Since this article on the author website was originally publish about 10 years ago, I’ve rewritten it in June 2026 to give updated information and advice. Off we go… For many new authors, creating a website feels overwhelming. You may be wondering where to begin, what pages you need, how much it will cost, or…
Author: Karen Cioffi
Karen Cioffi is an award-winning author and children's ghostwriter. She loves to help those who want to be the author of a children's book fulfill their dream. Contact Karen today to get your story started!
Picture Books – Story or Illustrations, Which Comes First?
While most authors know the answer to the title question (whether the story or illustrations come first in picture books), some newbies don’t. I had a client with a three-book series. This client is an amazing artist and wrote a fiction story around her illustrations. For the purpose of this article, let’s say she visited…
Writing: Showing vs. Telling
Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . we’ve all heard of, or read about, the showing and telling aspect of writing: you must show, not tell. But there are those out there just beginning a writing career who may be uncertain about importance of this writing strategy. While there must be some amount of exposition in…
Tips to Overcome Writing Procrastination
Contributed by Mary Jo Guglielmo. “If and When were planted, and Nothing grew.” ~Proverb Procrastination………….who me? I know how to get things done; I also know how to procrastinate. As a writer, sometimes procrastination has to do with feeling lost in a project, other times it’s about not being satisfied with a draft. Personally, I’m…
Children’s Writing and Information Dump
As a ghostwriter and rewriter, I occasionally get clients who give me a draft of a story that has information dump within the first few pages of a picture book. This is a no-no. Information dump is when an author literally dumps a chunk of information for the reader to absorb. Granted, most new writers…
6 Book Marketing Tips Sure to Boost Your Author Online Platform
So, you’re an author. That’s great. But just writing books isn’t enough – you’ve got to promote you and your books. The first step to is to set yearly, monthly, and weekly book marketing goals. With goals, you know where you’re heading and can work toward that end..Marketing goals can be considered a marketing plan,…
Traditional Book Publishing – Contract to Sales to Career
You’ve chosen to write books, possibly children’s books, and you’ve done it right. You did your homework and learned the craft of writing. You created a polished manuscript and submitted it to publishers. And, knowing it’s not necessarily the best writer who gets published but the one who perseveres, you were steadfast and didn’t let…
4 Writing Tips on Using Descriptions
Using descriptions can be a powerful writing tool. The most important thing to keep in mind is to use your imagination. Close your eyes and picture what your character is doing. Picture what the scene looks like, then paint it with words. Below are four tips to help you get a handle on writing descriptions….
The Ghostwriter
She’s Invisible…She’s Powerful…She Helps People…She’s the Ghostwriter! What’s the essential characteristic of a ghost? Invisibility. And, along with being invisible, the ghostwriter is a powerful tool for people who struggle to turn their ideas into readable and publishable stories, don’t have the time to write it themselves, or don’t have the necessary skills to write…
Do Book Back Covers Really Matter?
Being an author is no longer just about writing. Now, you have to become savvy about marketing your book. An important element of book marketing is the back cover. And making it powerful really does matter. In fact, aside from the front cover, the back cover is what will motivate the reader to buy your…