Advice for Writers: 001

Believe it or not, there's a lot of great advice on writing that doesn't come directly from me. However, there's sooooo much advice out there that sometimes it helps to have someone (like moi) to collect it all and make it easy to find. Welcome to the first post of Advice for Writers, in which I'll try to provide you with great information of interest to writers. Here we go.

Grantwriting 101 for Writers, by Jane Friedman. In this post, Jane shares things to consider before applying for a grant, places to research grants, and shares 5 essentials for a successful grant. If Jane is good at anything, it's writing amazing proposals, so she knows this territory.

By the Time a Self-Published Author Hits It Big, Do They Really Need a Publisher?, by Nathan Bransford. In this post, Nathan (a former literary agent) asks the essential (and existential) question of publishing in the e-book future: Will writers need publishers if they've already found their audience and their audience has found them?

You Already Know How to Write an Ebook ... So What's Stopping You?, by Ali Luke. Over on the Copyblogger blog, Ali asks the important question, challenges bloggers (and writers) to take the iniative, and then gives tips on how to create a successful ebook.

The Art & Science of Twitter, Part 1 and Part 2, by Nina Badzin. In this 2-part series from the Writer Unboxed blog, Nina honestly shares the science and the art of using Twitter effectively, creatively and authentically to build a following and make meaningful connections at the same time.

3 Things That Come Before You Tackle Social Media, by Jane Friedman. Social media is an important building block of a writer platform, but Jane gives writers a few things to consider before taking on this task. Plus, she lets you know what comes first: purpose, great content, or context? (Hint: It's a trick question.)

Creativity & Productivity: Rethinking My social media and blogging habits, by Debbie Ohi. (First things first: Debbie is the person who got me to take Facebook serious forever ago, and she always seems to be ahead of the curve on social media.) Anyway, in this post, she admits she's a social media addict and then lays out her plan to curb that addiction.

I think that's a good start. Please let me know if you find these posts helpful (and if there are specific topics you'd like to read about). If they are, I'll turn this into a regular feature. If they're not, then we'll agree to not speak of this post again.

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Also, check out these blasts from Not Bob's past:

Build a List for Success. Sometimes a writer is only as successful as her lists.

11 Google+ Tips for Writers. If you're new to the +, then these should help get you started.

Why Writers Should Care About SEO. Hint: The same reason writers should care about readers.