Author: Ivan May

Literary journals have long been a cornerstone of the literary community, serving as gateways to new worlds of prose, poetry, and artistic expression. These publications, whether in print or online, are not just collections of works; they are vibrant, ever-evolving ecosystems that nurture and showcase the talents of both emerging and established writers. For aspiring poets, understanding the nuances of… Continue reading "A Short Guide to Literary Journals and How To Start Your Own"

Writing your first novel is more of a Herculean task than many aspiring authors realize. We’ve all had those days when sitting in front of the laptop ends up in three hours of you staring at a blank page, wondering how to start. You might write a paragraph, delete it, and spend another 30 minutes pondering what to type next.… Continue reading "7 Tips for Self-Published Authors – How to Write Your First Book"

Being an author comes with a lot of mixed feelings. You’re passionate about your writing and thrilled that you got published, but you’re also a little disappointed that your book hasn’t reached Best Seller status and hasn’t made it to Oprah’s Book Club. There’s no doubt about it: selling a book can be hard. There’s so much competition out there.… Continue reading "5 Book Marketing Ideas For the Aspiring Author"

Do you have an idea for a comic book but don’t know where to start? This brief guide gives you the steps you need to take to create your first strip, book, or graphic novel. It’s easier than you think. You can realize your dream of capturing your imagination on paper with the right resources and assistance. Comics offer readers… Continue reading "How Do I Create a Comic Book? A Brief Guide"

Business can be all good with customers coming and going or making orders and having them delivered. However, the headache comes when you have to prepare an invoice. All those PDFs and spreadsheets start stressing you out, primarily if you work with clients worldwide, making currency conversion more like hell on earth. Consequently, you need an invoicing app to ease… Continue reading "10 Best Invoicing Apps"

Whether you’re an editor, a writer, or you’re looking for any other type of freelance work, having an effective project proposal is an absolute must. A professionally written, comprehensive, and well-designed proposal may be all that you need to impress prospective leads, land new clients, increase your success, and boost your income.  While there’s no doubt that project proposals are… Continue reading "Demystifying Freelance Project Proposals"

You’ve come up with an incredible idea for a book. You’ve dedicated countless hours, tons of energy, and a tremendous amount of effort to develop the plot, storyline, characters, climax, and conclusion. You’ve painstakingly edited and revised your drafts, and finally, you have an impeccable manuscript and a story that you can’t wait to share with the world. In order… Continue reading "Self Publishing is the Best Idea You’ve Ever Had"

As an independent author, trying to determine what you should be doing and when you should be doing it in regard to your publishing your books can seem like a daunting, time-consuming, and often stressful task. Despite the many benefits that are associated with self-publishing, there’s no denying that it can be tedious. Trying to figure out what tools are… Continue reading "Best Self-Publishing Resources"

The idea that creativity flows naturally and effortlessly is one of the biggest, most harmful myths out there — because it can really hurt you if (correction: when), during a creative writing project, you instead find that writing is hard, painful, and boring. You might feel like you’re not really meant to be a creative writer, because if you were,… Continue reading "The Stages of Creative Writing (and How to Make the Most of Them)"

Have you ever felt an emptiness after finishing a book and the need to continue reading about that world, or have you been dissatisfied with the end of a story and would like to read another? Often times the last page of the book is the most bitter-sweet moment of the entire reading experience. Well, the solution to your problems… Continue reading "The World of Fanfics (A Guide for Beginners)"