VS Grenier ~ Award-Winning Author, Speaker & Podcaster

The Writing Mama show is on every Monday and is hosted by Mom's Choice and Award-winning Author Virginia S Grenier, who is joined weekly by guest authors to talk about the publishing and writing industry. Grenier, with her guests, hope to not only share their love of the written word, but also tips on writing, what makes a good book and much more. This week's guest is Author Kevin Gerard and teacher of statistics at Cal State San Marcos. When not writing or teaching, he enjoys walking the grounds at the San Diego Zoo, hitting the waves at Cardiff State Beach and visiting animals at local shelters. He also enjoys playing Halo on the internet; look for him in the rocket games as Magnifico, the magical dragon from the Diego's Dragon Fantasy series. To Follow Kevin Gerard, visit www.diegosdragon.com or www.conorandthecrossworlds.com Learn more about our shows and network at our website http://worldofinknetwork.com You can find great books and articles

Join Marsha Casper Cook & VS Grenier on a special edition of the What is Success show November 26, 2012 at 2pm EST - 1pm CDT - 12 (noon) MDT - 11am PST The What is Success show hosts will be discussing the crushing rejection letter and what writers need to understand about traditional publishers. The hosts will be joined by author Otis Rich, who has traveled over half the United States and has made a lifetime study of people, trying to learn what motivates them as they live out the drama of life. One thing to keep in mind as you read his stories is some of the things Otis Rich writes about may seem to be so fantastic it must be pure fantasy -- yet sometimes the truth is more fantastic than fiction. Learn more about Otis Rich at soaringeagleenterprises.net To learn more about The World of Ink Network and our hosts, visit http://worldofinknetwork.com Listen to the show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork/2012/11/26/special-edition-world-of-ink

An author platform is as important to those established as it is to writers not yet published. Many authors know the importance of building a writing platform. However, many new writers are not sure about building a platform because they feel they have nothing to offer. This is not true. There are many reasons why as a writer (established or not yet published) you need to do this. ·          To build a fan base ·          Spread the word about your book(s) ·          Show you’re an expert in your field ·          Helps you find an agent and/or publisher ·          Builds your online presence ·          Proves your ability to promote and sell your book on a national or international level I would love to tell you all you have to do is write and leave promotional and marketing concerns to your publisher, agent and publicist, but those days are gone. There is much more expected from writers, beyond a great manuscript. If you are already published, it’s not too late to build your plat

  The World of Ink Network: The Writing Mama show will talk about Books and Online Marketing with with Karen Cioffi. The Writing Mama Show TONIGHT, FRIDAY 10th, at 6pm EST at http://blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork Karen Cioffi is the founder and manager of a marketing group, Writers on the Move, she has some experience with what works and doesn't work for touring and online marketing and will be sharing her views with hosts VS Grenier, Marsha Cook and J.D. Holiday along with you our audience. Along with the Writers on the Move experience, Karen has attend a number of marketing teleseminars and tries to apply what she learns to her own marketing strategies. Karen is also an author, ghostwriter and freelance writer and a member of the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, the Professional Writers Alliance, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors. As always, The Writing Mama show can be listened to live at BlogTalkRadio.com

Award-winning author Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She’s a reviewer for The New York Journal of Books and co-editor of Voice in the Dark ezine. She's had over 300 reviews, interviews, stories, and articles published in print and online. Mayra is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the Children's Writer's Coaching Club.   VS: I want to thank you for being my guest here on The Writing Mama today. I know you’ve been busy touring your recent book Frederico the Mouse Violinist and your other books this month with the World of Ink Tours and through other marketing opportunities. It is always a pleasure to have you here Mayra and so to begin can you share with my readers how long have you been writing? Mayra: I wrote my first stories when I was about 12. I have been writing ever since. VS: That is so great. I only started writing stories over the past few years. However, I did writ

The world of children’s picture book publishing is extremely competitive. If you’re an aspiring children’s author, you need to make sure your manuscript is in excellent shape and has all the elements editors and agents look for before you begin the submission process. Here are five tips to make your picture book manuscript more marketable: Start right with the problem.  Many times beginner writers begin a picture book with back-story. It’s okay to have this back-story in the first draft, but be sure to get rid of it when you edit. Back-story is unnecessary 90% of the time and it only serves to slow down the beginning of a story, making it weaker. You want to grab the reader right from the start. So don’t be afraid to begin your story at the heart of the problem. It’s okay to set the stage with a sentence or two—but no more! Have a protagonist readers can relate to. Generally, children like to listen to stories about other children or animals with children’s characteristics. They