Unlike making your own jam and canning fruits and vegetables, do-it-yourself publishing does not mean alone. Just like a writer needs a writing group to help polish her work, those who decide to self-publish need help, too. But which parts do you decide to do yourself and which do you contract? What types of book editors are there and what do they do exactly? What about copyright laws and protecting your book when becoming a self-publisher? How do you create a book cover that helps sell books? Can you write your book a blog post at a time to create a platform? Should you sell e-books on your blog? How can you get the most bang for your marketing buck? How can you track book sales in real time? This DIY/Self-Publishing Guide answers all those questions and more. MORE >>

Whether you are looking to boost your income or work on your craft, we know that education is an important part of a writer’s career. That’s why WOW! handpicks qualified instructors and targeted classes that women writers will benefit from. All of the courses operate online and are taught one-on-one with the instructor. The flexibility of the platform allows students to complete assignments on their own time and work at their own pace in the comfort of their own home. Visit the classroom page and check out our current line up of workshops: fiction writing, writing for children, screenwriting, creativity, memoir, personal essay, grammar, food writing, freelance writing, novel writing, finding a literary agent, blogging, social networking for authors, independent publishing, and more. MORE >>

The results are in! After careful deliberation our honorable guest judge, literary agent Regina Brooks of the Serendipity Literary Agency, has made her final decisions. Read the winning stories of the 750 words or less open prompt Spring 2012 Flash Fiction Contest. MORE >>

When do-it-yourself publishing first came on the scene, many writers saw it as a means to an end. If queries and sample chapters couldn’t get traditional publishers to sit up and take notice, maybe a proven track record would. Success stories like Christopher Paolini and Amanda Hocking, whose determination and hard work garnered contracts with traditional publishers, proved it was possible. While traditional publishing remained my goal, this new model seemed to be a path to consider . . . Kathy Higgs-Coulthard interviews four authors—Nan Cappo, Bryan Chick, Susan Kaye Quinn, and S.R. Johannes—who have successfully made the transition from traditional publishing to self-publishing (or vice versa) to help you decide which path to publication is right for you. MORE >>

Self-publishing can be a daunting and confusing process for writers. Even after your last word is written, you still have your work cut out for you. Editing is one of the most crucial components before you publish your book. A poorly edited book manuscript could be the kiss of marketing death when it comes time to selling your book. But all hope isn’t lost with the editing process, especially when armed with professional advice from seasoned editors, Susan Mary Malone and Karen S. Elliott. Find out what a book editor does and what you should look for when hiring one in this interview by Therese Pope. MORE >>

Self-publishing can be challenging enough; “self-lawyering” can be downright terrifying! A publisher can help you with registration requirements. They can also provide advice on whether you can mention a well-known real or fictional character in your work. But what can you do if you’re on your own, and copyright law is Do-It-Yourself (DIY)? Get advice from a lawyer who writes! From online rights to fair use, Celia Aurora Torres-Villanueva will give you an overview of all the legal stuff you need to know and a wealth of links and references for further reading. MORE >>

Do you know that your book cover has to do more than just look good? The ultimate purpose of your book cover is to help you sell your book. In fact, your book cover is one of the most powerful sales tools you’ll have. So how does one turn a book cover into a powerful sales tool? Effective cover design is the key. Effective cover design is both an art and a science. It is the calculated and market-tested combination of title, images, fonts, colors, and descriptive wording. Every element of the cover is an accurate reflection of the words written inside. The cover sets a tone that entices the reader into accepting the experience that your book promises to deliver. Deana Riddle randomly selects two books from Amazon to help explain why one book works very well as a sales tool, and the other does not. MORE >>

Marketing a book has definitely fallen into the hands of the author. Everywhere you turn in cyberspace, you’ll find an author promoting her books—from creating business pages on Facebook and tweeting with hashtags on Twitter to freebies on Amazon and giveaways on Goodreads. The days of traditional book signings are becoming fewer and fewer, as authors create new opportunities to attract loyal readers online or during presentations in classes and at workshops. But all of these marketing ploys have to cost some bucks, right? Margo L. Dill interviews eight successful authors—Megg Jensen, Cheri Lasota, Darci Pattison, Ruth Hartman, C. Hope Clark, Melissa Ann Goodwin, Suzanne Lieurance, and Chynna Laird—who share which marketing strategies they thought were worth the money spent, which free ones worked the best, and which should find authors running the other way. MORE >>

We’ve all heard of authors who get those blog-to-book deals, like Julie Powell’s Julie & Julia or Martha Alderson’s The Plot Whisperer, but how did they do that? And can you use the same concept for self-publishing? Nina Amir is the author of nine books and five blogs, including a blog created for the sole purpose of blogging her book, How to Blog a Book. Jodi Webb interviews Nina about which ideas are best for blogging a book, why self-publishers should use this process for their books, why it’s an ideal platform, and how to get started. MORE >>

Writers struggle with a seemingly impossible choice: slogging your way through endless queries, proposals, and chapter samples in the hopes of scoring a traditional publishing contract or become writer, editor, publisher, and promoter of your own work. Most of us see this as an all-or-nothing choice—we see indie authors shut out of traditional publishing, and traditionally published authors raging against a supposedly “inferior” product. You can’t be a fence-sitter in the publishing biz, right? English writer, blogger, and coach Ali Luke simply knocked the fence down and created a path all her own. Not afraid to explore every avenue publishing offers, Ali has self-published a series of successful nonfiction e-books through her website; and after being stuck in the slush pile for years, she decided to take the plunge and self-publish her debut novel, Lycopolis, earlier this year. Recently, she scored a traditional publishing deal from John Wiley & Sons. Find out how she’s managed to be so successful in this interview by Steff Metal. MORE >>

Authors, self-published or traditionally published, aren’t the only ones facing a long list of non-writing tasks. The business end of freelancing brings with it a hundred little tasks that can easily wear down even the most enthusiastic writer, leaving them mired in paperwork and with little content to show for their troubles. The question therefore becomes not should a writer outsource—obviously, it’s a practice that’s still in its heyday—but what does a writer outsource? How does a writer know when it’s their turn to slough off work to the next available web designer and virtual assistant? When is it time for the writer to take matters into her own hands, and when is it time to outsource? Allena Tapia takes a look at some of the DIY pros and cons for a few of the most common writer’s tasks. MORE >>

As a self-published author, you and you alone are responsible for promoting your book and helping it find its audience. In this article, Laurie Lewis shows you how to use Amazon to track sales, both with direct real-time tracking and indirect tracking methods, and how to use that sales information for promotional purposes. By tracking your sales, you’ll be able to see whether your promotion efforts are working and how to channel them for best results. MORE >>