-notch advice for authors on Instagram—even if their book isn’t ready yet.

July 25, 2018

How to Start a Local Writing Group

July 25, 2018/ Shayla Raquel

Wishing your town had a writers’ group? Wish no more! You can start one on your own.

July 12, 2018

Epic Facebook Author Pages: Everything You Need to Know

July 12, 2018/ Shayla Raquel

Quite literally everything I know about Facebook author pages.

May 15, 2018

Ultimate Author Websites: Everything You Need to Know

May 15, 2018/ Shayla Raquel

If your website looks like a leftover from the ’90s, then it’s time to upgrade.

March 15, 2018

Manuscript Errors Novice Authors Keep Making

March 15, 2018/ Shayla Raquel

Use this as a checklist to ensure you're preparing your manuscript for an agent or your editor.

February 15, 2018

Marketing Advice from Wallstreet Journal Bestselling Indie Author Sarah Denzil

February 15, 2018/ Shayla Raquel

Wallstreet Journal Bestselling Indie Author Sarah Denzil delivers excellent advice on marketing thrillers for indies.

February 06, 2018

20 Email Tips & Tricks for Author Newsletters

February 06, 2018/ Shayla Raquel

Authors: you need your readers on your turf. So create valuable emails people actually want to open.

December 28, 2017

31 Ways to Support Authors in a Month

December 28, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

Here are 31 things you can do to show your love for the author community.

December 14, 2017

8 Questions Writers Should Ask before 2019

December 14, 2017/ Shayla Raquel

For a successful 2019, start with a few writerly questions.

Shayla Raquel

Editor. Author. Marketer. Speaker. Publishing Mentor.

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3 Books That Changed How I Write:
1️⃣ Writing Deep Scenes by Martha Alderson of @plotwhisperer and Jordan E. Rosenfeld — As writers, we know that a novel has a beginning, middle, and end. But this exceptional book teaches that novels have four parts, not three: a beginning, emerging middle, deeper middle, and end. 🤯 Once this clicked for me, I was finally able to make big progress with outlining my novel, The Suicide Tree.
2️⃣ The Emotion Thesaurus by @writers_helping_writers_angela of One Stop For Writers and Rebecca Huggins Puglisi — Honestly, guys. By now, after all I say about this book, it should be sitting right next to you while you write. 😂 I cannot write without it. If you want to take your novel to the next level, then you need to have emotion, gestures, internal feelings, and everything that makes a character human.
3️⃣ A Writer's Guide to Characterization by Victoria Lynn Schmidt — I pored over this book and even bought the ebook to accompany it so I could find certain things quicker. The questionnaires and exercises for selecting male and female archetypes was a hit for me! 🙌 ➡️ Your turn! What are some books that changed you as a writer? I'm looking for books that specifically teach you how to do something outstanding as a novelist. 🤩

The face of a writer with a deadline 😂 I finished my edits for The 10 Commandments of Author Branding and just hit the send button to turn it in for proofreading with Megan Langston. Thank you to @vacca_territory_creamery for supplying me caffeine and to @g_air_e for answering my random questions with no context while I edited. ☕️☕️☕️☕️

Somehow, I managed to write another book. 😂 The 10 Commandments of Author Branding is due to the proofreader on July 13. Then off to formatting and back for another round of proofreading. I can’t wait for you all to read this one. ❤️

Man oh man. This one hooked me. I stayed up way too late reading this. Yes, I know it’s been around since 1971 and I know it isn’t factual, but it was still so good. I didn’t know anything about this book’s history until after I finished the book and researched it. I noticed that “Alice” would repeat the same words or phrases three times in her diary, which tipped me off that something wasn’t authentic here. Teenage girls don’t do that. I will admit I sat there dumbfounded after reading the last page that she had killed herself three weeks after getting her life right (again). Here’s the reality, you guys: This book is fictional, but the story isn’t. This happens, and I meet these girls every single Friday in the Oklahoma County Jail. Drugs beckon you, entice you, and draw you in like the live bait you are. If you fall into its grasp, it will take everything and more to release you. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

😱😱😱 Truly just a great page-turner from beginning to end. I grabbed this to read during the Fourth of July at the pool and zoomed right through it. My favorite Ruth Ware novel is The Lying Game, but In a Dark, Dark Wood was thrilling too. I will admit, I figured out the "aha!" moment quite soon and figured out who the real killer was early on. I rarely do that! I was so proud of myself. 😂 I could see how Ruth has morphed from a good writer here in her first novel to an outstanding one in her later novels. If you're looking for a thriller to read during a holiday weekend or on the beach, grab this one. You won't put it down.

Fact: I read newspapers to look for novel ideas. 🗞📰 The best ones are from itty-bitty no-name towns. I like to read the obituaries or the arrest records. If it works for John Grisham and Margaret Atwood, it works for me. 💁🏼‍♀️ What are some different things you’ve done to find novel ideas?

Let's have some fun! Makenzie Sparks wrote a blog post on my website today about traditional publishing and self-publishing and the pros and cons between them. Loved that article! Although it’s meant for beginners, I know I have plenty of veteran authors here. Here's the question you can answer in the comments:
❓Using 10 words or fewer, tell me why you're going the traditional route or the self-pub route. Here's mine:
😎 Self-pub: Complete creative control, no gatekeepers, supportive indie community! (Ha! I did it in 9!) Your turn!⬇️⬇️⬇️
(If you’re tagged on this photo, it’s because Makenzie and I recommended your books and websites to our readers in this article!)

My heart is heavy right now. @kimfredrickson went on to be with the Lord on June 3. Sadly, I didn’t find out until this weekend. She was more than just my client. She was a kind, considerate woman who taught me more about compassion than any other author has. I am honored to have known her and to have worked with her. Every time we would have a Skype video call, she would meet me with happy eyes and a sweet spirit—despite the fact that she was terminal. Give Your Kids a Break was her legacy. It’s what she wanted her kids to have. She walked into every day with a positive attitude. Although living a life full of cosmpassion was her signature, what I remember most about her is that she never, ever missed an opportunity to tell somebody about what God had done in her life. She will truly be missed and I am praying for the family as they mourn the loss of a true treasure.

“I don’t have time to write my book.” Well, do you have time to write two pages a day? Here’s the best part: most of you don’t need a 100,000-word novel. Some of you need a 40,000-word self-help book or a 70,000-word memoir. Cut this goal in half, and you’ll have what you need in three months. 🙌🏻 Why not? What’s stopping you from writing your book? You say it’s time, but is that true? How often are you watching Netflix or Hulu? How long do you spend on social media each day? Can you spare 30 minutes to write 547 words a day? Hmmm. 🤔 What are your thoughts? Is this feasible to you as a writer? By the way, Camp NaNoWriMo starts in July!

How am I supposed to sum up a perfect weekend at @dfwcon? I don’t. 😂 But I’ll say this for now: This is the type of writing conference that changes people’s lives and shows them that their stories need to be written. It feels lame to just do this quick post, but I have so much to catch up on. I will spend time writing about the things I learned this weekend and will share soon. ❤️ For now, behold the glory of Zeroes by @chuck_wendig in the middle of a photo of his book and the man himself. 🙌🏻

Guess where I’m headed tomorrow? Texas! 🙌🏻 I’ll be at @dfwcon with @janeymerry + @g_air_e + @natalieogriffin + @dfwwordwriters + too many more to tag 😂 I’ll be presenting on Instagram marketing for writers 📸 Will you be there? Stop by and see me! 💗💖💞 Oh, by the way, notice anything cool about my nails? 💅🏻

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