Showing results by author "Rob Bignell" in All Categories

LET’S WRITE YOUR NONFICTION BOOK! One of the biggest mistakes aspiring authors make is denying that they're following a process when writing a book. These writers often say they write “from the seat of their pants.” Yet, every writer goes through five basic steps if they finish and publish their nonfiction book. Understanding those five basic steps can help authors identify why they're having trouble writing. Maybe their book idea isn't very good. Possibly they haven't thought through it enough. Maybe they're not revising it efficiently. Following a Writing Process for Nonfiction ...

UPDATED FOR 2025 - INCLUDES AMERICA'S NEWEST NATIONAL PARKS - WHITE SANDS, INDIANA DUNES AND GATEWAY ARCH You’re visiting a national park but don’t have a lot of time. Maybe you’re just passing by or have only one day of your vacation to stop. What should you see, and how will you find those spots? Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks ensures you make the most of your limited time. It lists the must-see wonders at our most visited national parks and details the best short hikes for enjoying them. With the trails listed in this volume, you’ll never have to worry about ...

Imagine a place where granite monoliths rise out of the ground in fantastical shapes...where otherworldly Joshua trees grow as dense forests...where secluded palm oases beckon weary desert travelers...where the ruins of old ranches and gold mines stand as monuments to men’s Herculean efforts and shattered dreams...where bare rugged mountains loom over vast sand dunes...where the Milky Way glitters at night like no man-made light show ever could. The place is real: It’s called Joshua Tree National Park. Located in Southern California, Joshua Tree is an increasingly popular destination ...

UPDATED FOR 2023! Imagine a place where several waterfalls tumble more than eight stories over ancient rock, where you can hike to a mountain vista offering 100-mile views, where countless streams and rivers rush over riffles and cascades through dense verdant forests, where you can traipse past historic pioneer buildings or stand in awe before a rare, majestic elk that haven’t been seen in these parts since George Washington’s time. The place is real: It’s called Great Smoky Mountains National Park. America’s most visited national park, more than 10 million people annually enter ...

For beginning writers, point of view often is the most difficult element to master. Without really understanding the role point of view plays in storytelling, aspiring authors frequently select the wrong one. Sometimes they prefer to write or read a specific point of view, so they just go with that, even though it's not the best choice for their story. Mastering Point of View addresses those and many other issues writers face with this element of fiction. It examines the three main points of view – first, third and second – and the different forms each one can take. It looks at when ...

An author’s platform is absolutely vital to your success as an indie writer. Consisting of your website, social media, and outreach efforts, the platform gives you the tools to reach others who might by your book. It also is a way for potential readers to stumble upon your book. Create Your Author’s Platform helps you build those tools to promote your books. Using practical, easy-to-understand explanations, Create Your Author’s Platform covers constructing a website, blogging, mailing lists, newsletters, social media, press releases, and book readings/signings. The tips come from a ...

You’ve written a short story or a novel. You keep receiving rejection slips from editors and publishing houses … and now you’re not sure it’s good enough to self-publish. You know your story needs a rewrite yet don’t know how to improve it … besides, work or school is hectic, the house needs to be cleaned, and the kids demand your attention, so who has time? … But we bet you can find just 7 minutes a day to achieve your dream of getting that story published. If you can, this is the book for you. This practical, how-to guide takes you step-by-step through improving your story ...

Read any writing tip article or book, and one piece of advice you're sure to see is "Show don't tell." For many new writers - and even established ones - showing rather than telling is downright confusing. Just what does an editor mean when she notes "Show don't tell" on your manuscript? Mastering Show Don't Tell looks at how to identify and fix all the places where telling - or exposition - rears up in your writing: backstory; info dumps; backfill; vague descriptions; irrelevant character details; emotional states; motivational tells; narration; summarizing; poorly written dialogue; and ...

Imagine a place where dunes of white sand rise taller than a house and seemingly forever into the horizon, where a trail’s route shifts every day as wind remolds the terrain, where more than 800 animal species call an inhospitable desert home, where you can walk the shores of an ancient lake that mammoths and saber-toothed cats once drank from. The place is real: It’s called White Sands National Park. But with the park’s incredible size of nearly 228 square miles, how can you ensure that you see its main sights when vacationing or driving through? That’s what Best Sights to See at ...

THE ONLY HIKING GUIDEBOOK DEDICATED TO OUR NATION'S NEWEST NATIONAL PARK! Imagine a place where you can stroll magnificent Lake Michigan beaches and scramble over towering sand dunes, where you can explore mysterious marshes filled with carnivorous plants and amble about peaceful oak savannas, where you can roam among migrating birds on their stopover and traipse about historic turn-of-the-century homesteads. The place is real: It’s called Indiana Dunes National Park. With the park stretching more than two-dozen miles from end to end and the large crowds, though, how can you ensure that ...

For those new to self-publishing, uploading your ebook often is a complex and frustrating process. Unfamiliar terms are used, questions that you as an author have never thought of answering are asked, and when errors occur there’s often no real explanation as to how fix them. And while online “tutorials” are offered, the articles either state the obvious or appear to have been written by software engineers rather than someone who actually understands your plight. Upload Your Ebook to KindleDP corrects all of that. The explanations in this book make the process easy to understand and ...

You've written a book and want to publish it as an ebook. But how do you do that? Maybe you've watched a video about it, but your self-publishing house keeps rejecting what you've created. Or maybe they've accepted it, but its appearance is less than adequate, especially compared to all of the other books out there. Self-Publish Your Ebook Bundle addresses all of those problems and more. A collection of guidebooks in the popular Storytelling 101 Quick Read Series, this bundle includes Format Your Ebook, Design Your Ebook Cover, and Upload Your Ebook to KindleDP. Those three titles take you ...

UPDATED FOR 2025! You dream of being a published author. You don’t have time to write, though … work or school is hectic, the house needs to be cleaned, the kids demand your attention … But we bet you can find just 7 minutes a day to pursue your dream. If you can, this is the book for you. This practical, how-to-guide will take you step-by-step from coming up with a great story idea to seeing your pride and joy published – with just 7 minutes of writing a day. You’ll complete short, skillful exercises that allow you to build a short story or novel as you read the book, all the ...

UPDATED FOR 2025! You’ve written a book that’s languishing on your computer hard drive. You don’t have time to pitch it to a literary agent or a major publisher … work or school is hectic, the house needs to be cleaned, the kids demand your attention … But we bet you can find just 7 minutes a day to achieve your dream of getting it published.] If you can, this is the book for you. This practical, how-to guide takes you step-by-step through the self-publishing process – with just 7 minutes of work required a day. You’ll complete short, skillful exercises that allow you to self-...

Day hiking with kids isn’t quite as simple as taking them onto a trail and walking. Many parents have no idea where there even is a trail. They wonder how to keep their kids properly dressed for the wilds and how they’ll ever carry their infant all those miles. They struggle to figure out how much water and food to bring. They ponder what to do when their children get bored on the trail or start to misbehave. They know there must be a better way to cross rough terrain than the balancing act they’re attempting. They want to understand how to treat injuries from blisters to broken bones...

LET’S SELL YOUR BOOK! Most indie authors are nervous about buying ads for their books and for good reason. They wonder if the ads really will work or if it’s just dumping money into a bottomless hole. They even have been told not to buy them. I used to think that way too. Then I began to hear from a small number of authors that they actually were having good luck with Amazon ads. A lot of tweaking was necessary, but eventually they figured out a formula that worked. So I gave it a try. Within weeks, I was earning twice as much as I spent on ads, and my sales tripled. Sell Your Book with...

THE ONLY GUIDE TO SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK'S TOP SIGHTS! Imagine a place where you can hike amid saguaro cactus forests or see glorious sunrises and sunsets...where you can explore centuries-old petroglyph sites and abandoned desert mines at which fortunes were made and lost...where you can traipse amid a desert alive with colorful wildflower blooms or spot hardy desert wildlife ranging from coyotes to roadrunners. The place is real: It's called Saguaro National Park. But with the park's incredible size of nearly 145 square miles, how can you ensure that you see its main sights when ...

One of the most important tools in your writing kit is dialogue. It can help develop your characters, move the plot forward, increase tension, and establish a scene’s mood. Unfortunately, sometimes novice writers write dull dialogue. Like a flat tire that slows your vehicle to a near stop, so dull dialogue can quickly bring your story to a near halt. Write Engaging, Natural Dialogue is all about helping beginning writers better understand how to pen conversations between characters. If you’ve already written a story and know the dialogue is weak, the tips in this book can help you ...

Imagine a place where magnificent peaks soar more than 2.5 miles high, where alpine lakes reflect snow-capped mountains and evergreens in crystal clear water, where blooming wildflowers fill meadows with color while towering forests shade sun-dappled paths, where rushing creeks and waterfalls are as common as driveways in the suburbs. The place is real: it’s called Rocky Mountain National Park. But with the park’s incredible size of 415 square miles and the large crowds, how can you ensure that you’ll see its main sights when vacationing or driving through? That’s what Best Sights ...

UPDATED FOR 2025! You’ve self-published your book, but now what? You can’t make marketing it a full-time job … work or school is hectic, the house needs to be cleaned, the kids demand your attention … But we bet you can find just 7 minutes a day to increase your book’s sales. If you can, this is the book for you. This practical, how-to guide takes you step-by-step through implementing a simple but effective marketing plan for your book – with just 7 minutes of work required a day. You’ll complete short, skillful exercises that allow you to publicize and sell your novel or ...