Read the first 5 marketing suggestions here. Personal Appearances Meet fellow authors and readers who love books at book fairs. Book signings and other fairs and community events are valuable opportunities to meet readers and sell yourself and your book. Sign books. Chat with readers. People attend events to make a personal connection with authors. It’s where the rubber meets …
Effective tactics have evolved during my more than 36 years in marketing. Book marketing has gone from lunch with reporters and phone calls, to direct mail, faxes, and email. Now it’s social media, including Twitter, Facebook, etc. Some tactics continue to be effective over time. I keep an eye out for the latest tips and techniques. Here’s a list of …
When someone asks me how I write, I know my way is not the only way. Authors’ writing processes vary. My way works for me. Writing is not always easy and it certainly takes discipline. If you are just getting started, my way may provide you guidance. For others who write regularly, maybe you’ll see bits of your own process …
BWC member Richard Taylor, a former Kentucky Poet Laureate (1999–2001) and sixth-generation Kentuckian, is celebrated not only for his poetry but also for his evocative sketchbook journals, which blend visual art with literary expression. These journals are showcased at Yes Arts in Frankfort. The exhibit, “Pictures from a Journal,” capture Taylor’s reflections on Kentucky’s landscapes and history through intricate drawings …
Do you know the one thing that separates a successful writer from a non-successful? Okay, drum roll, here it is: the successful writer finishes. First drafts don’t have to be perfect, far from it. If you can’t write the second sentence of your story until the first sentence is perfect, you’re playing a losing game. You can spend days (weeks?) …
Two weeks ago, I had the unique opportunity to launch my book, Finding the Rest of Me, in the Quaker unwed mother’s home where I was born. I gave a presentation about my personal adoption journey as well as the history of that particular unwed mother’s home. Joining me were family, friends, individuals from the neighborhood, and those representing the …
On March 27 BWC member Vicki Reed celebrated the launch of her new book, Sleight of Hand with an enthusiastic crowd at the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) office in Lexington, Kentucky. A CASA volunteer plays a prominent role in Reed’s story about a teenager who has grown up in foster care and is now in trouble with the law. The …
Congratulations to the finalists in the 2025 Kentucky Visions Short Story Contest! This year’s contest received seventy-nine submissions from across the United States and Europe. From those submissions our esteemed panel of judges selected fourteen stories that represent the best in this year’s Kentucky short fiction. After much deliberation the judges identified the top three finalists to be awarded first, …
The Conference is just FORTY-NINE DAYS Away! The 2025 Conference of Writers is a dynamic one-day writers’ conference for storytellers of all levels and genres—fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and beyond. The highly-regarded event features hands-on writing workshops led by acclaimed authors and industry leaders, as well as exclusive one-on-one appointments with an established editor or literary agent. Whether you’re polishing a …
Registration is now open for the 2025 Conference of Writers! We’re excited to welcome attendees to a new venue – Kentucky State University’s beautiful and spacious Harold R. Benson Research and Demonstration Farm – and to introduce our fabulous lineup of guests! Visit the conference page for more information, and to register for the conference!