Introducing Author From Scratch, a blog for writers

In April 2013, I self-published my first book, READY FOR HIM TODAY (a nonfiction book for Christian single women) and I started on my journey of authorhood. I thought I already knew a lot about publishing and writing. Well, sorry to my naive younger self, but what I've learned since publishing READY has been enough to earn my Bachelor's all over again.

You see, being a writer is not easy, particularly since the publishing industry has changed. Way back in your grandfather's day, if you landed a contract with a publisher, the publisher would give you a royalty and do all the work of publishing and promoting.

Not so today.

While publishers certainly assume a hefty amount of work on behalf of you and your book, your work doesn't end when you send off your manuscript. Increasingly, publishers expect authors to build a platform. Authors, that means you have to involve yourself in promoting your book. You can't simple sit back and peruse your mailbox or inbox for royalty checks. You've got to work beyond the writing.

So when I published READY, I became not only a published author, but a marketer, a sales rep, a blogger, a web designer, a graphic artist, and more. As time goes on, I learn more and more skills that directly influence my platform-building.

I learned so much between May 2013 and May 2015 that I really wish I had recorded in a journal. Finally, this year, it dawned on me. Ah! A blog would be just the thing. (It constantly amazes me that these brilliant ideas don't occur to me earlier.) I began a blog to chronicle the evolution of my journey from self-published author to an author who is now planning to traditionally publish my completed novel. (Spoilers! Can't say anything more yet!) 

So I started Author From Scratch. Every blog post focuses on one aspect of building a platform. The blog answers questions like: What is it like being a do-it-yourself author? What tools and resources help? What do the experts say? What generates traffic and what drives it away?

Author From Scratch isn't super professional. In fact, it's a conversation--a conversation between me and myself, and (if you're up for it) a conversation between me and you. It's not meant to be massively trafficked, though if that happens, I'd be delighted, I'm sure. It's just meant to be a way to remember where I've been and where I'm going, and how I've changed along the way. If you find it useful to you, super! If not, feel free to find something more to your taste.

If you're an author from scratch and want to get ideas, check it out! If you're not an author, but you think you might be amused, you're probably right, and you're welcome to check it out too!

Click the graphic below to read Author From Scratch!