Good day and good wishes. Thank you for visiting our blog. Ernest Hemingway, bless his soul, thanks you as well.

If you wish to become a published author, or poet, for that matter, you have come to the right place. Based on my having written for more than fifteen years with the result that nearly twenty books have been published, I actually know what I am talking about regarding the writing and publishing process!! And I speak to you not as a literary agent, an editor, or an academic, but one who has been in the trenches and learned how to take an idea and turn it into a book concept that ends up becoming published. Now I am passing on proven, practical strategies that will work for you as well.

Best of all, the advice I have given to more than a thousand aspiring authors and poets over the years at seminars and through one-on-one consultation is available to you free of charge by your downloading or printing out the ten step method I advocate in my book, “How To Become A Published Author A to Z”. All you have to do is click the respective sections of the book icons, and presto, you will have your own copy of the book. This is my gift to you with the hope that by using the strategies, you will experience the wonderful chance to hold your published book in your hand and shout to the world, “I am published.”

The book guides you along by first addressing the need to know all about the publishing industry so that you understand the process from idea to publication and what your publishing alternatives are. Then there is information and practical tips on writing and storytelling and why an outline is so important to writing your book. The next section deals with how to prepare a book proposal and query letter with samples within the text and in the Appendix to help you create exciting sales material for your book. Useful information is included to help you find the right literary agent. There are also tips concerning how to copyright your material, how to protect yourself legally with literary agent and publisher contracts, helpful hints on traditional self-publishing, and exercises to assist you with improving your grammar and punctuation skills. Sample writings from the masters may inspire you to write exciting prose or poetry like they do.

My expertise to write this self-help book stems from years of experience working with writers of all ages and skill levels and by learning from the writing of such books as Melvin Belli, King of the Courtroom, Miscarriage of Justice, The Jonathan Pollard Story, Down for the Count, the Mike Tyson trial, Forever Flying, The Perfect Yankee, Bury Me In A Pot Bunker, Testament to Courage, Larry Legend, and from Birdies to Bunkers. Along the way, I have been everything from a criminal defense lawyer to a newspaper founder and publisher, a television correspondent, and a film producer. Curious about alternative religions, I recently graduated from San Francisco Theological Seminary with a Masters degree in Theological Studies. My latest book is a new biography of spiritual guru Thomas Merton. More about him may be discovered at my weblog, www.mertonandfriends.wordpress.com.

To keep abreast of the very latest developments in the publishing world, I subscribe to publisherslunch.com where daily email information is available regarding every deal completed along with useful data about the book sold, the author, the literary agent who sold the book, and the publishing company editor who bought it. I am also a member of The Association of Writers & Writing Programs, an organization dedicated to promoting the vocation of writing. It’s website is www.awpwriter.org.

When I am not writing, or mentoring aspiring authors and poets, I enjoy time spent with my loving wife Wen-ying Lu and our canine friend, Black Sox. I also read as much Hemingway as possible, and cheer for my beloved Chicago Cubs.

Again, thank you for checking out our blog. I look forward to helping you in any way possible to realize your publishing dreams.

Mark Shaw

mshawin@yahoo.com