5 Reasons to Try Writing Software

In the digital age, the art of writing has transformed dramatically, thanks in part to the advent of specialized writing software. Gone are the days when writers relied solely on pen and paper or basic word processors. Today, book writing software offers an array of sophisticated tools designed to refine and enhance the writing process. This technological leap is not just about convenience; it’s about revolutionizing how authors, both aspiring and experienced, bring their stories to life. From organizing sprawling narratives to simplifying the editing process, writing software stands as a testament to how technology can amplify creative expression. In this blog post, we delve into the multifaceted reasons why every writer should consider embracing these digital tools. Whether you’re penning your first novel or your tenth, the benefits of writing software are too compelling to overlook. Let’s explore how these tools are reshaping the landscape of writing, making it more accessible, organized, and vibrant than ever before.

1. Enhancing Organization and Structure

One of the most significant advantages of using writing software lies in its ability to bring unmatched organization and structure to your writing project. Traditional methods of jotting down notes and manually organizing chapters can be cumbersome and time-consuming. Writing software, especially those designed for book writing, revolutionizes this aspect with intuitive features like drag-and-drop chapter organization, allowing writers to easily rearrange sections as their story evolves.

Imagine a digital workspace where all your thoughts, character profiles, research notes, and plot outlines are neatly categorized and readily accessible. This level of organization is not just about convenience; it’s crucial for maintaining clarity and coherence in complex narratives. Writing software often includes visual aids like storyboards or mind maps, which can be invaluable for visualizing the flow of your narrative.

Moreover, these tools often come with templates tailored to different genres, providing a structured framework that can guide novice writers or streamline the workflow for experienced authors. The ease with which one can navigate through different chapters and sections in writing software helps in maintaining a consistent tone and style throughout the manuscript.

In essence, writing software acts as a digital assistant, helping authors keep their creative vision organized and focused. By eliminating the chaos often associated with managing large writing projects, it allows writers to concentrate more on the creative aspects of their work.

2. Time-Saving Features

In the world of writing, time is a precious commodity. Writing software is adept at saving this valuable resource through a host of automated features and tools. From auto-formatting manuscripts to suit different submission standards to offering advanced spell-check and grammar tools, this software significantly cuts down the hours spent on these meticulous but essential tasks.

Take, for example, the automated word count trackers and goal-setting features. These tools help writers stay on track with their daily, weekly, or monthly writing goals, providing a motivational boost and a clear sense of progress. This aspect is particularly beneficial for writers juggling multiple projects or those with tight deadlines.

Additionally, the software often includes customizable templates for outlines, character sketches, and world-building, which can greatly expedite the planning phase of writing. No longer do writers have to start from scratch; these templates serve as a springboard for creativity, allowing more time to be spent on crafting the narrative itself.

A notable time-saving feature is the synchronization capability, enabling writers to seamlessly work across different devices. This flexibility ensures that inspiration can be captured and developed anytime, anywhere, without the hassle of transferring files manually.

In summary, writing software not only streamlines the writing process but also liberates writers from the time-consuming technicalities of the craft. This liberation allows for more time to be devoted to the heart of writing—storytelling and creativity.

3. Creative Assistance

Beyond mere organizational and time-saving benefits, writing software often becomes an unexpected muse, offering creative assistance that can invigorate the writing process. This is particularly evident in features like synonym suggestions, style advice, and built-in dictionaries and thesauruses, which enrich the writer’s language and expression.

For instance, when a writer is grappling with finding just the right word, the synonym feature can spark ideas, leading to more vivid and compelling descriptions. Similarly, style advice tools help in refining the prose, ensuring that the writing is not only grammatically correct but also engaging and coherent in style.

Another invaluable aspect is the inclusion of creative prompts. Whether facing writer’s block or simply seeking a fresh perspective, these prompts can ignite a spark of inspiration, helping writers to explore new directions or delve deeper into their narrative. This feature is particularly beneficial for those moments when creativity seems to stall, providing a gentle nudge to get the creative juices flowing again.

Moreover, some writing software even includes features for character development and plot structuring, offering frameworks and questionnaires that aid writers in fleshing out detailed and believable characters and well-structured plots.

In essence, writing software acts as a silent partner in the creative process, offering the tools and support needed to enhance creativity and bring a writer’s vision to life.

4. Collaboration and Feedback

Writing, traditionally a solitary endeavor, takes on a new dimension with writing software, thanks to its collaboration and feedback capabilities. These tools enable writers to share their work with editors, beta readers, or writing groups in real-time, fostering a dynamic environment for feedback and improvement.

The collaborative features often include commenting systems and version tracking, allowing for constructive critiques and suggestions to be seamlessly integrated into the writing process. This immediate exchange of ideas and feedback can significantly enhance the quality of the work, bringing in diverse perspectives and insights.

Moreover, this collaborative aspect extends beyond mere technical convenience. It creates a sense of community among writers, offering moral support and encouragement. In an industry where isolation can be challenging, this connection with fellow writers and professionals can be both inspiring and motivating.

In summary, writing software not only facilitates smoother collaboration but also enriches the writing process through valuable feedback and community engagement.

5. Accessibility and Mobility

A key advantage of writing software is its accessibility across various devices, which greatly enhances a writer’s mobility. Whether you’re working from a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, the ability to sync your work across devices means your project is always at your fingertips. This feature is invaluable for writers who are often on the move or those who find inspiration in different settings. The convenience of accessing and editing your manuscript anywhere, without the need to carry physical copies or transfer files manually, not only saves time but also ensures that spontaneous ideas are captured and developed at the moment of inspiration.

The journey of writing is one of constant discovery and evolution. Embracing writing software can significantly enhance this journey, offering organization, time-saving features, creative assistance, collaborative opportunities, and unparalleled accessibility. Whether you’re a seasoned author or just beginning to weave your narrative tapestry, these tools provide an invaluable asset in your creative arsenal. As we’ve explored, the benefits of writing software extend far beyond mere convenience; they open up new horizons for creativity and connection in the writing world. So, take the leap and discover how these digital tools can elevate your writing experience to new heights.

How a Nonfiction Book Proposal Can Make or Break a Book’s Success

For a writer, a book is, first and foremost, a vehicle that tells a specific story and shares a particular message that you want to share with the world. While sharing your message and story with the world is certainly paramount, if you want to have your writing published, it’s important to understand that a book is also a business. Think of it this way: the book is the business and you, the author, are the CEO of that business.

Like any other business in any other industry, a book needs to have a business plan. In the world of publishing, that plan is known as a book proposal. Successful writers realize this, and they understand just how important a good book proposal is to their success. That’s why they take the time to craft great proposals. Why? Well, to put it simply, it’s because just like with any other business, having a good plan in place increases the chances of achieving success. 

As mentioned above, first and foremost, your book is a vehicle that is used to bring your thoughts, ideas, story, vision, and message with your audience. That is, after all, the entire point of writing a book, after all, isn’t it? A book also brings you, the writer, to brand new audiences, experiences, and maybe even helps you shape a new identity as a well-known and well-respected authority figure. When people discuss your book, they automatically think of you, the author, and they relate the message that your book conveyed with you, the person. Heck, if you amass a great deal of success, your book can even help you live on forever, as future generations will continue to read your writing – and recall you – posthumously. 

As a business, the proposal for your book is just as important. As such, and needless to say, if you want the business that is your book to be as successful as possible, you really need to nail the proposal. In short, depending on how you craft it, a proposal can make or break the success of your book – and of you, the author. 

Why are book proposals important? How can they make or break your success? To learn more, keep on reading. 

What exactly is a book proposal? 

Essentially, a book proposal is a document that sells your book to prospective publishers. Publishing houses use the information in your proposal to determine whether or not they should pick up your book; to determine if investing their time, energy, effort, and money into your book would be a worthwhile business venture. In short, it’s a document that highlights the key elements of your book, as well as you, the author. It includes the following information: 

  • An author biography, which includes any previously published titles, as well as any relevant work
  • An overview of your book, including a positioning statement, summary, and a blurb
  • A table of contents of your book, including chapter summaries (short blurbs of each chapter that are no longer than a paragraph long)
  • A sample chapter that highlights your writing style, the content of the story, and the message you are trying to convey
  • Your target audience
  • Competitive titles, or published books that have been successful and that are similar in terms of the content, message, characters, plot, etc. 
  • Marketing ideas that publishers can use to publicize and attract readers, and sell your book

Why a book proposal is important for your success

Like a business plan tells investors whether or not they should invest in a business, a book proposal tells publishers whether or not they should invest in your book. Basically, it provides potential publishers with a first impression of your book, and just like if you were the CEO of a company who was meeting investors for the first time and you would put in the extra time to make sure that you were well-groomed, dressed-to-impress, and professional, well, the same is true with a book proposal; if you want your book to catch the attention and pique the interests of potential publishers, then you’re going to want to put in the extra effort to make sure that your proposal stands out from the crowd and really makes your book shine. 

As with anything in life, if you want to achieve success, you need to put your best foot forward. The same is true with a book proposal. If you were unkempt, haggard, unorganized, and late for your meeting with prospective investors for your business, you’re going to leave a bad taste in their mouth and chances are, they aren’t going to give you the time of day. It’s the same thing with a book proposal. If it’s sloppy, unclear, lacks key information, and is just haphazardly thrown together, well, you can bet that prospective publishers aren’t just going to stick your proposal onto the bottom of the pile; they’re going to toss it right into the trash can. 

How to write a successful nonfiction book proposal 

The following is an overview of what a nonfiction book proposal should and should not entail. 

A Good Book Proposal Does:

  • Have a powerful title
  • Include a clear, well-crafted, and unique concept or idea that can easily be conveyed in a couple of sentences
  • Highlight why you’re the best author for the topic
  • Feature a thoughtful and well-developed outline
  • Include clear and engaging, yet short chapter overviews
  • Include exceptional writing; anything less than stellar is unacceptable
  • Highlight any relevant information; previously published books, etc. 
  • Feature a professional, yet friendly photo of the author
  • Illustrate your unique personality and style 

A Good Book Proposal Does Not:

  • Feature inaccurate, over-inflated, false, or misleading information
  • Have more than 50 pages; the shorter, the better
  • Include rough drafts of any ideas that you may have
  • Feature subpar writing, wrought with grammatical errors and typos
  • Look sloppy and thrown together
  • Appear rushed

If you want to achieve the success that you desire and deserve as an author, then getting your book proposal is absolutely imperative. Take the time and put in the effort and energy to create a thoughtful, unique proposal that relates to your content and that will help to attract the attention of prospective publishers  and entice them to want to pick up your story. 

The Pros & Cons of Traditional Vs Self-Publishing – Who Should Self Publish?

It’s been the better part of a year refining your manuscript, but you feel your book is ready for publishing. The question remains; do you start sending letters to agents and publishing houses, or do you consider taking the self-published route? Let’s examine the pros and cons and help you decide on the next move.

Who Should Use Traditional Publishing for Their Book?

Sending your manuscript to a publishing house or agent will probably result in rejection, heartache, and a huge blow to your motivation. Most writers only get published if they have a track record of success or influence in the market.

Unless you’re a celebrity, bigshot CEO, A-list actor, or politician, the chances are you’ll receive a rejection email. There are thousands of unpublished authors looking for their golden ticket to fame and fortune. What makes you think you’re the one they’ll pick from the stack of query letters in their inbox?

We’re not trying to bring you down, you could be the exception, and it’s your right to pursue this avenue if you wish. We’re trying to level your expectations and prevent a months-long chase that goes nowhere.

Who Should Use Self-Publishing for Their Book?

If this is your first crack at a manuscript and you feel it’s something the market wants, go with the self-publishing route. Entrepreneurs, consultants, business professionals, lawyers, doctors, and novelists use self-publishing to get their work in front of a target audience.

Self-publishing offers you several benefits as a newcomer to the writing industry, but it’s not without risk. There’s no guarantee of success, so why shouldn’t you chase that potential $500,000 advance from a publishing house. We hear you, and that’s why we decided to give you a list of pros and cons to help you determine what’s right for you.

What are the Pros of Traditional Publishing?

The Advance and Lower Publishing Costs

If a publisher takes you on, they’ll give you an advance on your future book sales. That’s life-changing for many authors. Receiving a check in the mail for your work is validation that you add value and a huge lift to your morale as a writer; essentially, you’ve made it.

Publishers take care of everything for you, including the publishing costs of getting your book to market and promoting your work. They invest in your book because they see value in it, and they can profit from it.

Industry Contacts, Clout & Credibility

Publishing houses run a business and have a network of contacts and resources to make you a star. They take care of every aspect of getting your book to market, including arranging book signings and featured author profiles in a high-level industry publication like the New York Times.

Publishers, big or small, have industry clout. The industry listens when they ask a big player like a newspaper or authority website to feature you. You get a champion in your corner backing your career, and that goes a long way to potentially reaching best-seller status.

An In-House Team

Publishers have all the infrastructure to print your book, get it on the shelves, and influence the market to purchase your work. Acquisitions editors, fact-checkers, copy, and substantive editors are all on hand to review your work and polish it to perfection. You get access to a publicist to promote you. You never know; you could end up on the next edition of Oprah’s book club. Imagine what that would do for your career.

What are the Cons of Traditional Publishing?

You Lose the Rights to Your Work

When your sign with a publisher, they get the rights to your work. It doesn’t belong to you anymore, and they can do as they please with it. They could leave out sections they don’t agree with and edit parts you find critical to the storyline, regardless of what you think about their decisions.

Publishing Delays

The publisher owns your work, and they can decide to do with it what they please. They control you and don’t care if that advance is running out and you need them to publish the book so you can start seeing royalty checks. They could shelve your book because they feel it will conflict with another top-rated author’s release. You’re left holding the bag, maybe for years on end.

What are the Pros of Self-Publishing?

Fast to Market and All the Profits

Self-publishing is the fastest route to getting your book onto the market. You can self-publish your work in a week with the right strategy and start seeing results overnight with a good marketing campaign. Instead of waiting years and relying on your advance, you start selling immediately, keeping all the profits.

Full Creative Control

You don’t hand the rights to a publisher when you self-publish your work. You keep full creative control over the content, and you don’t have to deal with editors that want to slice and dice your book. From the cover design to the content, you have the final word on everything to do with the publishing process.

What are the Cons of Self-Publishing?

You Front the Publishing Cost

There’s no publisher to front your book’s printing and marketing costs. You don’t get any advance, so you’re totally reliant on your marketing. The development, production, and distribution expenses are all on you. You must rely on guerilla marketing tactics like selling on Amazon and building social media ad campaigns to promote your work.

No Guarantee of Success

There’s no way a bookstore will put your book on its shelves. Unless a publisher backs you, they’re not interested in selling unsolicited material. Forget about going to those prestigious book signing events, and there’s no possibility of media interviews or agents offering their help promoting your work.

As a self-published author, you take your success into your hands, and there’s no guarantee your book will sell. You’re competing with thousands of other authors using the same marketing model as you, and you’ll need something special to stand out from the crowd.

7 Reasons to Hire a Ghostwriter for Your Writing Project or Blog

Are you a blogger, writer, or student? If you’re struggling with content development, why not hire a ghostwriter to assist you with your projects? Ghostwriters are a blessing if you’re not a natural writer. They’ll produce masterful, engaging content for your blog, website, projects, or papers.

Best of all, ghostwriters don’t need you to credit their involvement in your work. They write under the pretense that you own everything they produce for you. You get professional assistance with your workload, and they get a paycheck for helping you out. It’s a win-win for everyone.

What Is a Ghostwriter?

A ghostwriter is a professional or hobbyist writer working under contract with a third-party writing service, an author, a blogger, or anyone requiring content services. The ghostwriter produces custom content to your requirements in return for a fee.

Ghostwriters come in many different classes. You have professionals producing ghostwritten content for a living and hobbyists that do it in their spare time. If you’re looking to hire a professional, you can expect to pay more for their services due to their higher quality of work.

7 Reasons to Hire a Ghostwriter

Do you need help with a writing project? Hiring a ghostwriter is a great way to take the responsibility of producing high-level content off your plate. With a ghostwriter working on your behalf, you can focus on other tasks while they worry about the writing. Let’s unpack seven reasons you need to hire a ghostwriter for your project.

#1 No More Writing Blocks

If writing isn’t your thing or you feel you’re more of an analytical person than a creative, a ghostwriter can help you with your writing projects. It’s common for people to have ideas bursting from the seams when they start a blog or writing project, but sooner or later, those ideas dry up, leaving you with “writer’s block.”

You sit at your laptop, staring at a blank document on your word processor, with no idea what to write. Hours go by, and you’ve only managed a couple of paragraphs. Great, what a waste of your time. A ghostwriter doesn’t have this problem, they’re natural writers. You get expertly produced content and more time to go about the tasks that cou8nt in your life or profession.

#2 Professional Structuring and Grammar

Ghostwriters are wordsmiths with a complete handle on the English language. They understand how to write engaging content flowing through the reader experience. You get content with perfect grammar and structured paragraphs that are easy on the eyes.

Professional ghostwriters use grammar tools beyond the spellcheck in your word processor, allowing them to hand over grammatically perfect work. You don’t have to worry about publishing content with spelling and grammar errors that ruin your reputation.

#3 Fast Results for Your Project

Ghostwriters are professionals. They write for a career. When you hire a ghostwriter, you get a dedicated partner for your content requirements. Ghostwriters don’t get “block.” They write on any topic you want, with fast results for your project. You get a professional working on your writing projects with quick turnaround times.

Do you need a 10,000-word article completed in 48 hours? Some ghostwriters can handle that kind of workload without any problems and without compromising quality for speed. They can handle high-pressure deadlines with ease. A ghostwriter gets you the content you need in the fastest time possible.

#4 SEO-Optimized Writing

Do you need keywords and phrases included in your project? No problem. Ghostwriters can structure keywords into your content to attract the attention of search engine bots. Your writer produces content around your keywords, ensuring you get the fastest indexing and best ranking possible.

Ghostwriters write content for your audience and search engines. They’ll ensure your project is easy to read for machines and people. With SEO playing a critical role in content strategies, hiring a ghostwriter gives you the best chance of dominating your niche in SERPs.

#5 High-Quality Content

With ghostwriters handling your project, you get peace of mind knowing you’ll receive high-quality work. Provided you choose a ghostwriting service with a solid reputation, you’ll always get world-class content delivered to your inbox.

There’s no concern about publishing work with spelling and grammar errors or poor cadence, flow, and structure. Your content meets the specifications in your project brief, guaranteed. If there’s any problem, you can request an edit or re-write of the work.

#6 Retain Publishing Rights

Ghostwriters don’t want credit for their work. They want a paycheck. They’re fine with giving you the glory for the piece. By the time the client publishes, they’re already onto the next client project. You get full rights to the content, with no risk of the writer returning to claim it. You have proof you paid the writer, and they delivered the project to your requirements.

#7 Impress Your Audience

With a ghostwriter handling your writing projects, your audience gets engaging, inspiring content worth reading. You don’t have to worry about publishing work that could ruin your credibility with your audience. You can rely on top-drawer content with a consistent voice that keeps your audience coming back for more.

Is It Ethical to Hire a Ghostwriter for My Project?

Yes, it’s completely ethical to hire ghostwriters to handle your content needs. Many professional writers work with ghostwriters to help them manage their workloads. The key to success is choosing a ghostwriter with a similar writing voice to your work. If you never write yourself, a ghostwriter can handle that responsibility for you. No one ever knows the secret to your success.

Where Do I Find Ghostwriters for Hire?

You can find ghostwriters for hire on online platforms like Fiverr and Upwork. These platforms offer cheap access to writers, but you get what you pay for, and that’s inferior quality. It’s better to use a reputable writing service with a sterling reputation to handle your content requirements.

There are several options for writing services online. Look through the customer reviews of writing services you’re considering and choose the one offering the best balance of quality and affordability.

In Need of Book Illustrations?

Whether it’s a children’s book, a young-adult novel, or even a series for adults that you’d like to add some visual interest to, illustrations are a great way to bring a story to life. The images can be included throughout the pages of the text, and of course, on the front and back cover. Illustrations aren’t only fanciful; they can also include maps, charts, graphs, and more. Artwork adds magic to fairytales, helps to depict and better explain key concepts, allow you to get your point across more clearly, and of course, they can help to attract prospective readers and encourage more engagement with a text. 

In other words, book illustrations can make your writing stand out from the crowd. They can mean the difference between readers selecting your writing over other texts. Because they offer so much value, you want to be sure that your illustrations are as striking and attention-grabbing as possible. They should also help to increase the understanding of your words and your message, as well as establish a deeper connection with your writing. Since illustrations are so important, it goes without saying that you want to make sure that they are as visually appealing as possible, that they really relate to your writing, and that they truly do foster greater understanding of the message, information, or story you are trying to tell. 

While you might be a wordsmith, however, artwork may not be your forte. If that’s the case and you have a great story that you’d like to add interest to within the pages, you’d like your cover to pop so to make your book more appealing to readers, or both, to ensure your illustrations serve their purpose, you’re going to want to hire a professional who has a deft hand and a great imagination; someone who can bring your vision to life and truly enhance your message. But how do you go about finding a reputable, credible, and reliable book illustrator? Here are some tips that can help to point you in the right direction. 

Know the Details of Your Book

It might sound silly to say, but it’s absolutely worth saying it: before you seek the services of a professional illustrator, you’re going to want to make sure that you know the particulars of your book. By knowing this information, you’ll be able to convey it to prospective illustrators and increase your chances of finding someone who will suit your needs. Examples of the key details that you’ll want to know include: 

  • The size of your printed book: 6×9, 8.5×8.5, or 8×10, for example
  • The number of illustrations you’re going to need, including within the pages, the cover, the back, the title page, the dedication page, or anywhere else
  • Where you’d like to publish your writing
  • The format you’d like to publish your writing in, such as paper back, hard cover, eBook, etc. 
  • The timeframe that you would like to have the illustrations completed, as this will have a direct impact on the date it will be published
  • The maximum amount that you want to spend 

Your Style Preference

You’ll also want to know what your style preference is before you start looking for a book designer for your writing. There are so many different styles of artwork that can be used for illustrations, and there’s no right or wrong option. Do some research; look at the illustrations in some of your favorite books, or browse online to get an idea for the different styles of artwork. What kind of color palette to you: black and white, pastel, bold, etc.? Do you prefer more cartoon-like images or realistic pictures? Does a live medium, such as pen and ink or watercolor, speak to your taste, or are you more drawn to digital art? 

Summing It Up

By taking the above factors into consideration, you’ll have an easier time finding the right professional illustrator that will really make your book one-of-a-kind. 

Best Ways to Stay Organized Working From Home

While working in a regular office, you sat under fluorescent lighting in a grey sterile, bland cubicle. However, with working from home, you are the one to design and maintain your office in any way that you would like — provided it’s well organized. 

Your functional home office holds everything — textbooks, computers, keys, and even your pets. Within a short period, it may look more like a frat house than a home office. Here’s how to stay organized while working from home. 

Start fresh 

Maybe, you’ve never seen the top of your desk for a couple of months. It’s time for a clean sweep. First, collect every piece of paper and pen off the desk. Then, clear your desk, leaving only your computer. Although it seems overwhelming to clear off documents on your desk, it gives you a fresh start. Organize your items accordingly by creating three piles (scan, save and shred). With that, they won’t scatter or pile again to your working space. 

Also, remember to clear off your desk after every workday. Don’t leave any item lying unorganized on your desk. Instead, place your files in separate folders corresponding to different clients or projects. In this way, you’ll quickly locate them (your files). This is an excellent strategy to organize your place of work, especially if you are working with different clients.  

Thinking vertically is another idea. Storage is vital in any office. Regardless of how many papers you shift to the cloud, there shall always be some papers scattering around. And of course, to make your office functional, you’ll need a pen, stamps, and many other items. 

The problem is that many functional home offices are small, making storing difficult. So, taking your storage vertical is a perfect way to utilize the available space. 

Create more organizational space for your work using the walls. Furthermore, consider highly functional storage solutions like hanging clipboards. This will allow you to change what is featured on the wall quickly. 

Develop your daily schedule 

Bookkeeping and freelancing can give you a lot of freedom over time. However, this can lead to procrastination. Since no one commands you and you are responsible for yourself, you may forget meetings and important events. 

To be more organized, you need to learn how to manage your time. Before starting your day, make sure you have a daily schedule set up. 

If you are just starting out, it can be pretty challenging to determine deadlines and time allocations. Also, as a starter, you don’t know how long it takes to complete a particular task or project. 

However, you shouldn’t be worried much about it since you’ll be familiar with everything as time goes. Just try and figure out how much time you’ll need to do a task. Then check the activities you can finish in a day with other events you scheduled for that day. 

List down tasks you can accomplish for a day

Jobs such as freelancing are always associated with flexibility and freedom. However, with much space, you may end up not knowing whether you were productive on that day or not. 

For easy monitoring of activities, put down all the tasks you need to finish each day. You can do this manually or use online lessons management to track your daily activities. 

Maintain tidiness 

Clearing your desk and your workspace alone isn’t enough. 

Although it seems tempting to work in your pajamas, it’s good to refrain from doing it for several reasons:

● It might not be easy to get into the work mindset. Can your subconscious associate pajamas with bedtime? Of course not. Therefore it might be challenging to focus at work. 

● Looking good can help you feel good.     

Set and enforce working hours 

Working from home and controlling yourself doesn’t mean getting shorter workdays. In your functional home office, you need to know how to separate work from home. Therefore, it is essential to set your working hours. 

Apart from helping you know when to start your task, setting working hours lets your clients know when you’ll be available for contact. 

Avoid multitasking 

Multitasking doesn’t work. It instead lowers your productivity since you are not focused on the scheduled tasks. Instead, focus on one task before handling another one.

Be flexible 

You don’t need to be too rigid to focus and stay organized. Some circumstances are unavoidable. For example, you are doing everything to ensure a distraction-free day, and then suddenly, your kid becomes ill. Since you are the manager of your home, you’ll have to handle it all. 

After the destruction, it might not be easy to focus on your scheduled activity. And that’s the weakness you need to eliminate. You need to be flexible and be able to focus back on your task after the distraction. 

The good thing about having a flexible schedule is that you will and must be adaptable. 

Use customer relation management

Working from home means you are self-employed. Therefore, you need to ensure you have the right tools for you to be at your best. One of such tools you shouldn’t is) writing software.

Take a break 

Working continuously can be overwhelming. So you need breaks after every significant task. With that, you’ll get to reset and adjust your focus. 

The bottom line 

Organizing your functional home office is the first step in creating a better workflow. It can help you stay focused and on top of your workload. Additionally, it can help you track the job applications you are sending. A clean home office is easier to maintain and can motivate you to keep it tidy. 

Although it seems challenging to work from home, you can overcome destruction and focus on your daily tasks with the right strategies. In the end, staying organized while working from home should not be challenging.     Rose Rosie is a writer for the personal finance website, Joy Wallet, which provides readers with useful information, resources, and tools to help maximize their financial fitness.

How to Self-Publish a Book as a Beginner

Do you dream of making it as a self-published author? Sure, so do thousands of other people. The road to publishing your first piece of work is challenging. The high barriers to entry are why so many aspiring authors fail to get their work into the public eye.

However, if you have the right resources, you can make it work for you. Technology changed the landscape for self-publishing authors, and now it’s much easier to get your work the attention it deserves.

In the past, self-publishing writers and authors would need to visit premises, buildings and spend time on the phone to get what they needed to publish their work. Now, with the advent of the internet, you have everything online, available right at your fingertips.

This post unpacks a few actionable strategies authors can use to self-publish a book.

Up your Game

If you’re planning on self-publishing a book, you need the right resources to help you through the process. Inspiration is easy enough to find with a bevy of blogs and video streaming sites providing millions of hours of content in all trending categories.

By using writing and editing tools, you get better results with your publishing efforts. These tools are available through software solutions and online courses. Take some time to invest in your skillset before heading out into the market.

Use the Right Formatting

When you have a final polished product, you’ll have the option of uploading it to a self-publishing website. It’s important for authors to remember that some sites have different file requirements than others.

For instance, EPUB files are the benchmark standard for ebooks, and they offer easy access for mobile users. MOBI files are the better choice for publishing your work through Kindle on Amazon

Some platforms may also require you to upload your content as a PDF file. However, you’ll need to convert the PDF to the right file format using a paid service or conversion software.

Look at Retailers

Many bookselling websites and retailers have independent guidelines offering you royalty rates, linking opportunities, favorable pricing, or useful distribution information. 

Some online portals let independent authors publish books for free in digital formats, while some charge a flat rate that includes advertising services and even print-on-demand services.

POD helps you avoid the expense and hassle of holding stock of your book. When the seller gets enough orders, they print the book and distribute it for you. It’s a great option for presales as well.

Acquire an ISBN

To make your book available in public libraries or physical book stores as a hardcover, you’re going to have to register yourself for an International Standard Book Number (ISBN).

Fortunately, that’s not as much of a hassle as you would imagine. You can apply for your ISBN through the online portal at the official website. While it’s not absolutely critical to get an ISBN, you’ll find it opens a lot more self-publishing avenues for your work.

Marketing and Distribution

Finally, after publishing your work, you need to promote it to capture an audience. Posting on free sites like Medium can help you capture a targeted audience. Promoting your book through a social media advertising campaign on Facebook can also help you reach a wider audience.

There are dozens of free courses available on platforms like YouTube that teach you how to market your book. Authors can build a free website and use it to promote their books and capture leads to grow their list.

By using an opt-in marketing option, your fans could leave you their email address for your mailing list in return for access to a chapter of your new book.

Tips when writing a book

Oh, where do we start from! Writing a book is such a chore. Yet you will find authors with hundreds of bestsellers — just think of the Witcher books. How do they do it? There they are, and here you are – struggling to get your first manuscript ready even by your relaxed deadline iteration.

There’s no magic. Writing a book is a professional job. It’s not a hobby. Those who take book writing seriously and love their work can always find time to work on writing.

Paragraph by paragraph and page by page – you’ll also get there. All you need is confidence in your written word and some tips to guide you along the way.

And that’s precisely why you’re at the right place. Today, we’re going to talk about some very effective yet less popular tips for writing a book.

In the words of the great Mark Twain, “Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.” Oversimplification, yes, but an accurate one.

Strap your seatbelts on. We’re going for a ride.

Just begin

First things first.

If you’re still just planning on then it’s time to start. Forget about the formal beginnings. Just write the first chapter. Let out your mind. Write what you always wanted to. Remember the thrill of the time when you first came up with the idea. Revolutionary, wasn’t it?

Stop reading this article. Write faster. Come back here again and thank us later.

Break it down, organize, and schedule

Next up is breaking things down.

No problem is unsolvable. Break your problems and obstacles down. Even if you are not facing problems, divide your writing project into tasks and sub-tasks. Keep this project management list of sorts handy. You can use tools like Trello or Google Tasks to build a detailed multi-level list.

Monitor the lists. Don’t be too strict on yourself. Give yourself time to finish the tasks otherwise you’ll start to hate these tasks and won’t bother with them.

Just keep them for the sake of documentation and slowly start to build a schedule around your well-organized tasks list.

Make feedback an integral part of your writing

Feedback doesn’t start when you’re done with the manuscript. Share your progress with people you trust. Alternatively, share minimally with your fans online. Having your own blog or website is nice, but so is sharecropping (like Medium or Wattpad) or your favorite social media platform.

Know what makes you more productive

Coffee? A quiet place? Some meditation? Lots of water? What makes you tick?

If you don’t know what gives you a productivity boost then you’re not doing it right. We’re all living in a world full of things to do, people to please, and money to make.

Find out what makes you tick so you can use it as a boost even amid all the chaos and to finish that next chapter soon!

(Optional) Get an accountability partner

Get someone who holds you accountable for your writing. You’d be surprised seeing how well it works.

This isn’t a tool usually deployed by authors, or anyone in general. This is something that always works. If you had two similar projects – and one of them was with a partner who was also invested (not necessarily monetarily) in some way – then that project will be accomplished faster.

Have someone who holds you accountable.

“You didn’t make any progress today? Ah, that’s fine. Oh, yesterday was the same? We might have a problem.”

Over time, you’ll be programmed to give the project a fair deal of time and attention no matter how packed your day is.

Other tips:

  • Remove distractions. You have greater things to do now. That book won’t finish itself if you’re stuck wasting time on 5 different things. At least move a few distractions out of your life.
  • Set aside time specifically for writing.
  • Take frequent breaks when you’re working. Stretch between long sessions. Get up and take a walk.
  • Read, read, and then read some more. Being a better reader automatically makes you a better writer. Focus on the same or similar genres as the one you’re writing in.

5 Children’s Books To Introduce Diversity to Kids

Teaching children to accept others and fight unconscious biases they may pick up is an essential part of educating young ones. The earlier you can instill values of inclusivity, the better!

To that end, we’ve picked out five of our favorite children’s books about diversity that convey lessons about cooperation, acceptance, and coexistence. While this post is primarily aimed at recommending new reads to parents, kindergarten and elementary school teachers can use these books just as well in the classroom.

1. All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman

For ages: 3+ years old, or any child heading to school for the first time

Follow a schoolteacher and his class through a school day where everyone, no matter their differences, is treated with the same attention and respect. A great picture book for kids about to attend school for the first time or a resource for teachers to use in the classroom, All Are Welcome is perfect for introducing concepts of diversity and inclusion to kids just getting out into the big, wide world.

2. Same, Same But Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

For ages: 4-7 years old

Elliot and Kailash, from the U.S. and India respectively, keep in touch as pen pals and discover they have a lot of interests in common. Though their daily lives might look different and they’re on opposite sides of the world, their friendship doesn’t waver! This is a touching and insightful look at developing friends from other cultures, which can help kids cultivate an interest in perspectives and lifestyles that differ from their own.

3. Suki’s Kimono by Chieri Uegaki, illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch

For ages: 4-8 years old

Suki’s kimono, a gift from her obachan (grandmother), is her pride and joy — and she refused to be dissuaded from wearing it on her first day of school. While other kids gave her some trouble at first, Suki holds firm, and eventually the other kids come around to thinking Suki’s kimono is just as cool as she does. A sweet lesson in standing up for oneself and one’s cultural heritage, Suki’s Kimono has morals for any BIPOC student in the minority who might feel embarrassed or ostracized about things they do differently — and for non-BIPOC kids about the importance and value of different cultural traditions.

4. A Different Pond by Bao Phi, illustrated by Thi Bui

For ages: 6-8 years old and up

A more sobering tale, but arguably even more valuable, A Different Pond follows Bao Phi’s childhood story of fishing at a local Minneapolis pond in the early hours of the morning — not for sport, but for food. While they fish, Bao’s father tells him about a similar pond he remembers from growing up in Vietnam. A Different Pond is a Caldecott Honor winner, and a truly deserved and powerful one at that. Phi never sugarcoats reality in it, instead teaching kids a real lesson about ethnic as well as socioeconomic diversity.

5. See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng 

For ages: 10-14+ years old

Finally, for more advanced readers, Jack Cheng’s See You in the Cosmos is a great choice for audiences around the 5th grade reading level. A bittersweet story about a boy’s obsession with space travel and how to hold onto your dreams despite what life throws your way, any child will likely find some inspiration — and life lessons — tucked away inside an engaging plot.

We hope you enjoyed this list of some of the best children’s books about diversity and inclusion! If you want to find more books to read with your children or young students, Red Clover Reader’s selection of interactive children’s books has you covered.

The Best Book Writing Software for Linux

As a GNU/Linux user, you’re probably fiercely independent, willing to tinker to get the best results, and, as you’ve embraced being in a digital minority, used to the annoyances that going against the grain sometimes causes. You also almost certainly keep up with many of the latest software trends. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, you may be quite tantalized by the book writing software you’ve seen springing up everywhere — and wonder which is not just perfect for your needs, but also features that lovely little penguin checkbox to let you know that you can actually use it. 

What book writing software is the best for Linux folks? Well, that entirely depends on your needs — and your reason for choosing Linux also factors in. You essentially have two options when it comes to book writing software. You could choose a downloadable piece of software, or go with a SaaS approach that’s used in-browser, thereby bypassing OS requirements. Let’s take a look at what’s available in today’s exciting world. 

LibreOffice Writer

Yes, of course you’re already familiar with that one. Because of that, and because it’s free and open source, Linux users might consider LibreOffice Writer to be their default choice. It’ll do absolutely everything you need it to if you don’t like bells and whistles, have familiarized yourself with all of LibreOffice’s advanced settings, and want to write and edit your own books without real-time editing and grammar suggestions, thanks very much. You’ll also, of course, be aware that, if you’re working with editors who use Microsoft Word, LibreOffice can cause some friction as well as technical irritations. 

Reedsy Book Editor

The Reedsy Book Editor is a crisp, intuitive proprietary software that enables easy collaborative editing as well as making typesetting and formatting effortless, no matter what your goals are. Being an online tool, all you need to to access any of the manuscripts you’re currently working on is an internet connection and a browser. Creating an account and getting started with Reedsy’s book editor is free of charge, and its convenient features will make convincing anyone you are working with to use it, too, will be a breeze. 

Zettlr

The Zettlr Markdown editor is a wonderful choice for authors writing non-fiction and academic manuscripts, who will discover that citations no longer have to be a pain to format. Having said that, novelists may also like Zettler. This free and open source software goes the extra mile by making sure you can access it even if you haven’t jumped on the Ubuntu bandwagon and instead choose to use less widespread distros.

NovelWriter

Because novelWriter’s setup allows writers to experiment with the structuring of their novel and makes creating outlines, changing them up, and searching your comments straightforward, novelWriter may just be great book writing software for you if you’re just starting a novel and aren’t sure where you are going with it yet, or if your creative process leans toward the chaotic and you want your software to help you get organized. 

Google Documents

While some Linux users will shun Google docs, let’s not forget to mention it — because the simple fact is that it’s easy to use, easy to carry across different computers, and, more important than all else, easy to collaborate on. If you are at the stage where you’re hiring freelance editors to trim your manuscript, Google docs can be the simplest way to work together. Because almost everyone has a gmail account, almost everyone can access it and most are willing to do so. 

ProWritingAid

So, you want to stick with your trusty old LibreOffice Writer, but you do crave all those nifty extras? ProWriting aid is a pretty spectacular, GDPR-compliant, paid tool that offers in-depth grammar and style suggestions as well as a handy thesaurus. It integrates seamlessly with many word processors and comes with a browser extension as well. 

Book writing software choices for Linux users are only going to keep expanding in the current years, but even now, you already have a very decent series of choices — whether you need a collaborative editing platform, grammar and style help, formatting rescue, or easier citations, the tools you need to write your book are waiting for you to pick them!