How to Format Your Manuscript for a Designer or Publisher
When your ms is complete, it’s time to think about semantic structure—a digital map that allows computers to identify the parts of your book.
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Succeeding with Self-Published Memoir: Q&A with Ashleigh Renard
The SWING author discusses the pre-order campaign for her self-published book, the importance of social media engagement, and more.
Why and How I Got My Rights Back from HarperCollins
Despite pre-publication buzz, one author found her book orphaned when the publisher was fired and the imprint dissolved.
Want to Win NaNoWriMo? The Secret Is Preparation
Whatever your writing goals are in November, a bit of planning can help set you up for success.
Why Write This Book?
Identifying your story’s “why”—why it haunts you, why you care—will give your book power that readers can feel.
Choosing a Publicist (Again): Assessing Your Changing Needs
As an author’s career progresses, the publicity needs change—and what worked for the first book might no longer be appropriate for the third.
How to Turn Trolling Into a Fine Art
Edgar Allan Poe was a 19th century troll, virulently critical of other writers—but also engaged in literary citizenship for work he admired.
I Like Substack. But the PR Is Getting Ridiculous.
Substack makes it easy for non-tech people to harness the power of email newsletters, and that’s a good thing. Just beware the hype.
That Second Book: To Write, or Not to Write?
An author who only set out to write one book wrestles with the question—do I really have a second book in me?
How to Make Six Figures Self-Publishing Children’s Books
One successful self-publishing author discusses the importance of multiple formats, licensing, thinking like a publisher, and much more.
The Art of Endlessly Revising a Memoir
Time reshapes how we view and frame the chapters of our lives. Since a memoir inevitably can’t tell the whole story, we keep writing.
How to Market Your Book Without Social Media
One self-publishing author who opted-out offers a dozen other avenues on and off the Internet to help spread the word and drive book sales.
Start Here: How to Self-Publish Your Book
This is an introductory guide to the major self-publishing options available to authors today, and how to choose the right service for you.
Starting Your Novel With Theme: 3 Strengths and 3 Challenges
In the last of a three-part series we examine the advantages and disadvantages of starting with theme, as opposed to character or plot.
The Value of Book Distribution Is Often Misunderstood by Authors
Any self-publishing author can easily make a book available to Amazon, bookstores, libraries, etc. But availability doesn’t mean visibility.
The Secret to a Tight, Propulsive Plot: The Want, The Action, The Shift
Framing the overall story, as well as each scene within it, through these key elements will help create a consistently propulsive plot.
Should You Publish Your Book with a Small Press? Two Literary Agents Advise
Literary agents Michelle Brower and Jennifer Chen Tran discuss the pros and cons of small presses, querying strategy, and much more.
How to Harness Community to Build Book Sales and Platform
Traditional publishers often center marketing campaigns around community support—sometimes growing an author’s platform in the process
Dual Point of View: What to Know While You Write
Writing in dual perspectives can easily tie you in knots, but it also opens the door to new opportunities between characters and story lines.
Should MFA Programs Teach the Business of Writing?
Here are the most common arguments against teaching the business of writing in an MFA program—and why such arguments are flawed.
Should I Hire a Coach Or a Therapist?
Both writing coaches and therapists dig deep, listen attentively, and meet regularly. But hiring one versus the other depends on your goals.
The Secret Ingredient of a Commercially Successful Novel
Masterful writers keep their readers in a constant state of tension. How to get tension on every page? By focusing on microtension.
The Importance of Curiosity and Tension to Storytelling
What makes readers open a book and keep turning the pages? In part, curiosity and tension.
Going the Wrong Kind of Viral: Q&A with Andrea Askowitz
The author and podcaster discusses what she learned from going the wrong kind of viral, the power of vulnerable truth in writing, and more.
Starting Your Novel With Plot: 3 Strengths and 3 Challenges
Writers focused on plot are often strong when it comes to world-building and “big ideas,” but there are inherent challenges as well.
Find Your Topic, Not Your Voice
Developing voice is important, but finding a topic that excites you—and others—could be a better first step for a new writer.
The Art of the Moment Memoir
There are many kinds of memoir, with one thing in common: their authors must ultimately possess the ability to artfully render the moment.
The Most Significant Choice Of Your Writing Career
This choice has nothing to do with the act of writing, but everything to do with how you talk to yourself about your vocation.
Are Fictional Characters Protected Under Copyright Law?
Copyright law is written to protect stories, not characters, but over time the law on character protection has evolved.
The Peer Review Process: What Sets University Presses Apart
During peer review, expert scholars evaluate your proposal. Their suggestions can improve your book if you synthesize them thoughtfully.
Post Book Launch Depression Is a Thing
Publishing a book can be an exciting prospect which often ends in anticlimax. One indie author examines the emotional roller-coaster.
Where My Money Comes From
A look at how the sources of my income shifted between 2016–2020, with online teaching now earning the lion’s share.
Writing From the Spinster’s Perspective: Q&A with Donna Ward
Donna Ward is an Australian writer whose first book, She I Dare Not Name, has just been published in the US.
The (Copyright) Trouble with NFTs
Hype aside, an NFT is not equivalent to registering a digital work with the Copyright Office—and it’s no barrier to unlawful reproduction.
How to Develop a Marketing and Promotion Plan as an Indie Author
Self-publishing offers so many paths and options that it can seem intimidating. One debut novelist shares her journey, with valuable tips.
Starting Your Novel With Character: 3 Strengths and 3 Challenges
Fiction writers who start with character, as opposed to plot or theme, have certain advantages—and certain challenges.
How to Be a Great Podcast Guest: A Guide for Authors
Learning these basic skills will help you relax, enjoy the conversation, and hopefully turn a podcast’s audience into yours as well.
I’m Selling Books on TikTok, No Dancing (or Crying) Required
TikTok has evolved into an entertainment and educational hub, with a remarkably engaged community of book buyers.
You Can’t Sell an Idea
Ideas are a dime a dozen. What matters is expressing an idea in ways that are unique to the artist and specific to the time and culture.
The Alchemy of Emotion: 6 Key Strategies for Emotionally Affecting Fiction
To create the alchemical magic of emotion in your fiction, you need to approach the challenge from more than one angle.
Strained Brain? How to Stoke Your Mental Fire
It’s impossible to fire on all cylinders all the time, so dedicate some of your writing time to stoke the flames of creativity.
What Writers Can Learn from Runners
The most useful work is that which tests our limits and forces us to write something we didn’t realize we were capable of producing.
Writers: Ask for What You Want
Your community might be all too willing to help promote your book. The hard part is overcoming the fear of asking.
Don’t Tease Your Reader. Get to the Tension and Keep It Rising
If you write knowing how the story will end, you’ll deprive readers of the tension that comes from putting obstacles in your characters’ way.
How to Get Your First Freelance Byline (and Why Even Fiction Writers Should Freelance)
Freelance writing—even for little or no pay—offers a low-stakes way to gain publication credit, hone your skills, and raise your visibility.
Deepen Characterization by Mining Your Own Reactions
Paying attention to your own visceral reactions and thoughts can help you create richly developed characters who leap off the page.
Why Your Memoir Also Needs the Good and “Normal” Times
Showing the moments of normalcy brings the reader more fully into your life, and heightens the drama when traumatic events occur.
How Much Do Authors Earn? Here’s the Answer No One Likes.
What you earn is about what business model you can envision or build for yourself and whether it’s sustainable for you over the long term.
Your Final Responsibility to Your Story: Creative Stewardship
When you’ve finished your story, it’s time to step into a stewardship role to place it in the best position to connect with readers.
To Write a Better Memoir, Learn This F-Word
True forgiveness can take years to achieve. That’s why memoirs take longer to write than novels. But it’s worth the effort.