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April 9 is National Name Yourself Day, which isn’t about celebrating your own name, but about taking a day to choose a new one. It may just be for a day, but it can be extremely liberating to take a new name for a while; maybe a Jane is sick of feeling plain, and wants to be Arabella for a while. Maybe a Veronica acts a little differently in the world than a Mildred. Maybe you’ve just always wanted to see how the world would react if you could choose your own moniker.

Of course, for authors, there’s no need to wait for National Name Yourself Day to choose a new name. Many authors write under a pen name, for all kinds of reasons. Some do it so that they can cover sensitive topics without offending loved ones. Some do it to avoid public scrutiny, or to try something that doesn’t fit with their usual brand. Did you know that these famous authors have all written under pen names?

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

It’s not hard to fall in love with your local independent bookstore. From the moment you walk in, you’re greeted with an alluring brick floor or a bookstore cat or every book you’ve ever loved on display at the front of the store. It’s a book lover’s dream. And while we’re guilty of the infinite browse because the prices are higher than we thought they’d be (curse you, Amazon!), today we’re embracing that full price lifestyle – with the promise to honor and support our indies for all time. Small businesses keep our communities vibrant, y’all. Let’s treat them right.

The Kickstarter Handbook: Real-Life Success Stories of Artists, Inventors, and Entrepreneurs by Don Steinberg only $3.99

KINDLE | NOOK | KOBO | IBOOKSTORE

So you want to produce a short film. Or design a new line of jewelry. Or manufacture a revolutionary solar-powered garden sprinkler. There’s just one catch: You need $100,000 to bankroll your dream, and your checking account has barely enough to cover the rent.

Enter Kickstarter.com—the phenomenal “crowdfunding” website launched in 2009 that brings venture capital to the masses. At Kickstarter, it’s not uncommon for entrepreneurs to raise $50,000, $100,000, $250,000, or more. All you need is a great idea—and The Kickstarter Handbook.

Business journalist Don Steinberg has interviewed dozens of artists and inventors who launched their passion projects online. Through their voices, you’ll explore all the strategies of a successful Kickstarter campaign. You’ll learn the elements of a compelling Kickstarter video, innovative ways to market your projects, tips for getting donors onboard, and the secrets of irresistible Kickstarter “rewards.” You’ll also discover what to do in a best-case scenario—when your project goes viral and the cash starts flowing in. On Kickstarter, it happens to a few lucky visionaries every week. Here’s how to be one of them.

Quirky Twin Powers Activate! Highlights from our July party, where the theme was #Twinning

"It's like geek heaven, you gotta check it out!" — anonymous guy on his phone at our BEA/Bookcon booth, who basically gave us the best endorsement ever. 

Business folk! Looking for a book that’ll aid your endeavors as an entrepreneur? Today only, you can get The Kickstarter Handbook: Real-Life Success Stories of Artists Inventors and Entrepreneurs by Don Steinberg for just $3.99.

And How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying by Carol Leifer is also $3.99.