Getting Published

Misconceptions about getting started often hold new writers back. You may think that to be successful as a freelance writer, you need a J-school degree, an impressive database of editorial contacts, and a truckload of supplies. Not so—read on to learn the most common myths that can sabotage you before you start.

Established writers can't often—and probably shouldn’t—publish far outside of their area of expertise. It’s a fast way to alienate your existing fan base. But crowdfunding allows you to experiment outside of your genre for a project you want to see out in the world.

In 2015, Kindle Press published about 90 novels. By the end of 2016, it had published a total of 218 books—all chosen through the Kindle Scout program.

Is it better to look for a literary agent first, or to approach editors and publishers? Much depends on the commercial potential of your work.

But being able to truly see if you’ve been successful in writing a compelling work requires objectivity and distance than can be hard to achieve on your own—and this is where a professional editor comes in.

This week, I was a guest on the Create If Writing podcast, discussing traditional and independent publishing.

Should you self-publish? There is no single right answer to this question—it's always situational. It depends on you, your book, and your career goals. This post outlines the key questions you should ask.

Get links to my latest interviews and Q&A sessions where I discuss the publishing industry as well as marketing and promotion.

Learn how to determine what genre you're writing in and why it matters—plus the difference between commercial and literary.

Author and ghostwriter Stacy Ennis discusses the process of working with a ghostwriter and how to know if hiring a ghostwriter is right for you.

Author Ken Brosky discusses his Kindle Scout book deal and his and Amazon's marketing plans for The Proving.

Author Emily Grosvenor explains how she has constructed a Kickstarter campaign for her children's book, Tessalation!

Author Jay Swanson explains how to find and work with cover artists.

No one used to question the value of a publisher, but now everyone's wondering: What are they good for?

The most important publishing industry headlines and stories that every writer should keep an eye on in 2016.

Editor and writing coach Rebecca Faith Heyman discusses three ways you might be sabotaging your prospects with an agent (and how to improve your chances).

Asking an editor or agent to sign a non-disclosure agreement is not part of traditional publishing business practice.

Publishers use a P&L (profit & loss) statement to determine whether a book makes financial sense to publish. Here's how they work—plus an example form.

Author Carol Bodensteiner answers the seven questions she gets most about working with Amazon Publishing.

Learn about the likelihood of securing a traditional book deal after self-publishing.

What is crowdfunded publishing? Learn about the two types of models now prevalent, plus the major services you can choose from.

UK author Harry Bingham describes the four stages of his career, and why he's decided to self-publish after good experiences with traditional houses.

I've revisited my No. 1 post on how to get published—adding more advice and instruction.

photo by Professor Bop / Flickr Today's guest post is excerpted from Perfect Bound: How to Navigate the Book Publishing

THE Funky Man / Flickr Today's guest post is by New York Times bestseller Eileen Goudge (@eileengoudge), whose newest novel,

Olivander / via Flickr Note from Jane: Today I'm beyond honored to feature bestselling author Claire Cook (@ClaireCookwrite), who has

Today's guest post is by author Leslie Wells. I’ve been on both sides of the publishing desk—as an acquiring executive

Today's guest post is by Carmen Amato (@CarmenConnects), author of The Hidden Light of Mexico City and the Emilia Cruz series. You

The following post has been excerpted and adapted from The Author Training Manual by Nina Amir, recently released by Writer's

Micro-published books are short, tight, and swift. A meaningful discussion of micro-publishing has been pushed aside during the ongoing tug-of-war between traditional publishing and independent publishing (self-publishing). But we are well beyond “everyone is a writer” at this point. We have progressed into “everyone is a publisher,” if they wish to be—and we have been living in this realm for some time already. Fortunately, micro-publishing benefits the industry as a whole by bringing some much-needed simplicity and directness into a publishing equation that is often weighted down by its own complexity and contracts. And it also benefits you, the writer.

This infographic breaks down the key 5 publishing paths, their value to authors, the potential pitfalls, and examples of each.

Learn how self-published novelist Ransom Stephens landed a two-book deal with Amazon—without even querying.

Editors can tell within a couple pages if a manuscript will be acceptable to them. How? What makes this decision so clear to an editor and so muddy to an author?

Today's guest post is by writer and editor Jennifer Niesslein (@jniesslein), who is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. I’m experiencing karma.

This infographic breaks down the key 5 publishing paths, their value to authors, the potential pitfalls, and examples of each.

Self-publishing is not for every writer—you must have specific traits. Ask yourself the following 15 questions before you decide to go it alone.

CJ Lyons (@cjlyonswriter) is an award-winning, critically acclaimed New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She practiced pediatrics and

Don’t you wish someone could tell you how close you are to getting traditionally published? Don’t you wish someone could say, “If you just keep at it for three more years, you’re certain to make it!" Or, even if it would be heartbreaking, wouldn’t it be nice to be told that you’re wasting your time, so that you can move on, try another tack (like self-publishing), or perhaps even change course entirely to produce some other creative work?

By far, I receive the most questions from writers on copyright, mainly due to this post: When Do You Need to

Earlier this week, I was the featured interviewee over at Andrea Hurst's Authornomics series. I answer questions such as: What's

Today's guest post is by Ed Cyzewski. You may recall him from his previous post here, When Self-Publishing Is More

Writers often ask, "How do I get published?" But I don't like to answer that question until I know what

It's been a trend ever since I worked full-time as a book acquisitions editor: Blog-to-book deals. I acquired or oversaw

Today I'm over at Writer Unboxed, discussing the types of attitudes that make me want to issue red-flag warnings to

I recently received the following question from a writer who wishes to remain anonymous: Every new writer wants to know

Today's guest post is by author and business person Joanne Tombrakos. What ultimately spurred my decision to self-publish was a

Yesterday was my regular contribution to Writer Unboxed. I discussed how some independent authors are putting their work out there with

I've been keeping an eye on John Carpenter and his book project ever since we first started having conversations on

At the Midwest Writers Workshop, an agent panel gave some wonderful, straightforward advice about how to construct your pitch. You

From "Talent Grab" by Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker (October 11, 2010) … a parallel revolution was taking place in