Wholehearted Author Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Hands-on Heritage

Be a Wholehearted Author! These articles share with you the techniques I’ve used to build my author platform and publish fiction and nonfiction books.

Interview: Supporting Authors One Read at a Time
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Interview: Supporting Authors One Read at a Time

Supporting Authors One Read at a Time Robin Van Auken (writing as Madeline Sloane) is the author of Distracted, East of Eaton, and West Wind. She discusses her book, her journey as a writer, and self-publishing on the popular Supporting Authors One Read at a Time blog by author Eri Nelson. Q: Where are you

2021-03-11T11:39:11-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Creation, Inspiration, Wholehearted Author|

Show Me the Dowry
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Show Me the Dowry

Caroline Linden's 'I Love the Earl' I Love the Earl: Show Me the Dowry! This is a witty, sweet book that gave me the impression that titled yet penniless, bachelors of the Regency are similar to the athletes we worship today. Instead of football or baseball, however, their game is to land

2021-03-11T12:44:11-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Creation, Wholehearted Author|

Newest eBook: East of Eaton
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Newest eBook: East of Eaton

I've wrapped up the contemporary romance novel "East of Eaton." While I was at it, I also completed the third -- a free eBook to promote them all -- "West Wind." Being an independent author means we have the freedom and flexibility to write what we want and publish it quickly, but we also have a

2021-03-11T11:56:23-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Publicaton, Wholehearted Author|

Reading Rampage
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Reading Rampage

eBook and iPad Since I bought my iPad, I've embarked on a reading rampage. My favorite conquest is the 99-cent Kindle download. I have all the reading apps -- Amazon's Kindle, Apple's iBooks from iTunes, the Barnes and Noble Nook and even the Sony eReader (formerly Borders) -- but the one I

2021-03-11T11:56:36-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Inspiration, Wholehearted Author|

Heave Away Bosoms: Romance Paving the Way for Other Genres
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Heave Away Bosoms: Romance Paving the Way for Other Genres

This may be a no-brainer to those of us who write books with lots of kissing, but the rest of the world is starting to notice that Romance (with a capital "R") novels are paving the eWay for authors of other genres. See this link: The Real Force Behind Ebook Sales: Heaving Bosoms Says

2021-03-11T12:23:51-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Inspiration, Wholehearted Author|

Choosing the Perfect eReader for the Zombie Apocalypse
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Choosing the Perfect eReader for the Zombie Apocalypse

May 21 came and went and we did not experience the predicted Rapture, but we're still on alert for a Zombie Apocalypse. (See my blog entry "Shoot! It’s Either Judgment Day or a Zombie Apocalypse.") You'll recall that while some Christians kissed their loved ones goodbye and were waiting for Judgment (thank you Family

2021-03-11T12:24:42-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Publicaton, Wholehearted Author|

Shoot! It’s Either Judgment Day or a Zombie Apocalypse
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Shoot! It’s Either Judgment Day or a Zombie Apocalypse

Prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse Between predictions of the Rapture and the looming threat of a Zombie Apocalypse, now more than ever people need to escape into good books. Hmmm … maybe they need good books as they make their escape, as well. The news this week has been troubling. First we

2021-03-11T12:25:02-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Inspiration, Wholehearted Author|

Hardwired to Be a Hero
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Hardwired to Be a Hero

As writers, we call the women (and men) of our stories "heroes" but do we regard them -- and their journey to love and happiness -- as heroic? We should if we plan on telling a good story because everyone is a hero and everyone's story is the "heroic journey." Some of us are at

2019-08-15T14:31:59-04:00By Robin Van Auken|Creation, Wholehearted Author, Writing Tips|

Boo Hollywood!
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Boo Hollywood!

I'm collecting resources for an ambitious project in a different genre -- gaslight/steampunk. I've combed the Internet and Amazon for articles and books, focusing my research on technology, flight, and European events and people circa 1860-1870. I wanted a visual resource so I ordered Irwin Allen's "Five Weeks in a Balloon." Based upon the Jules

2021-03-11T12:31:05-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Creation, Wholehearted Author|

When Someone Else Is Right
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When Someone Else Is Right

I have a confession: the title of my upcoming book, "East of Eaton," is not original.No, the bookstore with the cunning name (a play upon John Steinbeck's "East of Eden"), had been "Gateway." My idea was to partition the store with arched gateways leading from one section of the store to another. Gateway also referred

2021-03-11T12:25:34-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Creation, Wholehearted Author|

My Virtual Book Tour
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My Virtual Book Tour

Now that "Distracted" is published, available as an eBook and a paperback through the major booksellers -- Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, iBooks, Smashwords, etc. -- I'm planning a virtual book tour. The more I research book tours and blogging, the more I think marketing the book is harder than writing it. Not only that,

2021-03-11T12:32:02-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Promotion, Wholehearted Author|

Not Jonathan Winters Again!
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Not Jonathan Winters Again!

I recall that early summer day in Chicago well. I was excited about attending Book Expo America, an annual conference for book publishers and authors to promote directly to book sellers.It was my first book -- a non-fiction title I co-authored. We were standing at a podium in the large arena with a long line

2021-03-11T12:26:23-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Promotion, Wholehearted Author|

A Pint of Guinness, Please
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A Pint of Guinness, Please

A recent vacation in Ireland, coupled with a bit of recreational reading of romance novels resulted in a dream last week. I didn't want to wake up; I wanted to finish the dream, a story about a young woman visiting The Burren, the mountainous West Coast of the Emerald Isle. This also is where the

2021-03-11T11:40:22-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Creation, Wholehearted Author|

Saying ‘Yes’ When You Mean ‘No’
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Saying ‘Yes’ When You Mean ‘No’

We do it all the time. We say "yes" to people when we really mean to say "no." For some reason, most of us think we should put other people's wants and needs first; that our wants and needs are secondary.

2021-03-11T12:26:34-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Creation, Wholehearted Author|

Writer’s Retreat in the Mountains
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Writer’s Retreat in the Mountains

I've just returned from a Writers' Retreat in the Shenandoah Mountains. While there, I shared a cabin with a former newspaper editor who needs to get back to her writing roots. It was a six-hour drive to a place that looked -- well, almost exactly like the place I left. Let me 'splain. No, there

2021-03-11T12:36:57-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Creation, Wholehearted Author|

What’s Holding You Back?
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What’s Holding You Back?

Let's say you're a writer and you've been working on a new book. Is it close to being finished? Have you worked with a professional editor to smooth out the rough spots, clean up your grammar and fix the punctuation? What's holding you back from self-publishing it? Just asking because the sales statistics for

2021-03-11T12:38:46-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Publicaton, Wholehearted Author|

A Free eBook Made Me Buy More
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A Free eBook Made Me Buy More

It works. I just wanted to share that with you. The concept of offering one free eBook by an author -- especially an eBook in a series -- worked and tempted me to buy eBooks with my iPad last month. I finished reading the first book -- A Lesson in Passion by Jennifer Connors --

2021-03-11T12:27:30-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Promotion, Wholehearted Author|

Free eBooks!
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Free eBooks!

Everybody loves to get something free, and plenty of writers are sharing their books with new readers. It's interesting to see how other writers are using the digital marketplace to promote their books. I've worked with publishers before and can assure you, they don't always work hard to promote a book. In fact, one publisher

2021-03-11T12:41:53-05:00By Robin Van Auken|Promotion, Wholehearted Author|

Small Press Publishers Fill the Niche
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Small Press Publishers Fill the Niche

Dedication and faith are the foundations of many small press and independent publishers. By printing primarily what interests them and focusing on authors they trust, this group is growing rapidly. Whereas many major publishers consolidate and lose money on book returns and operating costs, small presses flourish because their books meet high standards

2019-08-15T14:33:52-04:00By Robin Van Auken|Publicaton, Wholehearted Author|

Small Publishers in the Making
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Small Publishers in the Making

If you've thought of small publishing houses as recent developments in the print world then you might be surprised to learn that the small publisher has been around for centuries. Some of history's most famous authors and books have the small publisher to thank for their successes. From wall paintings in caves to the

2019-08-15T14:38:44-04:00By Robin Van Auken|Publicaton, Wholehearted Author|