So I've Decided To Write a Blog Series

I read motivational and self-help books. I love Jen Sincero's Badass books, and I'm currently reading Rachel Hollis's Girl, Wash Your Face, about the lies we tell ourselves and how to stop. The one thing these books emphasize is how the only one who is really getting in the way of our dreams and our progress is the person looking in the mirror. Yep, ourselves. Myself!

This is so true for me. I always feel like I'm on the brink of doing something great. I feel like I have a pretty good brain, a desire to be successful, the will to work on my craft and improve my writing to a professional level, and enough ideas to last me until I'm dead. But there's this inner voice that constantly nags at me:

You can't do it.
That's a stupid idea.
You don't have time.

Etc., etc., etc.

But lately, thanks to the Badass books and just trying to stick to my word of the year, GROW, I've decided that I'm starting something on my Editor-911 site on Sunday or Monday that I've been kicking around for years--a series of blog posts (that might become a book) titled something like:

How NOT to Become a Famous Author

or

How to Stay Unknown and Make No Money as a Published Author

or 

How to Be Unsuccessful as a Published Author

Now this might sound crazy to you. But I often wonder about the DUMMIES idea guy and how he went to his publisher and said something like, "I suggest we publish books with DUMMIES in the title, which is actually calling the readers, DUMMIES. These books will become household items. We'll have all sorts of titles."

I'm sure he was laughed out of a couple of offices. But...well, I'm sure you've seen the yellow and black books. It was a success. People loved it. These books are funny and useful and make you feel smart, actually.

So in my career as a published author, I feel like I've done just about everything wrong that you could. So although I hope my idea is funny and makes people laugh, it will also have some real lessons for writers to learn and to help writers get published and market their books successfully. These posts will be like: here are all the mistakes I made. Now, don't do this, and you will be successful.

Why am I writing about this on The Muffin if I haven't started yet? Because I want to make myself do it. If I write this promise on here, I will, I swear, I will start this series, and am REALLY trying to write one post a week. Because I'm a badass, and I'm done lying to myself that I can't do things that other writers successfully do, such as blog a book and follow through on good ideas.

So...what have you been putting off and not doing because you didn't believe in yourself? Let us know in the comments below, so we can encourage you to stop putting yourself down and start living your dream.

Margo L. Dill is a writer, editor, and writing coach, living in St. Louis, MO, with her 8-year-old daughter. She has three published books for kids and teens and teaches writing and marketing classes for WOW! Check out more about Margo here.

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7 comments becoming a published author, blogging, How to Blog a Book, Margo L. Dill, motivation for writers

Blog to Book Contest Finalists: Vote for the Winner!

Have you ever wondered about how publishing houses come to their decisions about which books to publish and which to reject? Have you ever thought that if YOU were in their position you would make different (better) choices? Well, today you have your chance to look over our mini-slushpile and select a book idea that you think has a chance of succeeding in the big bad world of publishing.

Last week our Blog to Book Contest started. We had a wonderful turnout and received dozens of submissions of blog ideas that could be developed into a book with the help of Nina Amir's book How To Blog a Book. Even if you didn't submit an entry you still have time to join in the fun. You can vote in the survey below for which of the ten finalists you think has the best idea. The winner of the contest will receive a copy of How to Blog a Book (Revised and Expanded Edition) as well as a 15 minute consultation with author Nina Amir. Perhaps this time next year we'll be hearing about a new book that had its beginnings in the Blog to Book Contest!

The Finalists:

Dating for Hybrids (self-help)
Dating for people who don't fit stereotypes, who are their own individuals and would rather get to the point than play games. Flirting rocks, lying sucks and who cares who did the chasing?

At the Beach: Life's a Beach (meditation)
A series of blogs on the soothing aspects of living by the sea. Twenty-four blogs, many sunrise and sunset meditations, waking up and going to sleep at the beach, also time at the center of the day, being out by the water—with children, as young single people, or as retirees—musings, seashell collecting, Lots of photos available.

Tulip House (historical fiction)
The story of a woman who came over to America right before Germany invaded Holland. Tulip House is about family heritage, new beginnings and how one family lives out their new life in America passing on traditions of their homeland. This story is about a granddaughter's and her grandmother's love of tradition, family and of course, tulips and flowers!

Consumed with Passion (romance/cooking)
Short romance stories in which the characters enjoy a memorable meal together—be it a candlelight dinner, a picnic in the park, or a sumptuous champagne brunch. Each story accompanied by the full menu, easy to follow recipes, serving suggestions and (where applicable) wine pairings.

Life Derailed (memoir)
The story of how I survived my husband's brain tumor and brain infection.

Asymmetrically, Seyfert (science fiction)
Just when you thought you had encountered every conceivable alien, along gallops Seyfert, bringing with him disturbing physical features, high intelligence, quiet confidence, unparalleled dignity and masculine grace. His story is contained in a 75,000 word novel with 111 chronological flash fiction and short stories with humor and thought provoking touches. The novel and the stories each have their own beginnings, middles, and ends. In addition, each major character has his/her own arc throughout the novel. One of the major characters is Lucinda-Lucretia-Louise (L-3), a holder of dual PhDs, who, with perseverance and humor, faces and conquers her own professional and personal struggles, not that dissimilar from highly-educated Terran women.

Worker Bees (women's biography/history)
Unknown women who changed their local world around the beginning of the 20th century—women who were steamboat pilots, tailors/real estate barons, librarians and suffragettes. The worker bees, not the headliners. I think blogging will raise interest in them as well as help me to know which ones other women might be interested in reading about.

Reluctant Reader (parenting)
Targeting the parents of a child that is struggling to learn how to read. I would use my experience as the parent of such a child, along with what I have learned by reading information sent to me by online experts, and information I have gathered from conferences.

The Historic Romance of Savannah (travel/history)
The 22 squares that make up the city of Savannah, Georgia will form the nucleus of this blog...and later a book. These well-researched stories (one for each square) involve people who lived in Savannah but whose lives played out nationally and internationally, covering a stunning width and breadth of life experiences. For instance, a young girl from an isolated island of Rhode Island who marries a Revolutionary War general, moves to Savannah and becomes a supporter of Eli Whitney who invents the cotton gin, forever changing the cotton industry, and the South. Also, a young man who escapes the Haiti Uprising in 1790 for Savannah where he protects a family secret while becoming a successful businessman and raising a family full of dramatic life stories.

Intuitive Writing, Intuitive Living (writing how-to)
For my doctoral dissertation, I researched in part how intuition functions for working mothers. I would like to build on that research and to expand upon it for a book exploring how women can succeed both as writers and have more fulfilling lives. Using a blog to build this book seems like a smart and relevant approach because I could use a blog to introduce using intuition piece by piece, and in the process develop a cohesive book.

Cast Your Vote for the Winner!
Click here to vote: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07eb6ikjnsib6txw7a/start
Please only vote once. Your vote will remain anonymous.


Thanks to everyone who participated in the Blog to Book Contest and a big thanks to Nina Amir who decided to celebrate the release of the revised and expanded edition of How to Blog a Book by offering our writers/readers a chance to win a copy and a 15 minute consultation. Learn more about the blog to book process and Nina's other writing books (The Author Training Manual, Authropreneur: How to Build a Business Around Your Book, The Write Nonfiction Now! Guide to: Writing a Book in 30 Days and The Nonfiction Book Proposal Demystified) by following her @NinaAmir.

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1 comment Blog to Book Contest, blogging, How to Blog a Book, Nina Amir, writing consultation

Blog to Book Contest - Win a Copy of How to Blog a Book and a Phone Consultation with Nina Amir! Share Your Blog to Book Ideas

80,000 words. That's the average word count for a novel. Can you imagine writing, editing, polishing 80,000 words? It seems like an overwhelming task but people do it. What's their secret you may wonder? Ask 20 authors and you'll get 20 different answers.

Author Nina Amir has developed a plan that will give you structure, writing in manageable chucks and feedback from readers before the book is published. Nina Amir outlines the perfect solution in her book How to Blog a Book (Revised and Expanded Edition). Blogging a book can be the ideal road to publication for writers of all types of books: fiction, craft, recipes, self-help, memoir and more. Some books that started as blogs include:

• Julie and Julia
• Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip
• Fail Nation
• Escape from Cubicle Nation
• Rules for My Unborn Son
• ProBlogger
• Stuff White People Like
• PostSecret
• My War: Killing Time in Iraq
• Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair
• The Handbuilt Home
• The Reluctant Entertainer

Blog to Book Contest:

Do you have a book idea that will work as a blog turned book? Share your idea with us and you could win a copy of the newly released second edition of How to Blog a Book as well as a 15 minute phone consultation with Nina Amir! See submission guidelines below.

About the Book:

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Writer's Digest Books (June 25, 2015)
ISBN-10: 1599638908
ISBN-13: 978-1599638904

How to Blog a Book teaches you how to create a blogged book with a well-honed and uniquely angled subject and targeted posts--and how to build the audience necessary to convince agents and publishers to make your blog into a book.

Inside you'll find:

• Basic information on how to set up your blog and the essential plug-ins and other options necessary to get the most out of each post
• Steps for writing a book easily from scratch using blog posts
• Advice on how to write blog posts
• Tips on gaining visibility and promoting your work both online and off
• Tools for driving traffic to your blog
• Information on how to monetize an existing blog into a book or other types of products
• Profiles with authors who received blog-to-book deals

Author Nina Amir explains how writing a book in cyberspace allows you to get your book written easily, while promoting it and building an author's platform. It's a fun, effective way to start writing, publishing, and promoting a book, one post at a time.

About the Author:

Nina Amir, author of How to Blog a Book, The Author Training Manual, and 10 Days and 10 Ways to Return to Your Best Self, transforms writers into inspired, successful authors, authorpreneurs and blogpreneurs as an Inspiration to Creation Coach. She moves her clients from ideas to finished books as well as to careers as authors by helping them combine their passion and purpose so they create products that positively and meaningfully impact the world. She writes four blogs, self-published 12 books and founded National Nonfiction Writing Month, aka the Write Nonfiction in November Challenge.

Amir holds a BA in magazine journalism with a concentration in psychology, has edited or written for more than 45 publications producing hundreds of articles and had her work published in five anthologies. She has self-published nine short books, including the popular workbook How to Evaluate Your Book for Success and 10 Days and 10 Ways to Return to Your Best Self. She is the former writing and publishing expert on the popular radio show, Dresser After Dark, hosted by Michael Ray Dresser, which has approximately 80,000 listeners per month. Amir also speaks and writes about self-improvement, human potential, and practical spirituality. Visit her website at NinaAmir.com, and her blogs WriteNonfictionNow.com and HowtoBlogaBook.com. Follow her on Twitter @NinaAmir.

Book to Book Contest Submission Guidelines:

To win a copy of the second edition of How to Blog a Book as well as a 15-minute phone consultation with Nina Amir, please enter by submitting an idea you think would be an ideal subject for a book written using the Blog a Book style.

Submit: Send your blog-to-book idea to blogtobook@wow-womenonwriting.com with "Blog to Book Contest" in the e-mail subject line. You may submit up to five ideas.

Deadline: The contest closes Wednesday, June 17 at 11:59 PM EST.

We will announce the 10 semi-finalists on Monday, June 22. Stop by to find out if you're a semi-finalist as well as to cast a vote for the winner! Good luck!

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Leave a Comment book giveaway, How to Blog a Book, Nina Amir, writer consultation

Nina Amir, author of How to Blog a Book: Write Publish and Promote Your Work One Post at a Time, launches her blog tour

& giveaway contest!

Today, we're shaking things up a bit. We usually conduct an interview with the author for blog tour launch days, but since we interviewed Nina Amir a couple of months ago for the WOW! Women On Writing e-zine, we decided to treat you to a book review instead. In case you didn't catch it the first time, you can read an interview with Nina Amir here.

Below, you will find a book review written by WOW blogger Jodi Webb, followed by the author's information, blog tour dates, and a Rafflecopter giveaway where you have the opportunity to win this fantastic book. Be sure to check out the excellent list of blogs we have scheduled for this tour and visit them for more chances to win as well as informative posts not found elsewhere.

Book Review: How to Blog a Book: Write, Publish, and Promote Your Work One Post at a Time by Nina Amir

By Jodi Webb

I must confess, when I began reading Nina Amir’s How to Blog a Book I was skeptical. After all, blog posts are short—snippets of writing—and books are, well . . . long. Sure, it might be possible to create a book out of blog posts but it would have to be a certain type of book. Julie and Julia, the day-by-day record of a woman learning to cook, comes to mind. But the idea that blogging a book could work for any writer, any topic, any type of book? Hmmm.

Halfway through chapter two I was a true believer! Not only does How to Blog a Book show you how blogging can work with any type of book, but it also points out so many advantages both during the writing process and the promotion process that you’ll find yourself saying, “Why didn’t I think of this?” Amir approaches the topic of blogging a book by assuming that we know nothing about blogging but are willing to learn everything. She teaches the basics and quickly moves on to advanced tips and information—a method that will make even the most techno-challenged writer believe that they can master the art of blogging. This book is not just about blogging. Amir addresses book proposals, promotion, social media and more. She also points you toward even more information with lists of websites, books, and blogs that can help you in your quest for publication.

Perhaps the most important aspect of How to Blog a Book is Amir’s enthusiasm. She thinks blogging a book is the greatest thing since sliced bread and her enthusiasm is contagious. Even if you never considered blogging or even writing a book you’ll find yourself mulling over ideas for your blog-book. How to Blog a Book is not just a book of information. It is a book of inspiration.

Paperback: 178 pages
Publisher: Writer’s Digest Books (April 2012)
ISBN-10: 1599635402
Twitter hashtag: #howtoblogabook

How to Blog a Book is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Writer’s Digest Books.

About Author Nina Amir

Nina Amir is the type of person that believes one is never enough. Let’s start with books . . . Amir can claim authorship of not one but nine books and worries that she has more ideas than she has writing time! Then there are speaking topics . . . Amir speaks about everything from writing to Judaism to personal improvement. And finally blogs . . . Amir has created five blogs. And not just blogs! One, Write Nonfiction NOW! is both a blog and a special month-long writing challenge each November (don't miss it!). Another blog, How to Blog a Book, was created with the express purpose of writing a book with the same title. Find out more about Nina by visiting her website (www.ninaamir.com), and connect with her on Twitter (@NinaAmir) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/ninaamir).

Blog Tour Dates

Tuesday, October 16 @ C. Hope Clark
Don't miss blogging advice from Nina Amir, author of How to Blog a Book, and a chance to win a copy of her latest book.
http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, October 17 @ Musings from the Slushpile
Writer Wednesday at Musings from the Slushpile is welcoming Nina Amir, author of How to Blog a Book.
http://blog.juliealindsey.com/

Thursday, October 18 @ Read These Books and Use Them!
Learn how to help your student find their voice through blogging from blogger extraordinaire Nina Amir, author of How to Blog A Book. Nina's also giving away a copy of her book!
http://margodill.com/blog/

Monday, October 22 @ About Freelance Writing
You can't miss today's review of How To Blog a Book by Nina Amir! She's written a guidebook to a whole new way of writing books.
http://freelancewrite.about.com/

Tuesday, October 23 @ The Guilty Parent
Stop by to find out what a mom blogger has to say about How to Blog a Book by Nina Amir.
http://www.theguiltyparent.com/

Wednesday, October 24 @ Creating Craft
Meet a crafter who was so inspired by Nina Amir's book How to Blog a Book that she did just that! While you're there take a peek at the book she's blogging.
http://www.creatingcraft.com

Thursday, October 25 @ Cathy C. Hall
Nina Amir, author of How to Blog a Book, has some great advice for everyone yearning to be a published author. Don't miss it!
http://www.cathychall.wordpress.com

Saturday, October 27 @ Young Pre Pro
We're globetrotting today! Don't miss today's interview with Nina Amir, author of How to Blog a Book, with a blogger located in Nigeria!
http://www.youngprepro.com/

Monday, October 29 @ The Bookshelf Muse
Don't miss some great writing tips from Nina Amir and a chance to win her latest book, How to Blog a Book.
http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com

Tuesday, October 30 @ Word Count–Freelancing in the Digital Age
Win Nina Amir's must-have book for writers: How to Blog a Book. Nina will also be sharing some must-have writing tips!
http://michellerafter.com

Wednesday, October 31 @ Words by Webb
Learn what an experienced writer—and inexperienced blogger—thinks about How to Blog a Book by Nina Amir.
http://jodiwebb.com

Thursday, November 1 @ CreateWriteNow
At Create Write Now! they're celebrating the beginning of Non-fiction Book Writing Month with a visit from the creator Nina Amir and a review of her latest book How to Blog a Book.
http://www.CreateWriteNow.com

Tuesday, November 6 @ Pen & Pro$per
Don't miss a chance to win Nina Amir's latest book How to Blog a Book! http://penandprosper.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, November 7 @ Make a Living Writing
So how did she do it? Nina Amir, author of How to Blog a Book lets us peek behind the curtain of her writing life.
http://www.makealivingwriting.com

Thursday, November 8 @ The Renegade Writer
Nina Amir, author of How to Blog a Book, stops by with blogging tips.
http://www.therenegadewriter.com

Friday, November 9 @ Krissy Media Ink
Last chance to win a copy of How to Blog a Book by Nina Amir. This could totally revamp the way you approach writing!
http://krissymediaink.com/

To view all our touring authors, check out WOW's Events Calendar. Keep up with blog stops and giveaways in real time by following us on Twitter @WOWBlogTour.

Get Involved!

If you have a website or blog and would like to host one of our touring authors or schedule a tour of your own, please email us at blogtour[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com.

Book Giveaway Contest

Enter to win a copy of How to Blog a Book! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. We will announce the winner in the Rafflecopter widget this Friday, October 19.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck!

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12 comments blog tour, blogging, book promotion, book review, How to Blog a Book, Nina Amir