Business for Breakfast Series

Until now, as a writer, all you've focused on is the Craft of writing.  However, your writing is not the same thing as your business.  This book gives you a combination of career and writer/life advice to help you take that next step, and go from being merely a writer to being a professional, from someone who has had to learn all this the hard way. Some of the topics discussed include: DBAs Intellectual property Money Communication Self-confidence 101 The physicality of writing What's stopping you from writing The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 101 level book, with beginning advice for the professional. Be sure to read all the books in this series!

This book isn't going to give you all the answers about publishing. Everything is changing too fast for that. Instead, this book will help you figure out the questions you need to be asking, right now and tomorrow and direct you to areas you need to think about. This book covers some of the universal things in publishing, such as: organizing your computer, your publishing schedule, contracts, etc. It also highlights the things that are driven by the genre of your project, such as covers, price, and marketing.  Learn from someone who has already learned some of this the hard way. And continues to figure it out. Some of the topics discussed include: Producing Easy Books Organizing Your Computer Ideas In Marketing What Happens When You Do Strike it Big? Distribution and Branding The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 101 level book, with beginning advice for the professional. Be sure to read all the books in this series!

So. You're a writer. And like most people, writer or not, you'd like to become healthier.  Whatever that means. There's a lot of advice out there. However, most of it comes from people who have always been healthy, or who aren't writers. Plus, they don't encourage you to define health for yourself. This book is my personal journey to health, along with a lot of tips and tricks for how you, as a writer, can start "leveling up" your writing to be healthier and happier. If you are struggling with your own health journey and connecting that to your writing, this book may be just what you need. For those of you doing NaNoWriMo, this book also includes a couple chapters on "marathoning"--both writing a lot in a short amount of time, as well as how to prepare for a marathon so you can do it without killing yourself. The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 201 level book, with intermediate advice for the professional. Be sure to read all the books in this series!

Have you always wanted to create your own magazine? You can. The world has changed and the tools are now available. See how a team of plucky independent writers came up with and launched Boundary Shock Quarterly, a speculative fiction quarterly that looks as professional as anything coming out of New York. Don't lose your shirt, your marriage, or your mind in the process. "How to Launch a Magazine for Professional Publishers" expertly guides indie writers and publishers looking to move beyond just publishing their own work to stepping up to a more advanced game. Includes: Sample pitch document to recruit your authors Contract language for Syndicate members Tips and tricks for editing to get the most emotional impact The tools of the future and how they have leveled the playing field Letting someone else handle the money The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 301 level book, with advanced advice for the professional. Be sure to read all the books in this series!

So. You're a writer. You're no longer a beginning writer, however. You've mastered some of the elements of your craft, have learned the basics of storytelling, are starting to see some success. What do you need to take you to the next level, though? This book is aimed at the intermediate. Not the beginner. Not the advanced. But the writer who is actively working on their craft and yearns to improve. This book is as much of a guide as anything else. Every chapter has a section called "Clues"—questions that you can ask yourself about your writing to see if you need to work on this technique or not. Some of the topics discussed include: Character and Setting Pacing Trust the Process Writing Techniques Reader Expectations The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 201 level book, with intermediate advice for the professional. Be sure to read all the books in this series!

They've told you that writing fast is impossible. They were wrong. You too can create stories at the speed of the great pulp writers. Not only that, but your craft will actually get better the faster you go. It just takes time and practice. Come learn the things I discovered as I went from writing at mundane rates to Pulp Speed. Topics include:     Where did the term "Pulp Speed" come from?     What are the classifications of Pulp Speed?     How does your health and ergonomics impact your speed?     What is possible? Are you ready to break loose and start turning out good stories at amazing speeds? Do you have what it takes to go "All Ahead Crazy?" The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 301 level book, with advanced advice for the professional. Be sure to read all the books in this series!  

So. You're a writer. Do you know the bones of what makes a good story? It's not the same thing as being a writer, not at all. How do you learn to tell a good story? There's trial and error, sure. But there are also books like this, to help you along, making it easier to learn, to remember. Some of the topic discussed include: The Seven Point Plot Structure Genre as a thing Story length as a professional requirement Breakfast dragons The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 101 level book, with beginning advice for the professional. Be sure to read all the books in this series!

So. You'd like to take your publishing business to the next level, and want to create a business plan to help you get there. But all of those stupid business books make no sense. They were not written for you. The writers of those books mean well. But they're talking to other business types and MBAs. If you hate spreadsheets, and have problems understanding business books, this one (and this series!) may be just what you need. The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 201 level book, with intermediate advice for the professional. Be sure to read all the books in this series!

You've learned how to use the Seven Point Plot Structure to tell a good story. However, a good writer needs more tools in her toolbox. Understanding the three act dramatic structure can give you a new way to build stories. Expanding to four acts, five, or even two, greatly enhances your repertoire.  Come explore the way we write for the stage as a method for increasing your skillset and becoming a better writer. Some of the topics discussed include: The Three Act Dramatic Structure Understanding Acts of a story Four Act Stories Working in Two Acts The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 201 level book, with intermediate advice for the professional. Be sure to read all the books in this series!

So, you commit art. However, you feel...stuck. Unsatisfied. You want to do more as an artist. Can do more. You just don't know how. You've seen all the advice books out there, all meant to help you. Most of them come from people who are not artists, haven't struggled with the fear. This book may help you, but you have to want to change and then be willing to do the hard work. Inside, find straightforward advice on things you need to think about to grow as an artist. The "Check Ins" provide thoughtful questions, meant to get you pointed in the right direction. You must to do the work. I cannot want it more than you do. The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 201 level book, with intermediate advice for the professional. Be sure to read all the books in this series!  

Readers really do judge books by its cover. It's frequently the first thing that a reader encounters. Maybe the last, if its not compelling.   A beautiful cover isn't enough. If the cover doesn't suit your story, if it doesn't instantly convey the correct genre and tone, doesn't re-enforce your author brand, it will do you more harm than good.   This book isn't to teach you how to create your own covers. Instead, it's to help you learn about covers, learn about design, learn about genre and tone.    Topics include: Knowing Your Genre Using Fonts Elements of a Cover Paper Book Covers   If you are a new publisher just starting out, or an experienced hand who woke up one morning and discovered that the old tricks didn't work anymore, this book is for you.   The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 201 level book, with intermediate-level advice for the professional.   Be sure to read all the books in this series!

The world has changed. If you want to be a successful Indie writer these days, you need to keep up. You are your own publisher, and need to be seen as a professional. I can't guarantee that you'll have success by following the suggestions in this book, but these are the things that I've done. By learning and executing on these marketing techniques, I've built myself up to be a successful mid-list career and punching well above my weight class. Topics we'll cover: The Author as a Brand Active versus passive marketing Looking like a professional on the web and in person Narrowcasting and the future of social media Physical media and books New services you can take advantage of If you are a new publisher just starting out, or an experienced hand who woke up one morning and discovered that the old tricks didn't work anymore, this book is for you. The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 201 level book, with intermediate-level advice for the professional. Be sure to read all the books in this series!

NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month - when people all over the world decide to write an entire novel - 50,000 words - during the month of November. Do those other NaNo books discourage you? The ones that require daily check-ins, logs, and spreadsheets? What if you're not a project manager, but really an artist at heart? This book isn't like those. Instead, it's about finding YOUR process, determining what works best for you, as well as finding joy in the writing. From the planning you need to do before November 1st to get you into the midst of it easier, this book steps you through the process of what you should do for November, and then how to go about organizing that book come January first. If you're a new writer just starting out, or a more experienced hand who's dreading their annual commitment come November, this book will give you a different approach to NaNo. Topics include:  Outlining or not? Building the Writing Habit The Voices Outside of You Finishing up The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 101 level book, with beginning-level advice for the professional writer. Be sure to read all the books in this series!

These days, your readers want series. That chance to revisit their favorite characters over and over, to see where their lives are going next. Television has spoiled them for long arcs of story spanning seasons, rather than episodes. You need to adapt to this new world. Learn to write in series, expanding your stories into greater and greater tales. Topics we cover: Writing faster and cleaner Writing series that your fans will want to read Continuity encyclopedias (or, how to not have to spend hours looking up some detail) Extending your universe with spin-offs and things Thoughts on marketing your series Ending things before everyone gets bored. This is a 201-level book, taking you from writing novels to that place where you are turning a quarter of a million or more words into one long, engaging story that your fans just can't put down. Be sure to read the entire Business For Breakfast books and see how it can help you improve your writing craft and up your publishing game.

We have many, many different ways to tell a story. Possibly as many different types of story structure as there are stories and storytellers.   You will not find a book on abstract theory with an emphasis on definitions and static edifices here. Nor a scholarly work going into unimportant minutia.    Instead, let's look at some of the more popular types of story structure, with hints and ideas for how you can use immediately them in your own writing. Places you can go that you might never have considered before.   This is a 201-level book, taking your writing from merely good to stories that your fans cannot put down.   Be sure to read the entire Business For Breakfast books to see how it can improve your writing craft and up your publishing game.

It takes more than just moxie to write good space opera these days. Readers have grown sophisticated (read: jaded) and will pick things apart for the slightest things. Further, as my mentors remind me, your science fiction requires setting more than any other genre. Depth, richness, consistency. To get there, I routinely walk through a complicated process that touches on all the ways I want THIS space opera universe to be different from the others I have written, as well as unique aspects that will drive the story. What kind of star drive will you use to get around? What will you call your hand-held weapon? What will you call your currency? All these questions serve to enrich your universe, and drag the readers back for more, so take a look at my process and see what it can do for yours. This is a 201-level book, taking you from writing merely good novels to that place where you are turning a quarter of a million or more words into one long, engaging story that your fans just can't put down. Be sure to read the entire Business For Breakfast books and see how it can help you improve your writing craft and up your publishing game.  

In Media Res. Latin for 'into the middle of things.' Not every story has to start with a long, slow brain-dump of world-building to establish setting. Many modern readers will put the book down and walk away when you do that.   Instead, consider starting right in the middle of the action, working forwards as you slowly explain how things got here. Perhaps beginning so simply as somebody knocking on the door.   Drop your characters into the middle of things and run with it. Your stories will move faster and your readers will be drawn in, never to escape again.   We'll also talk about Character Backstories, World/Culture Backstories, Technology Backstories, and the Perils of Prequelitis.   This is a 201-level book, taking you from writing merely good novels to that place where you are turning a quarter of a million or more words into one long, engaging story that your fans just can't put down.   Be sure to read the entire Business For Breakfast books and see how it can help you improve your writing craft and up your publishing game.

Do you ever look at other writers who are further along the path and wonder how they got there? What they had to do to dig themselves out of the myths, get themselves unstuck, and moving forward?   Writers aren't born with all that knowledge of craft and writing process. They figure it out and learn it the hard way.   Fortunately, you don't have to start from scratch, though the journey is long and neverending.   This book will give you clues: signposts to help you along your journey, on becoming a better writer, improving your craft, and getting out of your own way.   You must still do the work. I cannot want it more than you do. But the sooner you start, the sooner you'll be on your way.   The Business for Breakfast series contains bite-sized business advice. This is a 201 level book, with intermediate advice for the professional. Be sure to read all the books in this series!