Missed Some Great Writers' Links on Twitter?

Hi Everyone, Here are some great writers' links I have tweeted recently, that might interest you for your expat/business/personal writing endeavors. Enjoy!

A good discussion on Amazon as a publisher- they're not the bad guys
http://su.pr/1ikUXg

10 Questions to Ask Before Writing Your Book
http://bit.ly/jLVvEC

18 Things Learned at the Sydney Writers Festival
http://bit.ly/kBbm5k

Top 10 Best Resource Guides for e-Book Authors
http://bit.ly/lndGHu

How Blogging Saves Me and My Family from Personal Bankruptcy
http://t.co/otvWaX7

Highly Recommended: Successful Blogging in 12 Easy Steps - Excellent e-book!
http://bit.ly/mUvZIa

10 More Things You Never Knew You Could Do On LinkedIn
http://read.bi/lWw7QA

Got Something You Need To Do (like, write that novel maybe)? Watch Firefly Coaching's quick video - and then do it!
http://bit.ly/mEZ7zd

Top 10 Blogs for Authors
http://t.co/cWU4rNn

Practical Tips on Writing a Book from 23 Authors
http://bit.ly/iTb94p

13 Things I Got Wrong and 19 Things I Got Right in my First Year of Writing
http://t.co/E6Ils3j

If you reading this blog post online and you are not already an Expat Women member, please support us and sign up here to receive our monthly, motivational newsletters.

Thanks for your support and I wish you a wonderful day/evening! Andrea @andreaexpat 

Missed Some Great Writers' Links on Twitter?

Hi Everyone, If you are an aspiring/professional, writer, here are some of my recent writers' tweets that might interest you, as you write your expat stories and/or you write for business or pleasure:

Highly Recommended: Savvy Book Marketing Secrets: 52 Experts Share Insider Tips for Selling More Books http://bit.ly/SavvySecrets

About To Launch Your Book? Read Tips and Lessons Learned http://bit.ly/fRIXeS

Need eBook Conversions? Check the Directory http://bit.ly/ex3Awb

5 Non-Fiction Book Writing Mistakes and Solutions http://bit.ly/bamkbI

Expat Writers: How Do You Write Memoir About The Places You've Been and The Things You Have Done? http://bit.ly/fNQT7a

Getting Up To Speed on eBooks - 4 Videos http://bit.ly/fuRdlz

Blog Tours For Authors: 5 Great Tips! http://bit.ly/fUD1qp

Are Expat Bloggers Going Pro? http://bit.ly/gctEa8

Promote Your Books in the Publications Section on LinkedIn http://bit.ly/dY7fR1

Should You Give Your Friends and Family a Copy of Your New Book? http://bit.ly/f77Hg6

This expat publisher Jo Parfitt focuses on "life abroad" books... for the "shelfless" http://bit.ly/gKHT38

What Should You Include In Your Online Press Kit? http://bit.ly/i3mHEf

Tips for Authors from Sarah Pietrzak - http://bit.ly/i2bAkG

Launching a book? Charlie's Lessons Learned from Tim Ferriss' campaign http://bit.ly/hmymFq

Excellent Tips For Using Photos in Your Print-on-Demand Books http://bit.ly/ef7ljJ

Do You Think eBook Champion Seller Amanda Hocking is Lucky? http://bit.ly/hWLPwy

BigINChina Write-up By Expat Legend Jo Parfitt: http://j.mp/gnUf8v

How Do You Go About Content Marketing? http://bit.ly/dISHBz

Authors & Publishers: The Problem With Book Distribution? http://bit.ly/ex3JBC

26 Ways to Win at Self Publishing http://t.co/zFQnmfM

Authors: Interesting article from Aaron Shepard about CreateSpace (Amazon's own publishing platform) http://bit.ly/fwNyvT

Writers: Be Inspired By First Self-Published Kindle Author To Have Her Book Optioned To Film http://bit.ly/hMhP1D

If you would like to follow me in 'real time' on Twitter, my Twitter ID is @andreaexpat, or you can just click here. Twitter is surprisingly easy, once you take a look.

Best wishes, enjoy your day/evening! Andrea :-)

Missed Some Great Writers' Links On Twitter?

Hello Everyone, If you are an aspiring or a professional writer, here are some of my recent writer-related tweets that might interest you, as you write your expat stories and/or you write for business or pleasure:

Behind-the-scenes of an expat publishing success story!
http://bit.ly/9gv5F0

Authors, marketers, Job-hunters: Build your visibility by volunteering!
http://bit.ly/cnIc0g

Do book titles sell books?
http://bit.ly/b3i2JC

9 Book Design Tips That Authors Need To Know
http://bit.ly/9Vpr62

How Tucker Max Got Rejected by Publishing and Still Hit #1 New York Times
http://su.pr/2HIYQn

Rushkoff: Why I left my publisher in order to publish a book
http://bit.ly/dvho6F

10 People Writers Need In Their Network
http://bit.ly/d0p342

Interview with Author of "You Turn: Changing Direction in Midlife" - 40+ stories about midlife turnarounds
http://bit.ly/9emMcL

Writers, Authors, Self-Publishers: Are You Building Your Platform?
http://bit.ly/bta0RD

Voice Over Tips from @getinthehotspot: I used http://www.voice123.com/ got about 8 quotes ranging from $5000 - 500! Strange to hear someone else reading your book aloud

7 Secrets To Ebook Publishing Success
http://bit.ly/93rA2E

If you would like to follow me in 'real time' on Twitter, my Twitter ID is @andreaexpat, or you can just click here. Twitter is surprisingly easy, once you take a look.

Best wishes, enjoy your day/evening! Andrea :-)

Missed Some Great Writers' Links On Twitter?

Hello Everyone, If you are an aspiring or a professional writer, here are some of my recent writer-related tweets that might interest you, as you write your expat stories and/or you write for business or pleasure:

How Do Authors Really Make Money? Another brilliant, in-depth blog post by @tferriss http://bit.ly/b9y63r

Seth Godin gives up on traditional publishing? http://bit.ly/d9TYA1

Authors: Do You Have Various Editions Of Your Book? http://bit.ly/a9MhqK

Expat Focus podcast with British author in the U.S., Toni Hargis http://bit.ly/d6Sz8b

Tips for Announcing Your New Book Via Email http://bit.ly/aQ4qNj

11 Articles Full of Tips To Market and Promote Your Book http://bit.ly/cswjnA

Writers and Authors: A Self-Publishing Review of Lightning Source http://bit.ly/arIoth

Big welcome to Twitter to @Tonihargis, at long last, author of Rule Britannia http://bit.ly/a19RuS

Media List Checklist for Writers, Authors, Publicists http://bit.ly/bd6EvX

Tips For Writing Online Book Reviews http://bit.ly/9TI4wx

8 Reasons Self-Publishing is Entering a Golden Age http://bit.ly/cyDwi8

Writers: Thinking of Self-Publishing? What To Do When Your Book Is Not Printed Properly http://bit.ly/cCcQS0

6 Ways Authors can Profit from their Books “After the Sale” http://bit.ly/aiODzg

New authors and writers can display books for only £125+VAT at London Book Fair, April 11-13, 2011 http://bit.ly/9Bq8FU

Selling your book? Follow BEAExhibits for weekly updates for BEA11 http://bit.ly/a155b4

If you would like to follow me in 'real time' on Twitter, my Twitter ID is @andreaexpat, or you can just click here. Twitter is surprisingly easy, once you take a look. And I try not to overtweet.

Best wishes, enjoy your day/evening! Andrea :-)

Kickstarter: Get Inspired, Get Creative

Hi Everyone, I read a fabulous case study today by Craig Mod (via The Book Designer).  It documented Craig and his co-author Ashley Rawlings' experience in using Kickstarter to buy back the rights of their book Art Space Tokyo (which sold out it its first year then was never reprinted by its publisher) and re-launch their book.

Craig's case study intrigued me:

"$24,000 in 30 days, a room full of books in 60 & a new way of publishing in 90... In April 2010, Ashley Rawlings and I used community fundraising to raise nearly $24,000 to breathe new life into our book, Art Space Tokyo. My goal here is to outline what we did and why we did it, with the hope of inspiring anyone with an itch, gumption and a good narrative, to do the same. To bring beautiful, well-considered things into the world."

If you are a published or wannabe writer and/or if you are interested in self-publishing and/or you are an entrepreneur wanting to think more creatively, I highly recommend reading Craig's case study.

But beyond that, I encourage all of you to visit Kickstarter.com.

Kickstarter's premise is to give you a platform to promote your creative project idea, then help you open it up for community funding on their site.  You nominate the funding goal and the timeframe, then supporters of your project can pledge money to kick-start your project, in return for the benefit or experience you promise to your supporters.  If you do not meet your funding goal in the required timeframe, no one pays their pledge.  So the challenge is not only to come up with a cool project, but to get as many supporters as possible in your nominated timeframe, so that you reach your goal and your project goes ahead.

Whether or not you have a creative idea, this site are very inspiring.  Immerse yourself in the site's creativity, and who knows, maybe it will ignite a new spark of creativity in your own ideas...

Have a fabulous week! Andrea

Learn From An 86-Year-Old Entrepreneur Who Has Sold 100,000 Knitting Books

Hi Everyone, I read an interview today from Mom Invented®'s Tamara Monosoff, who we featured last month for her new book, Your Million Dollar Dream (affiliate link).

Tamara talked to 86-year-old Betty Lampen who is a knitting pro and who has sold 100,000 copies of her books since 1991. 

We could learn a lot from Betty.  For example:

1. If you have an idea, give it a go!

2. "Never give up. There is always somebody out there who is interested. You just have to find them."

3. You do not need 60 - 100 thousand words to publish a best-selling book. Nor do you need to be the world's leading expert. Betty's books were only 18 pages long (!) and I have a feeling she is not the (only) world expert on knitting.

Questions for You: Do you have an idea for a book?  If you are not writing your book, why not? 

Andrea

Expat Parents - Does Your Child Have A Relocation Adjustment Story?

Hi Everyone, One of my favourite Expat Women business entrepreneur interviewees, Rev. Macarena Rose (read her interview with us here) is looking for expat parents to share their child's adjustment stories please, for a book that she is writing...

"Are you willing to share your child's story about what it was like to move abroad?  Did your child have a funny story about how they acclimated to their new home? Was it a tough adjustment?  What was 'new' to them? If yes, I would love to hear from you here.  Many, many thanks!  Macarena"

Amazon 2010 Breakthrough Novel Award

Hi Everyone, Amazon.com have announced that along with the Penguin Group (USA) and CreateSpace, they have launched the third annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. This is an international competition seeking the next popular novel.

"For the first time, the competition will award two grand prizes: one for General Fiction and one for Young Adult Fiction. The 2010 competition will also now be open to novels that have previously been self-published. Each winner will receive a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance.

Congratulations to last year's Breakthrough Novel Award winner, James King, whose winning novel, Bill Warrington's Last Chance, will be published by Viking in August 2010. Bill Loehfelm's Fresh Kills, the 2008 winner, is now available in paperback.

The Breakthrough Novel Award brings together talented writers, reviewers, and publishing experts to find and develop new voices in fiction. If you're an author with an unpublished or previously self-published novel waiting to be discovered, visit CreateSpace to learn more about the next Breakthrough Novel Award and sign up for regular updates on the contest. Open submissions for manuscripts will begin on January 25, 2010 through February 7, 2010.

See the official contest rules for more information on how to enter."

How To Be A Global Grandparent

Hello again, Many months ago I was sent a review copy of the new book How To Be A Global Grandparent: Living With The Separation, by Anne Huscroft and Peter Gosling.

Finally, I had a chance to read through this book last week and I would like to recommend it to any new grandparents out there who have not been expats themselves and who are simultaneously trying to understand both the world of grandparenting and the expat world that their children now live in.

For grandparents new to emails and the internet, this book also walks readers through how to use each of these online technologies, in an effort to encourage grandparents to keep up communication from afar, in a way that fits into their children's busy lives.

Call Me Okaasan: Prize Winner

Hi Everyone, Congratulations go to Suzanne Kamata, whose interview is featured this month on our Expat Women home page, for her recently-released global anthology: Call Me Okaasan: Adventures in Multicultural Mothering.

Suzanne's anthology can be seen here as the third prize in the Grand Prize (Non-Fiction) category of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Well done Suzanne!

Motherhood and Me, by Lindy Bruce

Hi Everyone, Each month, we get sent a couple of books by authors/publishers to review for a potential feature on Expat Women. Some books get featured, some do not.

Today, I just finished reading our review copy of Motherhood and Me by Lindy Bruce (a South African who spent four years in Canada with her young family, before repatriating).

With a quote from O (the Oprah magazine) on the cover, I was hoping it would be worth my while... and it certainly was. Lindy's book completely surprised me and I highly recommend it.

In short, Lindy talks about the path to personal rediscovery, during/post motherhood. But she does so in a very easy-to-read, intelligent way, that really resonates with the reader and earns the reader's respect, unlike other books that seem like they are just trying to profit from the 'make-mothers-feel-good' market.

I think the following part of Lindy's prologue sums her book up best:

"Motherhood takes us on a journey. We think the journey is about learning how to love, nurture and support our children, but the further along the road we travel, the more we realise that the journey is actually about learning how to love, nurture and support ourselves! This is the incredible gift of motherhood, the opportunity it gives us to grow, evolve and expand; the opportunity it gives us to see and know ourselves better.

Yet in reality, motherhood can take you to a place where you feel like you've shrunk; where you feel as if you've forgotten what's true; where you can no longer see what you're passionate about; and where you feel like you've forgotten who you are. There is a gift in this harsh reality of motherhood. You can only start looking for something once you realise it's lost. This book will take you on a journey of rediscovery in which you may find what you think you've lost."

Along the way, I couldn't help but find parallels between motherhood and being a trailing spouse/partner, in terms of the impact on one's identity and self-esteem.

In conclusion, if you could do with a dose of 'me-time', grab Lindy's book and/or attend one of her workshops (in South Africa). I believe it would be time well spent. Congrats Lindy.

(PS. I will interview Lindy for our Expat Women April Newsletter. Look out for the interview there. Thanks.)

Want To Find Some Free E-Books About Living Abroad?

Hi Everyone, Thanks to an email from HowTo.co.uk, we have just learnt about their free e-books on the following topics:

• living abroad;
• business;
• career;
• family;
• learning
• money;
• poker;
• property;
• well-being; and
• writing.

In the Abroad section, they currently have 29 books that you can read online for free - on topics that range from finding a job abroad, starting a business abroad, retiring abroad, living in specific countries abroad and so on.

In terms of usability, reading online (and needing to click every time you want to go to the next chapter) is not as user-friendly as reading a downloadable PDF document, but, at the beginning you can click straight from the contents page to the chapter that you are most interested in... and, given that the information is useful and free, what's the inconvenience of a few clicks...?

Check the e-books out if you are interested. Best wishes, Andrea.

Bookshaker Seeking Authors & Editors

Hi Everyone, A quick shout-out for Debbie Jenkins at Bookshaker, an Expat Women Success Story last year (read the interview here) who is looking for authors and editors to expand the Bookshaker brand...

"Authors
Are you an expat with a story to tell?
Are you an expert in business or making money?
Are you an expert in sales or marketing?
Do you know a thing or two about investing or property?
Do you have a unique and powerful communication or self improvement model?

If you are any of these and want to write a book, we can help.
Get in touch with us here.

Editors
We are also looking for editors who would like to earn up to 20% royalties from lifetime sales of each book they work on. We are looking to build an elite team of reliable editors to work on approximately 60 books each year.

If you want to know more, please get in touch with us today."

So if you are an expat woman who needs more than coffee, talk to Debbie at Bookshaker... you never know unless you give it a go...

Bookstore Guide - Europe

Hi Everyone, If you are in Europe, and you love books, check out Sonja and Ivan's Bookstore Guide: An Amateur Guide to Book Shopping Throughout Europe. The blog has some great links already, and if they keep it up, this blog could really blossom into a wonderful and comprehensive resource for finding books throughout Europe.

Sonja & Ivan: "The idea of writing a guide to bookstores all around Europe was conceived while we were on a vacation in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Having a passion for reading and traveling, we have encountered various bookstores throughout Europe and thus have decided to make this blog and write about our findings. If you happen to find yourself in, let's say Amsterdam or Berlin or any other city, we hope that this Bookstore Guide will help you find the books you are looking for so make sure you stop and browse for some of your favorite books in these bookstores."