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Writing and Publishing

Using Clip Art in a Book or Blog Post: Learn How to Protect Yourself

A writer found some clip art they’re interested in using in their book, but they also had concerns. The terminology is “Royalty-free clipart for commercial use.” Is it safe to use? First, let me say that I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. Given that, in my opinion, the phrase gives […]

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Writing and Publishing

How to Use Blog Categories for Greater Impact

There are three purposes for blog categories. 1. Search Engine Optimization One use of blog categories is that it helps with search engine optimization (SEO), which allow the search engines to better find and list posts. 2. Reader Engagement The second use of blog categories is to help readers find similar content. For example, if […]

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Writing and Publishing

How to Protect Blog Content

A lot of writers wonder if it’s necessary or wise to protect blog content that they post online. What if it is material for other writing projects? Should it be freely accessible online? First, I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. A great resource is Helen Sedwick’s book Self-Publisher’s Legal Handbook. […]

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Writing and Publishing

How to Setup Your Website and Blog

The Technical Aspect of Setting Up Your Website and Blog I’m a big fan of WordPress and so are a lot of other people. Thirty percent of the top million websites worldwide rely on WordPress for their website and blog. I recommend you join them and use WordPress to setup your website. There Are Two […]

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Writing and Publishing

Submit Your Post and Article to Blogs

To submit your post to blogs, the first thing to do is see if your target blog runs guest posts. Many do not. They may state this on their site, or you may need to search their archives to find out. Next, as with print, familiarize yourself with the blog. Look at the content they […]

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Writing and Publishing

More on Blogging Your Book

Is blogging your book a good idea? If you blog your book, why will people buy it? Logic suggests they wouldn’t, but the reality is that most people will. Let me share what I’ve learned from other writers. I’ve yet to talk to anyone who felt their blog posts hurt their book sales. Even when […]

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Writing and Publishing

Writing a Book Versus Blogging

If you want to write a book and blog, what should you do? It’s a book versus blogging debate. Too many writers starting out try to do both and end up doing neither one well. Or they try to write a book before they’re ready. Then they end up with something not suitable for publication, […]

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Writing and Publishing

Writing Tips on Formatting Numbers

Do you have questions about formatting numbers? There are two main rules that apply to writing numbers: 1. Write out single-digit numbers (one through nine) and use digits for numbers for 10 and higher, or 2. Write out one hundred and everything less. Use numbers for everything greater than one hundred. Some style guides say […]

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Writing and Publishing

The Purpose of Blogging: Discover When and Why to Blog

Blogging is important, but what is the purpose of blogging? Blogging serves two purposes. The First Purpose of Blogging: To Write Better First, blogging can help us improve as a writer, train us to meet deadlines, and encourage us to write regularly. Blogging helps us get better as writers—and we all want to do that. […]

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Writing and Publishing

How to Blog Your Fiction Book

We discussed ways to connect our blog with our book, which works well for memoir and nonfiction but not so much for fiction. While the vision is clear to blogging a memoir or nonfiction work, it’s murky when it comes to fiction. With fiction, we can’t simply blog excerpts from our book because we will […]