Author Q&A

The bestselling author discusses best practices for ads, how to keep your spending in check, the top three mistakes authors make, and more.

The horror author shares what scares him, the authors who taught him the most about the genre, crowdfunding, trigger warnings, and more.

The Indiana author discusses publishing and promoting close to home, plus the logistical, ethical and legal issues around writing true crime.

In this interview, the bestselling author discusses her indefatigable enthusiasm for writing, the importance of writers helping writers, and more.

The former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan discusses how a grounding in nonfiction can both help and hinder fiction writing, and much more.

In this interview, she discusses writing to trends, the limits of writing what you know, taking the time to discover your identity as an author, and more.

In this Q&A, Hill discusses why he wanted his memoir to incorporate the observations and life experiences of other Canadians of mixed racial heritage.

If there's an organization whose mission aligns with your story or characters, a partnership might help both parties promote one another.

In this interview, Bob Eckstein discusses art vs. commerce, newspaper/magazine cartoons vs. TV as communication delivery systems, the influence of just the right validation, and much more.

In this interview, she discusses discovering writing in mid-life, how she knew when her writing was ready, why she opted to self-publish, and much more.

In this Q&A, Anna Schmidt discusses how she became a romance novelist, the nearly accidental way she acquired her current literary agent, her journey from successful romance novelist to self-published literary novelist, and more.

The Indie Author Project identifies the best self-published fiction by state; thirteen states participate so far. This year's national winner is Ran Walker.

Is it still necessary today to encourage men to read women, or to shine a targeted light on female writers? Bill Wolfe says yes.

Writer and graphic designer Jonathan Westbrook discusses what it's like to win an extraordinary screenwriting contest, then have that win fall through.

Even a well-published and successful author can have a difficult time finding a home for a memoir. Margaret McMullan discusses her path to publication.

How much input should an author have when it comes to the narrator's interpretation? When is feedback helpful, and when is it frustrating? What is a reasonable cost per finished hour of audio? An interview with Rich Miller.

Freelance editor and former literary agent Amy Tipton discusses her love of young adult and middle grade fiction, the "unlikable female character," whether agents who don't want a manuscript will be likely to pass it along to an agent friend, her personal editing style, and more.

Novelist Cai Emmons discusses how a van tour to meet booksellers in person helped her overcome her timidity toward book marketing.

Author Russell Rowland discusses the big mistake he made with HarperCollins, whether the journey of writing is truly its own reward, why his Indiegogo campaign worked so well, and his experiences with publishing—from one of the Big 5 to self-publishing.

A Q&A on children's self-publishing with authors Zetta Elliott, who has released several books under her own imprint, including picture books; Brent Hartinger, who self-published a young adult series and a new adult series; Cheryl Klein, the author of a self-published a work of nonfiction; and Stephen Mooser, who released a middle grade book on his own.

In this 5 On interview, author and publisher Ian Thomas Healy shares what he learned from his experiences with literary agents, what to look for when submitting to small press publishers, his feelings about Amazon KDP Select, and more.

Author, publisher, and book marketer Julie Smith shares what she loves to write—and read—in a mystery, how her writing obsession evolved into marketing, the mistake many authors make with their book covers, and more.

Author Jay Swanson discusses how he's succeeded with Patreon, which allows fans to pledge monthly financial support to his creative efforts.

Lisa Tener shares important lessons learned when writing her first book, the ups and downs of co-writing, the most important platform writers should have, and more.

Author Dario Ciriello talks about breaking writing rules, what publishing other writers taught him about the business, and how little he as a writer cares about what other writers think.