Business

My website clients often ask me what I recommend for an e-mail address. Wouldn’t it be the most professional to use their website? (For example theirname@theirwebsite.com.) My answer? Maybe, but actually, no. And here’s why.   Five Reasons to Use … Read More

Please note: On April 2, 2019, I retired from offering website hosting and design, with very rare exceptions. I’m leaving this info here for posterity, but keep in mind that some of the sites I initially built may have been … Read More

Success. It has many different meanings, but the actual definition is: The accomplishment of one’s goals. There are many different goals we all have in life. Financial, health, relationship goals…the list could go on and on.… Read More

“You’re so lucky!” That sentence is very commonly spoken, yet extremely inaccurate. Unless, of course, you’re talking to someone who tripped and fell, and miraculously landed on a big cushion of money. Otherwise, the vast majority of the time it … Read More

So there I was, getting ready to do a big bathroom renovation. Working as my own general contractor, I knew I would be hiring some professionals, including a plumber, tile installer, etc. So I joined Angie’s List. At first, I … Read More

I’m a writer. I love writing. It makes me really happy when people read my books and let me know that it affected them positively, whether emotionally (with my novels or anthology), practically (such as with my dog training book), … Read More

Editing. This is a word that either scares the heck out of people or comforts them, depending upon what their experience has been. Are you looking for my green editing challenge? Look for the green throughout this page and at … Read More

No matter what kind of business you have, building a strong Facebook following can be helpful in keeping yourself top-of-mind with existing or potential clients. Yet that can seem easier said than done! You’ve set up a Page, added some … Read More

Quick! What’s the first thing you feel when you hear “indie authors?” Be honest! Chances are that you, like most people, experience some reservation, even though you yourself may be either an independent author or a huge supporter. Why do … Read More

Twitter. People either love it or hate it but if you ask around, you’ll often get a groan. Why? I can think of a lot of reasons, especially when I was new to Twitter. Common Objections to Twitter How much … Read More

The publishing industry is changing/has changed. This we all know, and I articulated a bit in my recent blog post “Let’s All Wear Our Grown Up Pants.” The series continues with today’s post, in which we discuss methods of how indie bookstores … Read More

The publishing industry is changing (has changed). This is not news. Well… it is news, but in my opinion, old news by now. So what’s the “new news?” It’s what we’re all going to do about it. Let’s face it … Read More

This holiday season, (this was written in 2011), Amazon is getting a lot of press coverage… and not in a good way. There’s a huge backlash from the book industry regarding Amazon’s Price Check App, which allows people to scan … Read More

Small businesses. Big businesses. We know that they all make an impact on the economy, jobs, and ultimately, our communities. However, it’s one thing to say that and it’s another to experience it firsthand. This being an election year, (this … Read More

As many of you know, I’ve been preparing to teach at the AMTA Educational Conference in Hickory, NC, and yesterday was the day! It was a beautiful day for driving and I was very fortunate to have a close girlfriend … Read More