Courage & Craft: Writing Your Life Into Story has just been published by New World Library. (www.amazon.com)  It covers all the genres of creative writing, offers guidelines for each, inspiration, reading suggestions and writing exercises.  If you know anyone besides yourself, anyone at all on this planet who wants to write his or her life into a memoir, essay, novel, poem or whatever – please buy this book for them as a present. And multiple copies for yourself.

I’m not really good at this. I want to write, not become a huckster. When my first novel was published I showed up at an Author’s Luncheon without a copy of my book. A veteran writer said to me in a stern voice, “Always carry your book!”   And when I set up a website for my last book (www.BarbaraAbercrombie.com), my  friend Deb who’s in advertising called me and said, “You need a link to Amazon on the site with a big flashing button that says: Order now! Operators standing by!”

The thing is most of us writers really just want to sit around in our sweats writing our stories. (I’ve gone on and on about this in another post in case you’re new to this blog). The fact is though, if you want to have your next book published you need to get your current book sold. And you also feel obligated when you have a terrific publishing company behind you like New World Library to get out there and do whatever you can for sales. (I’ve worked with publishers who don’t seem to care if your book sells or not, but NWL has been holding my hand every inch of the way.)

So: Courage & Craft: Writing Your Life Into Story! Available at Amazon (www.amazon.com) or wherever you buy your books.  If you live in LA please come to Dutton’s on October 12^th to buy a copy.

(Here’s a dirty little secret of published writers: you know those glowing reviews of books on Amazon? Well, we beg our family, friends and blog readers to write them.) 

Order now! Operators standing by!