Free or paid hosting?  You have a choice that you must make when you start your blog.  Do you want a hosted blog or a free blog? 

The obvious advantage of a free blog is that it’s free. The obvious advantage of a free blog is that it’s free.  You don’t pay for your domain name and you don’t pay hosting fees.  They also tend to be easier and faster to build. 

There are also some disadvantages.  The first disadvantage is that you won’t have an independent domain name.  In other words, your domain name will be something like www.yourwebsite.blogspot.com. It’s longer and more difficult for people to remember. Second, your design possibilities are limited.  It may not be able to do everything that you want it to do.  Some free sites will put their advertising on your site without your permission.

If you want to get a free site, Blogger is a good place to start.  It’s owned by Google and that makes it more stable than some other free sites.  It’s not likely to disappear overnight.  There is a community of Blogger users who have developed some cool tools to use on your Blogger site.  To start, just go to www.Blogger.com.

Another popular free blogging platform is Wordpress.  There are two different ways to use Wordpress.  If you go to Wordpress.com, you can create a free website with free hosting just like Blogger. 

If you go to Wordpress.org, you can download the Wordpress software.  Wordpress software is free.  You will also have an independent domain name, but you will need to pay for your domain name and hosting.  I’m a big fan of Wordpress because there are so many design possibilities and people are designing more stuff for it all the time.  The disadvantage to Wordpress is that it takes a little bit more technical ability than Blogger.

You can dress up your website by customizing your header and by adding pictures.  I use Pixmac.  I bought twenty dollars worth of pictures and Keep them in a file on my desktop.  I use them throughout my blogs and websites.  You can purchase the smallest size and get a good assortment for $20.

Happy Blogging! As always, I’m dedicated to helping you build a successful career as a published author.

Julie Coan

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There are several advantages to having a blog website. 

A blog website is designed to be updated often so it is usually very easy to do—even if you don’t speak HTML.  Because your blog changes often, it encourages people to come back to your blog to see what’s new.  Encourage your readers to bookmark your site.  It generally takes six to seven contacts with someone before they actually make a purchase.  Blogging can bring them back to your site over and over again.

A blog allows you to connect with your readers.  It will give them a chance to get to know you and find out whether you’re for real.  You can provide them with some information so they’ll know you’re knowledgeable about your subject.  If you’re writing fiction, you can post some samples of your work on your site. People that know you and like your writing will want to buy your books.

Another reason to use a blog when you are marketing your book is that search engines like blogs.  If you put new information on your website regularly, the search engines will rank you higher.  When you rank higher in the search engine results, it will be easier for people to find you.  That, in turn, will bring more potential buyers to your website.

As always, I’m dedicated to helping you create a successful career as a published author.

Julie Coan

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This is a relative newcomer to the publishing business.  An e-book is a book that is read on the computer.  The buyer pays with a credit card or on-line payment account like Paypal.  The book is then transmitted digitally to the buyer’s computer and there is no paper copy. 

Advantages

• The buyer receives the book within minutes of their purchase.  They don’t need to wait for something to arrive in the mail.
• There is very little cost in the way of production.  There are no printing costs.
• There are no shipping or packaging costs.
• The amount of time between completion of the book and being able to offer it for sale is minimal.
• There is a potential to make more money through embedded links and selling additional items.
• There are now ebook bookstores on line that specialize in selling ebooks.

Disadvantages

• This doesn’t work well for fiction books, yet.  Most readers want a paper copy.
• You have to learn how to convert your manuscript to an e-book or hire someone to do it for you.
• You will need to copyright your material.
• There are no editorial services.  You need to make sure that your copy is free of spelling and grammatical errors before you send it.
• You are responsible for marketing your book.

To read about more book publishing options, follow this link.

As always, I’m dedicated to helping you create a successful career as a published writer.

Julie Coan

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Advantages

• Your book is ready in a short amount of time.
• You only pay for printing the book when it is purchased by the buyer.  This means that you are paying less money up front than if you are self publishing.
• You do not have to store any inventory.
• Generally, the book is shipped directly to the buyer and you don’t have to ship anything either.
• The publishing company may obtain a copyright and ISBN for you.  This is an item you will need to verify.  If your contract doesn’t mention it, ask.
• You have control over when you stop publishing.  You can also publish in different formats if you choose.
• You control the look of the book—both the cover and the interior format.

Disadvantages

• You are responsible for marketing your book.
• You usually get paid a small royalty per book.
• You will need to pay a set-up fee when you sign your contract.
• The printing cost for each copy will be the same.  This may not sound like something negative, but in a regular printing situation, the more copies that are printed, the lower the cost per copy.  The lower the cost per copy, of course, the more profit you make on each book.  In Print on Demand publishing, the cost per book will not vary whether you sell one copy or a thousand copies.
• Print on Demand publishers don’t generally provide free editorial services.  You need to make sure that your copy is free of spelling and grammatical errors before you send it.
• It is unlikely that your book will end up on the shelves of large chain bookstores.
• Often real publishers don’t consider them a professional publishing credit.
• Some companies control the publishing and/or subsidy rights to your book for a period of time.  You want to avoid this.  Read your contract carefully.

To read about other book publishing options, follow this link.

As always, I’m dedicated to helping you create a successful career as a published author.

Julie Coan

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Advantages

• There is a volume discount.  This means that the more copies you order, the lower your cost per book will be.  This is an advantage over P.O.D. publishing, where the cost of the book is the same no matter how many you order.
• You receive the books in a relatively short amount of time.
• You have exclusive control of the look of your product.  The look of the cover and the format of the interior are entirely up to you.
• You will have more control over the amount of money that you earn per book.  You can set the price of the book wherever you choose.  You can control costs by choosing the type of paper, the number of pages, and the colors of the cover.  A full color cover will cost more than a four-color cover or a two color cover.
• You retain all the rights to your book.  You can publish it in a different format, if you want. You can turn it into an ebook, an audio book, or make an e-course out of it.
• You don’t have to deal with a publisher. All of the decisions are yours.

Disadvantages

• Printers don’t generally provide editorial services.  You need to make sure that your copy is free of spelling and grammatical errors before you send it. 
• You will need to spend time learning the ins and outs of the publishing business.  Discounts and remainders, etc.
• You will need to pay at least a portion of the printing costs at the time you order.
• If you want your book to be placed on the shelves of large chain bookstores, you will need to hire a professional distribution or fulfillment company.
• You will probably need to obtain your own copyright and ISBN.  (I have seen some printers include this in their service, so if you aren’t sure, ask.)
• You are responsible for marketing your book.
• You will need to store them somewhere (or hire a distribution or fulfillment company to do it for you).

To read about more book publishing options, follow this link.

As always, I’m dedicated to helping you create a successful career as a published author.

Julie Coan

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Advantages

• Let’s face it, there’s a certain amount of prestige involved when you get published by a traditional publisher.
• A traditional publisher has a large number of resources.
• You don’t have to pay any money up front.
• You’ll get paid in advance.
• They’ll design your cover. 
• They’ll print and distribute your book.
• They’ll do a limited amount of marketing for you.
• They’ll provide editors to make sure your book is error free.
• They will obtain the copyright and ISBN number for you.

Disadvantages

• It’s very difficult to get published.  There’s a lot of competition.  They receive thousands of manuscript submissions each day and only print  ## titles a year.
• It takes one to two years from the time your book is accepted for publication until it actually shows up on bookstore shelves.
• Your advance (the amount of money they pay in advance) is usually very small.  An advance might be as small as $1500 and as much as $20,000.  $20,000 for a year’s worth of work isn’t a great salary.
• Most books sold through traditional publishers don’t sell more books than their advance.
• You must do most of the marketing at your own expense.
• The editors may “request” that you make changes to your book that you don’t agree with.
• They decide how many copies to print and when to stop printing.  Once it goes out of print, you can’t get it published anywhere else.

To read about more book publishing options, follow this link.

As always, I’m dedicated to helping you create a successful career as a published author.

Julie Coan

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There are several advantages to having a blog website. 

A blog website is designed to be updated often so it is usually very easy to do—even if you don’t speak HTML.  Because your blog changes often, it encourages people to come back to your blog to see what’s new.  Encourage your readers to bookmark your site.  It generally takes six to seven contacts with someone before they actually make a purchase.  Blogging can bring them back to your site over and over again.

A blog allows you to connect with your readers.  It will give them a chance to get to know you and find out whether you’re for real.  You can provide them with some information so they’ll know you’re knowledgeable about your subject.  If you’re writing fiction, you can post some samples of your work on your site. People that know you and like your writing will want to buy your books.

Another reason to use a blog when you are marketing your book is that search engines like blogs.  If you put new information on your website regularly, the search engines will rank you higher.  When you rank higher in the search engine results, it will be easier for people to find you.  That, in turn, will bring more potential buyers to your website.

As always, I am dedicated to helping you create a successful career as a published author.

Julie Coan

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If you want to build a career as a published writer, you must take care of the business side of your writing.  Building a writing business means that you need to build a writer’s platform.  A writer’s platform is all of the things that you as a writer do to market yourself and your books.  The idea is to make your name a household name that everyone recognizes so that when the your next book comes out, you already have a list of readers that want to buy your book.

How do you build a writer’s platform?  In some ways building a platform has not changed. You’ll be doing some things in the same way that writer’s have been doing them for years.  However, cell phones and the internet and all the related technology has also changed tremendously.  Unlike writers of years past, you have at your fingertips the ability to build an audience of readers that numbers in the tens of thousands before you’ve even written your first book.  Along with this also is the end of writers who are unable to make a living on the money they make from their writing.

Start a file and keep track of everything you do.  Write down each speaking engagement, Write the date and the location, and if possible, a contact person and address, and phone number. Record each piece of writing that you publish.  Whether it’s an article in an internet ezine, a newspaper article, or a magazine piece, add them to your platform. You can use these “resume” accomplishments in your marketing, and in your press release.  Publishers like a “sure thing”.  If the opportunity comes and you’re trying to convince a conventional publisher to publish your book, a well-built writer’s platform and a list of readers can sway the publishers to choose to publish your book.

One of the key elements of a modern writer’s platform is building a reader’s list.  This is the same thing that other business people do when they build a client list.  As every business person knows, the success of your business depends on the quality of your client list.  You use this client list to keep in touch with your clients, to encourage them to refer other people to you, and, of course, to sell thing to them.  Place “list-building” at the top of your platform building goals.  Keep it in the back of your mind as you plan other platform activities.  Always ask yourself, “Is there a way to use this activity to build my list?”  By simply keeping your eyes open to list-building opportunities, you will find more and more ways to build your list.

In future blogs, I’ll go into more detail about the various aspects of building a writer’s platform.

You’ll find a step-by-step blueprint for your writer’s platform that’s integrated with the novel-writing process in my new book, Write Your Way to a Million Dollars. Just click on the link to find out more.  Get a discount during this introductory period!

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Let me explain what I mean.  When I say that every novel is a mystery, I mean that there is something (a mystery) that the main character must figure out during the story.  In a murder mystery, this is pretty obvious.  The main character must figure out who committed the murder.  This search for the murderer then provides the framework around which the rest of the story is structured.  In a romance, the protagonist may need to figure out how to get the man she loves to fall in love with her.  In a science fiction novel, the main character may need to figure out how to get back home after his spaceship crashes on an alien planet. In each of these cases, solving the mystery in the story provides the framework.

This mystery can’t just be a passing comment in the story.  It needs to be the bones of the story.  Therefore, the very first step in writing your novel is to figure out what mystery your main character is going to solve.

First, answer these questions.  What is my character’s main task during the story?  What does he or she need to find out?

Next, give your main character a seriously compelling reason for completing their task.  Let’s use our previous science fiction novel as an example.  Our main character needs to figure out how to get back home because he wants to witness the birth of his first child.  Maybe he is carrying a vaccine that can cure an epidemic on his home planet.  Maybe he only has three days of breathable air.  Maybe he has a message that must be delivered to the president in order to prevent war.  The more dire the consequences, the better the story will be. The list of possibilities is endless.

You can see how important the word “because” is when you’re writing your novel’s statement.  It can turn a good idea for a novel into a great idea.  Try using this format for your novel’s mystery sentence:  The main character needs to (write the problem here) because (write a compelling reason here).

You can use this mystery statement as part of your marketing material when the novel is finished.  It can appear in your press release and in your online advertising.

If you’ve already written a novel, check to see if you can write a mystery statement.  If not, there’s a good chance your novel lacks focus.  I’ve seen some pretty decent writers spend a lot of time writing very mediocre books which sold only a few copies because they ignored this simple secret.

Make your novel a great novel by finding the mystery in it.

To get your complete plan for writing, publishing, and marketing your novel, you can buy my book at Make Money Writing Books. 

As always, I am dedicated to helping you build a career as a published author.  Good luck on your current project.

~Julie Coan

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