Non-Fiction Books

Book by Rusch, Kristine Kathryn, Smith, Dean Wesley

Everyone says they want to be their own boss, but very few people know how. This book will help you learn how to think properly about owning a business. It gives you guidelines for setting up your office (in or out of the house), setting your schedule, and establishing your priorities. Getting started properly will put your business on the road to success.

Setbacks happen to everyone. Surviving them is hard. Surviving failure is even harder. But every successful person has had at least three failures before finding that success. So how do you turn failure to success? The answers lie in this book-length excerpt from the massive Freelancer’s Survival Guide by international bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who will show you how to turn those inevitable setbacks into opportunity.

Celebrities like Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson prove that you can always spend more money than you earn. Want to know how to make money while self employed? Learn how to manage the money you do earn. In this short book, international bestselling writer, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, shows you how.

Networking sounds hard—and it is, if you’re trying to do it “right.” Instead, do it your way. International bestseller Kristine Kathryn Rusch offers her tips on networking in person. She solicited the help of great online networkers like bestsellers Neil Gaiman and Michael A. Stackpole to give online networking tips. This short book teaches you everything you need to know about networking—and more!

Once you’ve become successful, you never have to work again—or so many people believe. But becoming a success is just the start. Staying a success is the hard part. This short book will help you both become a success and remain one. International bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch will show you the secrets to success that will change your life.

Most people become freelancers without any idea of how to run a business. They learn in the school of hard knocks. Kristine Kathryn Rusch has taken the school of hard knocks and made it into one of the most useful business books written in years. Included are these indispensable topics:•How To Negotiate Anything: Freelancers must negotiate everything from the rent they pay to the contracts they sign. Here’s how to negotiate on your own—and when to hire someone to negotiate for you.•Online Networking: In addition to tricks and strategies for online networking from Rusch herself, this Guide also includes advice from such online networking experts as Neil Gaiman, Michael A. Stackpole, and Mitch Wagner.•The Importance of—and the Difference between—Goals And Dreams: Freelancers often confuse their goals with their dreams. Rusch offers practical advice on how to meet your goals, and the importance of dreaming big.•How To Survive Failure—and Success: Success, more than failure, derails many freelancers. Rusch explains how to turn your failures into successes—and how to optimize the success when it finally happens.

Most people hate negotiating. Instead of learning it themselves, they hire someone—an agent, a lawyer, a manager—to negotiate for them. But negotiators often do not have their clients’ best interests at heart. In this short book, international bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch shows you how to negotiate anything from buying a car to buying a house, from handling a book contract to handling a negotiator. If you have ever negotiated anything—and who hasn’t?—then this book is for you.

Being your own boss means setting your own schedule. Sounds easy, right? Instead, it’s one of the toughest parts of freelancing. In this short book, international bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch shows you how to create a schedule, meet deadlines, take time for vacation, and cope with illness. The perfect guide for freelancers who can’t find enough time in the day.

Most writers run their careers the same way they did in the 1990s. But publishing has changed so much since then that any writer who works on the old model will no longer make a living. In this WMG Writer's Guide, international bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch shows you how to think about the new world of publishing, who to trust, and who not to trust. She also gives you a blueprint for survival—what to learn, what to ignore, and how to find help. If you are a successful professional writer—or hope to become one—then this book is for you. “I have friends who have absolutely relied on Rusch’s advice and it never leads them astray.” —Orson Scott Card, New York Times bestselling author “Not many people understand the publishing business as well as the author business—Kris Rusch is one of them.” —Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling author “Kristine Kathryn Rusch still knows twice what I do about writing and publishing. Good thing she’s put all her wisdom down in a book so I can start stealing some of it.” —Steve Hockensmith, New York Times bestselling author

Everyone has dreams, but most people don’t know how to achieve them. Goals help people achieve their dreams, but how do you know if you’ve set the right goals? In this book-length excerpt from the massive Freelancer’s Survival Guide, international bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch will help you set the right goals to achieve your dreams. She also has tips for staying positive and remaining patient while you’re on the road to success. “Of all the motivational, business, and creative books I’ve read, The Freelancer’s Survival Guide is easily the most useful. Accessible, thorough, well-written, and exceedingly practical, this is a book guaranteed to make you re-examine every facet of your business—and come out better for it.” —J. Daniel Sawyer, Audio Producer, Freelancer Writer, and President of Artistic Whispers Productions “Kris Rusch is an old pro and she knows her subject backwards and forwards. There is a wealth of valuable information here for anyone trying to go it on their own down the freelance road. Worth the cost and then some.” —Steve Perry, New York Times Bestselling Author

The biggest dream all freelancers have is to work for themselves. They want to ditch the day job. Many freelancers quit their day job too early. Some wait too long. Some never do quit. And some should return to a day job for a few years while they fine-tune their business. This short book is a step-by-step survival guide to the decisions you need to make to become and stay a freelancer in any business.

As you prepare to embark on your yearlong space cruise, this excerpt from Amelia Pillar’s popular Etiquette for the Space Traveler will provide you with the skills you need to make your trip enjoyable for you and your fellow travelers. With tips such as making the most of the zero-G experience, interacting with new species, and properly utilizing your steward, this guide will help you channel your inner adventurer and negotiate your vacation without fear of misstep. “Rusch has style.” —Charles de Lint

In this WMG Writer’s Guide, international bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch discusses the destructive ways peer workshops and the quest for perfection derail many writers’ careers. Listening to critics and academics—amateur and professional—often strips out the joy of writing. And a failure to recognize writing as a business furthers the potential damage. But Rusch offers hope for writers who have suffered at the hands of critique—external and internal—and outlines a path to healing.

In recent years, traditional publishers have shifted from wanting only the rights they need to demanding as many rights as they can get, not just for the book under consideration, but for all books the writer writes. If the writer wants to remain a hybrid writer (utilizing both traditional and indie publishing)—or even leave and go to a different traditional publisher—he or she must negotiate a good contract. In this WMG Writer’s Guide, international bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch helps writers navigate the changing tides of the publishing industry to make the best possible deal while retaining the rights to publish their works how and where they choose. Chapters in this book include: Deal Breakers Rights Reversion Agents and Audits

Discoverability: a modern marketing buzzword. For writers, discoverability means the difference between gaining an audience and publishing into the void. Now, USA Today bestselling author and renowned business blogger Kristine Kathryn Rusch deftly tackles the topic of discoverability in this latest WMG Writers’ Guide.Rusch covers topics such as when to hire help, how to measure success and the most important thing a writers can do. With Discoverability, Rusch offers professional writers the most comprehensive guide available today to help them make an informed decision about the best marketing approaches for their writing businesses. “The bible for the self-employed.”—John Ottinger III, teacher and editor of Grasping for the Wind, on The Freelancer’s Survival Guide“A soup-to-nuts guide for business. Don’t be without it.”—Virginia Baker, President, Indigo Ink Communications, on The Freelancer’s Survival Guide“Not many people understand the publishing business as well as the author business—Kris Rusch is one of them. Her Freelancer’s Survival Guide is balanced, ambitious, and packed with information that all writers, editors, and publishers should read.”—Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling author, on The Freelancer’s Survival“[Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog,] The Business Rusch…is full of sound advice and analysis about what's going on.”—Jeff Baker, The Oregonian

A writer’s attitude can help bring success. But what should that attitude look like? Rah-rah positive? Pragmatic? Take-no-prisoners serious? USA Today bestselling author and renowned business blogger Kristine Kathryn Rusch helps guide writers to find the right attitude for a long-term writing career in this latest WMG Writers’ Guide.Rusch covers topics such as habits, the importance of routines, the dangers of following a crowd, and how create—and follow—one’s own vision of a writing career. With The Write Attitude, Rusch shows writers how they can do what they love and love what they do without sabotaging their own success.“[Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog,] The Business Rusch…is full of sound advice and analysis about what's going on.”—Jeff Baker, The Oregonian“Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s new book Discoverability is by far the best resource I have read to date to help indie authors succeed after the book is written.”—Chris Syme, Principal of CKSyme Media Group“The bible for the self-employed.”—John Ottinger III, teacher and editor of Grasping for the Wind, on The Freelancer’s Survival Guide

Making the wrong decisions on the business side of publishing can destroy a writer’s career. Longtime writer, editor, and publisher Kristine Kathryn Rusch knows this better than anyone. So she decided to write a book on the dealbreakers in contracts, agency agreements, and other business things that will ruin a writer’s future.Little did she know that it would take her seven months, lots of hand-wringing, and a lot of help from the readers of her blog. The result, Closing the Deal…on Your Terms, shows how the tiniest of decisions—talking to a Hollywood producer on the phone, falling for a typical agent’s ruse of masking a contract for a letter—can have lifelong consequences.Written for every writer, whether self-published, traditionally published, or hybrid, Closing the Deal…on Your Terms takes writers on a journey that will help them understand what they’re selling and what they could accidentally give away.“[Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog,] The Business Rusch…is full of sound advice and analysis about what’s going on.”—Jeff Baker, The Oregonian“Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s new book Discoverability is by far the best resource I have read to date to help indie authors succeed after the book is written.”—Chris Syme, Principal of CKSyme Media Group“The bible for the self-employed.”—John Ottinger III, teacher and editor of Grasping for the Wind, on The Freelancer’s Survival Guide

Getting a book into readers’ hands means achieving that modern marketing buzzword: discoverability. And the simplest way to gain that reader recognition? Branding. Branding helps readers find an author’s work. But many authors fail to grasp the concept of creating an effective author brand. Now, New York Times bestselling author and renowned business blogger Kristine Kathryn Rusch expertly tackles the topic in this latest WMG Writer’s Guide. In this guide, Rusch teaches the basic concepts of branding and helps authors convert those concepts into useful action to individually brand themselves to maximize reader recognition. “There are lots of books out there about how to market your book. Some of them are good. Some aren’t. Discoverability is one of the best…” —TeleRead “Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s new book Discoverability is by far the best resource I have read to date to help indie authors succeed after the book is written.” —Chris Syme, Principal of CKSyme Media Group “Kristine [Kathryn Rusch]’s extensive experience in both traditional and indie publishing shines through in this amazing book. Though written for fiction authors, all writers will benefit from reading this book.” —Tim Grahl, “11 Best Book Marketing Books” “ Discoverability gets my highest recommendation and a must read for writers who want to develop a career and make a living in the Indie Publishing industry.” —Marion Hill “[Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog,] The Business Rusch …is full of sound advice and analysis about what's going on.” —Jeff Baker, The Oregonian

In this WMG Writer’s Guide, award-winning author Kristine Kathryn Rusch offers words of wisdom for writers who suffer from chronic illnesses and who want to keep working, to improve their craft and spread their creative wings. A long-time sufferer herself, Rusch reports from the trenches. She tells us her own struggle with health issues and how they challenge her. But none of it actually derailed her career; she worked out ways to keep writing, and in the process became an international bestselling author with hundreds of books in print. Rusch helps writers customize a plan of action based on the writer’s individual experience. She shows how to increase productivity by developing a positive, and realistic, outlook. Importantly, Rusch points the way to reclaim the joy of writing, and celebrate success.

A Freelancer’s Survival Guide to Reaching Your Goals This essential bundle includes three books from the Freelancer’s Survival Guide by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Time Management Freelancer’s Survival Guide Short Book Being your own boss means setting your own schedule. Sounds easy, right? Instead, it’s one of the toughest parts of freelancing. In this short book, international bestselling writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch shows you how to create a schedule, meet deadlines, take time for vacation, and cope with illness. The perfect guide for freelancers who can’t find enough time in the day. Goals and Dreams A Freelancer’s Survival Guide Short Book Everyone has dreams, but most people don’t know how to achieve them. Goals help people achieve their dreams, but how do you know if you’ve set the right goals? In this book-length excerpt from the massive Freelancer’s Survival Guide , international bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch will help you set the right goals to achieve your dreams. She also has tips for staying positive and remaining patient while you’re on the road to success. Turning Setbacks into Opportunity A Freelancer’s Survival Guide Short Book Setbacks happen to everyone. Surviving them is hard. Surviving failure is even harder. But every successful person survives at least three failures before finding that success. So how do you turn failure to success? The answers lie in this book-length excerpt from the massive Freelancer’s Survival Guide by international bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who will show you how to turn those inevitable setbacks into opportunity.

The secret of a great story often lies in the writer’s ability to hone their craft. But many struggle to do so without destroying their unique voice. In this WMG Writer’s Guide Bundle on Craft, New York Times bestselling authors and renowned business bloggers Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith help writers successfully develop their skills for a long-term writing career. In The Write Attitude, Rusch shows writers how they can do what they love and love what they do without sabotaging their own success. In Writing into the Dark , Smith takes you step-by-step through the process of writing without an outline and explains why not having an outline boosts your creative voice and keeps you more interested in your writing. In The Pursuit of Perfection, Rusch discusses the destructive ways peer workshops and the quest for perfection derail many writers’ careers, offers hope for writers who have suffered at the hands of critique—external and internal—and outlines a path to healing. In Stages of a Fiction Writer , Smith takes you step-by-step through the stages most fiction writers go through and how not to lose hope along the way. “[Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog,] The Business Rusch …is full of sound advice and analysis about what's going on.” —Jeff Baker, The Oregonian “Dean Wesley Smith’s blog gives both a slightly different view of the publishing world than I’d seen before and detailed hands-on ‘here’s how to get from A to B’ instruction.” — Erin M. Hartshorn, Vision: A Resource for Writers

All writers face obstacles to their productivity—sometimes physical, sometimes mental, sometimes both. In this WMG Writer’s Guide Bundle on Productivity, New York Times bestselling authors and renowned business bloggers Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith share their personal journeys to help guide writers to overcome these obstacles and reach their goals. In Writing with Chronic Illness, Rusch offers words of wisdom for writers who suffer from chronic illnesses and who want to keep working, to improve their craft and spread their creative wings. In How to Write a Novel in Ten Days , Smith aims to once and for all shatter the myth that writing fast equals writing badly—or, conversely, writing well equals writing slowly—while taking readers on a journey that demonstrates that writing fast, and writing well, come from motivation and practice. In Writing a Novel in Five Days While Traveling , Smith gives an intimate day-to-day, minute-by-minute account of how he wrote a full novel in five days while traveling, including tips on how to prepare for the writing as well as what to do when the trip gets in the way. In Writing a Novel in Seven Days , Smith chronicles his process chapter-by-chapter toward writing a 43,000-word novel in just seven days. He writes about his progress, his feelings about the project, and how he approaches and overcomes obstacles. “[Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog,] The Business Rusch …is full of sound advice and analysis about what's going on.” —Jeff Baker, The Oregonian “Dean Wesley Smith’s blog gives both a slightly different view of the publishing world than I’d seen before and detailed hands-on ‘here’s how to get from A to B’ instruction.” — Erin M. Hartshorn, Vision: A Resource for Writers

Being a successful author requires more than just writing a great book. In the modern world of indie publishing, getting readers to buy your book takes marketing savvy. In this WMG Writer’s Guide Bundle on Marketing, New York Times bestselling authors and renowned business bloggers Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith help writers navigate the complicated world of publishing. In How to Write Fiction Sales Copy , Smith addresses the major challenges that lead to bad sales copy—including using passive voice and too much plot—and offers 32 examples from his own stories to illustrate his points. In Creating Your Author Brand , Rusch teaches the basic concepts of branding and helps authors convert those concepts into useful action to individually brand themselves to maximize reader recognition. In Discoverability, which was named one of the 11 Best Book Marketing Books, Rusch offers professional writers the most comprehensive guide available today to help them make an informed decision about the best marketing approaches for their writing businesses. “[Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog,] The Business Rusch …is full of sound advice and analysis about what's going on.” —Jeff Baker, The Oregonian “Dean Wesley Smith’s blog gives both a slightly different view of the publishing world than I’d seen before and detailed hands-on ‘here’s how to get from A to B’ instruction.” — Erin M. Hartshorn, Vision: A Resource for Writers