The Marketing Seesaw

When was the last time you played on a seesaw? Maybe you called it a teeter-totter. The fun lasted only as long as the person on the other end weighed about the same as you. Enough of an imbalance and you either spent most of the time camped on the ground or hanging in the […]

Writing for Schoolhouse Teachers

The homeschooling market is growing rapidly, and there are many ways childrens’ authors can be involved. I’m the executive editor at SchoolhouseTeachers.com, and I’d like to share with you about our company and how you can become part of our writing team. SchoolhouseTeachers.com is the curriculum site of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. We serve homeschool families […]

Art Slam Live! October 3

Write2Ignite! is sending two reps (Jean and Cathy) to ART SLAM LIVE at the Mauldin Center in Greenville, SC, this Saturday, October 3, 2015. Our purpose?? To give attendees a 20 minute one-on-one Speed Coaching Session on writing and publishing for emerging writers at ART SLAM LIVE! Visit  http://www.artslam.net/speedcoaching/  for information. But, hurry! The event […]

Listening to Young Readers

As a teacher, I spend much of my day listening to young readers. They read from textbooks and leisure reading choices. They read their own written works to me. I love to hear them read. As an author, I listen to young readers in a different way. I listen to what they’re saying about books. […]

We’ve Always Done It This Way

The publishing industry is moving faster than Doc Brown’s DeLorean, but not always in a good way. Stagnant sales, corporate restructurings, e-publishing, people reading less…the news can be discouraging. So what’s an author to do? One thing we should not do is approach our writing careers with an “I’ve always done it this way” attitude. […]

Write in The Corner Where You Are

This post originally appeared on Jan Prahl’s personal blog, Writing Under the Maple Leaves on April 18, 2015. She graciously shared it with us today. This was me, today.     When I think of writing, This is the kind of idyllic spot that comes to mind. closer view, I penned this while sitting where my […]

Handling Rejection

Have you ever seen an unattractive baby? Even if you think the baby is ugly, his parents would never agree. That baby is part of them. He carries their DNA. More than that, he carries their hopes and dreams for the future. It’s often been said that for a writer, rejection is the equivalent of […]

What is Your Challenge?

I admit it…I’m color-challenged. As in, every house we’ve lived in for the past 30+ years has had nothing but white walls. And white ceilings. And white wood trim. Oh, except for one house that already had wallpaper in the dining room. We left that up because it was easier than removing the wallpaper and…you […]

Christmas in July: Planning Seasonal Products Early

It’s July 1st. I’m having trouble getting my head wrapped around that. It means half the year has passed. It means all those things I committed to doing in July (when it was still months away) are suddenly due now. And it means the Christmas holiday will be here before we blink. I know—you’re probably […]

Different Routes, Same Destination

I’ve been thinking about routes. One of the most helpful tools I have is a GPS. Helpful, because if there’s a way to get lost, I’ll find it. So I’m dependent on that quiet but firm voice that says, “In fifty yards, turn right.” When I program my GPS for a long trip, it often […]