2023-2024 Key Book Publishing Paths by Jane Friedman

The Key Book Publishing Paths: 2023–2024

Should you self-publish or traditionally publish? This infographic will help you determine the best choice for you and your project.
Writing and Publishing Horror: Q&A with Todd Keisling

Writing and Publishing Horror: Q&A with Todd Keisling

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

On Multi-Genre Publishing: Q&A with Hybrid Author Catherine Stine

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.
small presses

How to Evaluate Small Publishers—Plus Digital-Only Presses and Hybrids

As the publishing industry has transformed in the digital age, small press activity has proliferated. Here's how authors can evaluate their offerings.
Find a Literary Agent

How to Find a Literary Agent for Your Book

A step-by-step guide to finding literary agents, plus how to select the right agent for you and your work.
Dario Ciriello

5 On: Dario Ciriello

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.
pitching agents at writers conferences

How to Pitch Agents at a Writers Conference

Pitching agents at a writers conference can be a difficult task for the new writer. Here's how to make it a little easier on yourself.
book distribution

How to Get Your Book Distributed: What Self-Published Authors Need to Know

The most important thing any author needs to know about book distribution is that more than half of all book sales (regardless of format) take place online.
Digital Book World 2017 - photo by Porter Anderson

What the Industry Is Talking About: Best Takeaways for Authors From Digital Book World

My industry newsletter for authors, The Hot Sheet, released a special (and free) issue last week with original reporting from Digital Book World.
agents or editors

Should You Submit Your Work to Agents or Editors?

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.
author platform building

Building a Platform to Land a Book Deal: Why It Often Fails

If you're preparing to pitch your nonfiction work to agents or publishers, you may have heard about the necessity of platform. What if you don't have one?
editorial control in contracts

Negotiating Editorial Control in Publishing Contracts

Today’s guest post is from writer and Sidebar Saturdays blogger Matt Knight (@mattknightbooks). One of many worrisome areas for writers
hiring a pro editor

Should You Hire a Professional Editor?

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.
author-publisher disappointment

3 Things Your Traditional Publisher Is Unlikely to Do

The No. 1 disappointment of published authors is the lack of marketing support from their publisher. Here's how to prepare for what will—and won't—happen.
traditional publishing

Traditional Publishing: What’s It Good For?

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

The Self-Publishing Checklist: Editorial, Production, and Distribution

This printable and interactive checklist guides your self-publishing project to completion, to ensure you don't miss any important steps and to help you hit your target pub date.
industry trends for authors

5 Industry Issues for Authors to Watch in 2016

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

5 Observations on the Evolution of Author Business Models

As publishing becomes increasingly digital-driven, how are the business models for authorship changing?
Book profit and loss statement

The Book P&L: How Publishers Make Decisions About What to Publish

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.
Amazon Publishing

My Experience Working with Amazon Publishing

Author Carol Bodensteiner answers the seven questions she gets most about working with Amazon Publishing.
Every Father's Daughter

Getting an Anthology Published: Q&A with Margaret McMullan

Publishers rarely see any money in anthologies and frequently reject them. But one author was still able to find a home for her project.
Publishing With a Small Press: Straddling the Indie-Traditional Gap

Publishing With a Small Press: Straddling the Indie-Traditional Gap

Working with a small press is an option many authors never consider. It’s the shadowy middle ground between self-pub and a Big Five contract.
US Children's Book Market - Nielsen

The Status of the Children’s Book Market: Digital Book World, Day 1

Nielsen offers fascinating insights into how the children's market is driving growth in the overall publishing industry.
How to Get Your Book Published

Updated & Expanded: How to Get Your Book Published

I've revisited my No. 1 post on how to get published—adding more advice and instruction.
Do you have writing talent: a flowchart

Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Successful Author?

At conferences, I'm often asked by writers if they "have what it takes" to be a successful writer. I usually interpret that question as: "Do I have talent?"
photo by Professor Bop / Flickr

What Is a Developmental Editor and What Can You Expect?

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