Some critique groups can be good, some are okay, and some are not good at all. Here’s what to look for in a critique group that I think is important. Critique Group Characteristics Critique Group Leader Also, look at the leader. Is the leader effective in maintaining focus and structure? If not, the group can […]
Finding a critique group is challenging, especially one that’s a good fit. Assuming you want a local group, ask area writers if they have any suggestions, check with bookstores (especially independents) to see if they know of any groups, and search online. If all this fails or doesn’t find you the right group, you can […]
Don’t Overlook the Technical Support Component of Optimizing Your TAS By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD In our final article on streamlining your telephone answering service, we’ll look at the technical side of things. For many services, the technology that runs it remains the least favorite aspect of the business. It’s necessary, but it’s not enjoyed. […]
With social media posts, I always want to direct people to my website, my home base, that I own and control. This means posting a link on social media. I do that on Twitter (because there isn’t room for the full post) and on Facebook (because a link is all I have time for). I […]
Decisions We Make Today Can Better Prepare Us for Tomorrow By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD As writers pitched their article ideas for this issue of Connections Magazine, everyone, it seemed, wanted to talk about coronavirus and Covid-19. While I want the content of this magazine to address relevant, real-world situations, I also didn’t want to […]
Now Is the Time to Invest in Your Call Center’s Future By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. Long gone are the days when all you needed was a telephone and a message pad to process calls. For decades call centers have relied on technology to increase efficiency and optimize results. And never has that been truer […]
It’s important for writers to read, and many writers make an annual reading list of what books to read. But because I need to push myself to read, my overarching requirement is that the book interests me. This limits the range of what I read, which is not a good thing, but it’s better than […]
Finding time to read and still have time to write and attend to the rest of life is a challenge for me. Yet I know it’s critical to invest in reading to better inform my writing. Some people, those far more disciplined than I, chart out a reading course for the year, strategically picking books […]
Do you wonder about getting ISBNs for your indie-published books? It’s not too important to have an ISBN for e-books. I’ve heard of several successful indie authors who see no point in it. However, having an ISBN does make a book seem more professional and part of mainstream book publishing. But aside from the image […]
Streamline Your Answering Service Administration By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD In past issues, we looked at streamlining various aspects of telephone answering services: sales, client onboarding, and customer service, agent hiring and training, billing and collections, and processes and procedures. Now we turn our attention to upper management: the admin function. Every role in every […]