The Daily Port of Call: August 15, 2014

Photo by Alexander Lvov/bigstockphot.com

In today’s Daily Port of Call, you’ll find preorders to KDP Select authors, a look at how fiction is created and sold, and what makes an awesome book blurb.

Amazon allows preorders for KDP Select authors!

Check out the “Copyblogger for authors”: Sterling & Stone. Find out how the sausage is made.

Learn what makes an awesome book blurb. “The only purpose of the back blurb is to raise a question that can ONLY BE ANSWERED when the reader BUYS and FINISHES the book.”

Discover the five keys to book cover success.

Find out why it’s hard to catch your own typos.

One author describes how he writes around his day job.

The Daily Port of Call: August 14, 2014

Photo by Alexander Lvov/bigstockphoto.com

In today’s Daily Port of Call, you’ll find how the fear of failure keeps writers from producing their best work, why indie authors fight for lower priced books, and thirteen inspirational places to write.

Discover how the fear of failure keeps writers from producing their best work. “It happens to the best of us. You completely miss the mark. You fall flat on your face. You get bad results and generally make a mess of things, despite your best intentions. You’ve failed. Now what?”

Find out why indie authors fight for lower priced e-books.“ Many of us don’t see our fellow writers as competition. We see them as colleagues and comrades. A good book helps sell more good books. A rising tide lifts all ships.”

“When you feel like writing is becoming a chore—shake it up your locale.” Find thirteen inspirational places to write (other than cafés).

Here are ten tips for shooting your own cover photo.

Check out these thirteen great Facebook Pages for writers.