BOOKLET OF WRITING TIPS BY DONNA CUNNINGHAM: The author of 17 books and countless articles, Donna draws on her many years of professional writing in So You Want to Write— Techniques and Tips from Miss Prolific. She shares the secrets and methods that help her to be so prolific and successful in placing her work. The booklet includes astrological insights as well as nuts and bolts writing savvy. (Illustrated, 28 pages) Download an excerpt here.

Astrologer and author, C.J. Wright said to her online astrology discussion group, “Donna Cunningham is my favorite astrology author, and she is prolific. I downloaded her booklet of writing tips yesterday, and it's fantastic!! She offers very practical advice about writing, how to structure yourself to actually get some writing done, how to organize your work, and other tips on how to prepare shorter pieces that will lead to a book. I would urge all writers to get this book.”

FREE TOOLS FOR KEEPING THE BOOK MOVING: Author and Writing coach Ann McIndo has a series of free downloadable writing tools in PDF format that can help you formulate your book plan and keep moving through the process. See them at Soyouwanttowrite.com and also read about her services, such as a boot camp for writers.

EDITING SERVICES: We cannot stress enough the necessity of working with an editor unless this is a previously published book that has gone out of print or unless it consists entirely of articles published in magazines like The Mountain Astrologer or Dell Horoscope that have a good and diligent editorial staff. (Even a new edition of an out-of-print book that was professionally edited by the original publisher may need updating and additional material, all of which need editing.) None of us communicates as clearly as we like to think we do, and we cannot always anticipate the questions readers may want to ask or the ways they may misunderstand our words or intentions.

Even a long-time author like Donna Cunningham still feels the need for an editor for her new work. She says,

“I wouldn’t be the author I am today had I not had the benefit of exceptional editors for my books and articles. They made my work so much clearer, kept me from embarrassing myself in print innumerable times, hauled me down off my various soapboxes, and taught me so much about writing as well as about what makes a successful book. In short, they made me look good! I listened to what each of them said, and when I tackled my next books, I applied what I’d learned from them, so that my writing—and my sales—kept improving.”

Here are two private editors Donna has worked with in creating her e-books:

KAREN McCAULEY: Karen has been actively involved in astrology and spiritual studies since the 1960s and is extremely knowledgeable about the works of the greatest thinkers and writers in the field of astrology. She edited Aspects, an astrology journal, for many years and has since been the private editor for numerous astrology and new age texts. In addition to her editing skills, she is fluent in PageMaker and other layout programs to give your book a professional look. To contact Karen, call her at (310) 452-2652.

CHARITY HOGGE: In her business, Mighty Pen Editing, Charity has worked on a wide range of projects from books to promotional materials and newsletters. Though not a student of astrology or metaphysics, she brings the perspective of an intelligent novice if you are aiming at a wider general audience. Donna says, “She was the ideal editor for my updated edition of An Astrological Guide to Self-Awareness, asking the kinds of questions a newcomer to astrology would want to know.” Visit Charity's website or call her at (503)201-7782.

E-BOOK COACHING: Start by picking the brain of our author, Donna Cunningham about your proposed ebook project, since she is now well familiar with the steps and stages of creating an ebook. To support your project, Donna offers a half-hour phone consultation, which can be taped for your use, plus up to five follow-up email exchanges, for a total fee of $50. If you need more help, additional consultations are available. For more information, send Donna an e-mail.

COPYRIGHTING YOUR WORK: This is a necessary protection, especially if you are self-publishing in e-book or digital form and marketing it on the web. For anything longer than an article or booklet, simply adding ©2006 is not enough proof that you actually authored the work, since anyone could take your words and add the © symbol and their name. For a downloadable copyright form and directions, visit the website of the United States Library of Congress Copyright Office . E-books and other digital publications are covered under Form TX.

E-BOOK CONSTRUCTION: The most common e-books are in the form of PDF files, for which the reader needs a free software program called Adobe Acrobat Reader. It is bundled with most new computers now, but those with no copy or with an outdated version can download it on the Adobe website. (The most up to date version is 7.0, but many e-books are still constructed in 6.0. Compiling an e-book requires a different piece of Adobe software, Adobe Professional. It can be quite expensive, though there are discount software sites on the internet. to create a few PDF files, or if you want to experiment before putting out the money for a program, Adobe allows you to create up to five files for free here, then charges a monthly fee of $9.99 for unlimited use of their online PDF utility.

GRAPHICS RESOURCES: E-books that consist of text on a blank computer screen can be boring, but images that illustrate your points and add symbolism can make an e-book or other digital work pop. The images on this resource page came from Clipart.com, a subscription service with over 6 million searchable images to download. This is an excellent source of copyright-free stock photos, drawings, fonts and other graphics including a plentitude of astrological symbols. While a one-year subscription is $169, you can subscribe for as little as a week for $9.95. Visit and try their search engine for images that relate to your topic.

Even when you are published by large mainstream publishing houses, you will need to do plenty of promotion if you want your book to be a success. Here are a few tools that can be useful to you in the process:

ADVERTISE YOUR WORK FOR NOTHING--Create a default signature at the bottom of your email with links to a description and ordering information. Donna's free downloadable file takes you through it step-by-step, with screen shots of each part of the process.

FRANCINE SILVERMAN’S BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER: Published twice monthly, the newsletter shares a wealth of authors’ promotional ideas and success stories and serves as a networking tool. It costs a mere $7.50 a year. Read about it and subscribe on her web site and download a few issues from the archives.

TELECONFERENCING EVENTS: Find out how to promote your book by giving talks and events for groups over the telephone with conference calls. FreeConference.com hosts some of these services without charge to you, and more elaborate ones for a reasonable sum. (Callers who attend the events pay standard long distance charges.)

IDEAS FOR THE WRITER'S WEB SITE: websiteideas4writers.com contains a wealth of suggestions for using your web sites to generate publicity and an audience for your book.

For free submission of your web site to search engines, go to Add Me! - Search Engine Optimization

FREE BOOKLET ON CREATING CONTENT FOR YOUR WEB PAGE: This 14-page booklet gives sage advice about the type of content that works for a metaphysically or astrologically-related web site--how to create a bio, describe your services, present client testimonials, and develop content that informs and educates visitors. It's heavily self-promoting, we confess, but can jump start the process of doing your own site. Download a copy here. The file is large, so can take a few minutes.

HOMETOWN WEBSMITH: If your needs in terms of a website are complex, perhaps requiring a shopping cart, c.g.i bin for questionnaires, web hosting, or chat room for promotional events, check out the diverse services of HomeTown Websmith. Dr. Deborah Bier, their webmaster and designer, can also advise you on internet marketing strategies, print design, marketing plans and associated materials, business development and project management.

WANT MORE RESOURCES? Check out the large collection of articles, links, promotional tools, books, and products for writers and especially for e-book writers at The Organized Writer.

Our best wishes to you in the adventure of writing and publishing your own book!

This site is the creation of Word of Mouth Web Design, which specializes in personalized and individualized sites that showcase the lifework of a limited number of professionals in the arts and service fields. Headers created at Flamingtext.com. Images from Clipart.com