The Writing Edge for Business Writers: 3/23/18

Mar 23, 2018 | Reading Lists

You’re a businessperson. You may not think of yourself as a writer, but you know that writing well can boost your results and your career. Naturally, you want to do better. Every week I point you to articles and blog posts that I think will teach you something or spark an idea or two. The posts are about the intertwined tasks of reading and writing. Some weeks there are more pointers than others.

This week I’m pointing you to posts on offset printing, podcasting, making a book from your blog posts, writing a book proposal, and Dave Chesson’s review of self-publishing courses.

From Joel Friedlander: Is Offset Printing the Future for Indie Authors?

“However, there are real business reasons for successful indie authors to reach beyond easy-to-produce print on demand paperbacks. For one, there are many kinds of books we can profitably publish ourselves. Most of these books are produced using offset printing, just like most of the print books sold in the United States today.”

From David Grossman: Podcasting as a Secret Weapon in Employee Communications

“Companies have used podcasts for years for broadcasting meetings to a large or global audience, but that’s not the type of podcast I’m thinking about. I’m excited about fresh approaches to podcasts that give leaders and communicators at all levels a chance to reveal a different side of their personalities and what matters to them.”

From Melissa G. Wilson: Blog to Book? Yes or No? The Experts Weigh In

“Should you take the route that many take, turning your blog posts into a book? Before I share my opinion on this question, let’s look at what other experts have to say.”

Wally’s Comment: I don’t think this is an either/or choice. You can create a book from your blog posts if you do it right. My post “Book Writing Lessons from Art Petty’s Leadership Caffeine” describes how Art did it.

From reedsy: How to Write a Book Proposal

“To sculpt your proposal into its best self, we’ve recruited the aid of the top developmental editors on our marketplace — and provided a book proposal template for you.”

From Dave Chesson:What’s the Best Self Publishing Course on the Market?

“In this article, you will learn: * An unbiased review of the most popular self-publishing courses on the market * Pros and Cons for each: Self Publishing 101, Self-Publishing School, Authority Pub Academy, and Your First 10K Readers * Which course is ultimately the best fit for you and will give you the best ROI However, writing this ended up being harder than I thought. It turns out there is no such thing as the perfect course…but there is such a thing as the right course for the right person.”

Wally’s Comment: I don’t know of another resource like this post. If you’re considering taking an online course in self-publishing, read this post first.

Sources I Check Regularly

I find the posts and articles that I share with you on The Writing Edge in many places. But there are a few that provide insightful pieces again and again. Here they are.

Alliance of Independent Authors

Frances Caballo

Jane Friedman

IngramSpark

Jerry Jenkins

Joel Friedlander

Joanna Penn

Kindlepreneur

Problogger

Daphne Gray-Grant

Becky Robinson’s Weaving Influence