Overcoming Writer’s Block Brought On By Childhood Trauma: Q&A with Marc Jampole
The poet and author discusses writing through trauma, his novel’s path to publication, adjusting details to suit a higher truth, and more.
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How to Find Compelling Comps for Your Book
Identifying comparable titles helps agents and publishers understand where your book fits in the market and who your most likely readers are.
The New Holy Grail of Traditional Publishers: Direct-to-Reader Relationships
Building direct-to-reader relationships may help publishers shift the balance of power in a game where Amazon holds most of the cards.
4 Voices That Can Help (or Hinder) Your Memoir
In writing memoir, internal voices—with competing interests—can emerge to inform the narrative. A rounded story is careful to balance them all.
When I Decided to Write My Own Story—And Not Someone Else’s
One author struggles to prioritize between major writing projects when time and energy are limited.
What If It Takes 12 Years to Get an Agent?
What keeps many writers from a book deal isn’t a polished manuscript or proposal. It’s a sense of the publishing landscape as it really is.
3 Key Tactics for Crafting Powerful Scenes
When placed intentionally, crafted well, and set up via emotional context and backstory, scene might be the writer’s most powerful tool.
Authors accuse Diversion Books of not paying on time and breach of contract
Authors report payment issues with Diversion Books, a digital publisher that has expanded over the years into traditional publishing operations.
How the Pandemic Is Affecting Book Publishing
The dramatic shifts to online sales makes it critical that publishers and authors adjust marketing strategies and build new skill sets.
Which Comes First: Character or Plot?
Without insight into how your characters will react in even the most mundane of circumstances, you aren’t ready to plan or pants your plot.
How to Turn a Microsoft Word Document Into an Ebook (EPUB)
Word doesn’t export to EPUB, but you can still produce an editable file quickly, without buying software or using a “meatgrinder” conversion.
A Debut Novelist in a Pandemic: How to Navigate a Launch Through Social Media
When the pandemic thwarted a debut author’s launch plans, she had no choice but to jump into the deep end of social media.
Hybrid Publishing: Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know
Hybrid publishing is like hiring a contractor: You pay them to oversee the design and construction and, when it’s done, you own the result.
What Every Writer Needs to Know About Email Newsletters (They’re Not Going Away)
Even a small email list is better than no list at all, because it likely represents your most devoted, true fans.
How to Get Accepted by a Writing Mentorship Program
Mentorship programs are a popular way to gain knowledge and exposure, but as their popularity has risen the competition has gotten tougher.
Sometimes Better Than Blogging: Guest Blogging
Guest blogging allows you to leverage someone else’s existing audience as a way to reach new readers and grow your own audience.
Finding Your Way to the End
Given that many of us sidestep endings in real life, it should not be surprising that writers have trouble concluding book projects.
3 Common Pitfalls When Writing From Your Own Life
Factual details can be great fuel for your writing, but it’s crucial to recognize when adherence to them is getting in the way of the story.
Beware of Chapter-by-Chapter Book Critiques
Misguided feedback, which can damage your manuscript, often arises from a common mistake: asking the right question of the wrong person.
The Green-Eyed Monster: Jealousy in the Time of Quarantine
Despite our best efforts, artistic jealousy affects us all at times. But how we perceive another’s success is never the whole picture.
Are You a Mom Writer Thinking of Quitting? Read This First.
Mom writers are wired to succeed at writing (and querying) because they can multitask like no other.
6 Tips for Writing Deep Third-Person Point of View
Deep third pulls readers into a character’s world view, but pronoun ambiguities and apparent point-of-view shifts push readers away. These 6 tips keep prose sharp.
3 Traps That Subvert Our Ability to Accept Feedback
Finding the right editor or critique partner is important, but so is being mentally prepared for the feedback you’ll receive.
Blogging Versus Email Newsletter: Which Is Better for Writers?
A free email newsletter is the better strategic choice when it comes to long-term career development. Blogging works better for reaching new readerships.
11 Signs You’re Ready to Self-Publish
When do you decide that it’s time to pursue Plan B? Taking stock of these considerations will bring you that much closer to knowing.
Find the Ending Before You Return to the Beginning
Just as we might be conflict averse, it can be tempting to keep revising a story’s beginning instead of proceeding into the messy middle.
Backstory and Exposition: 4 Key Tactics
There’s a good chance that getting these essential elements right are among the biggest challenges you’ll face with your novel.
Fix Your Scene Shapes to Quickly Improve Your Manuscript
Like story arcs, individual scenes also have shapes. Understanding yours can help you improve the ones that are falling flat.
Get Reader Reviews Now to Drive Sales Later
Whether you use giveaways, blog tours or paid ads, generating reader reviews will drive sales and create opportunities for further marketing.
Building Your Writing Support Triangle
The key to an author’s emotional wellbeing and continued productivity is creating a support system, and knowing which part to call on when.
Do Stories Have a Universal Shape?
The idea of universal story archetypes is not a new one—but its corroboration by an A.I. brings a new dimension to the debate.
The Importance of Finding Your Marketing Sweet Spot
There are hundreds of ways to market. The secret isn’t to do them all—it’s to find the few that work for your product and focus on just those.
The One Thing Your Novel Absolutely Must Do
There’s only one thing that any novel must do if it’s going to succeed, and that’s arouse the reader’s curiosity.
Understanding Third-Person Point of View: Omniscient, Limited and Deep
Third-person POV dominates the current publishing market, so it’s helpful to learn to navigate its many facets.
Embracing a Creative Pivot: Q&A with Darien Hsu Gee
Author Darien Hsu Gee discusses writing and publishing across multiple genres, going back for her MFA at age 50, and having faith in her creative process.
How to Restart Your Unfinished Book
Your calendar will never be suddenly free of urgent distractions. To finish that book on the back burner, you must actively bring it forward.
The Differences Between Line Editing, Copy Editing, and Proofreading
New authors are often confused about what level of editing they need. Here’s some insight into the differences.
Writing With Sharpness: Q&A with Elinor Lipman
The author discusses film adaptation, writing effective humor and natural dialogue, using a light touch with character description, and more.
How I Landed a Book Deal Via Twitter—Unintentionally
For one unagented author, landing a publisher was a result of preparation, transparency, and a well-developed network.
New Publishers, Agents, and Other Ventures in 2020
A roundup of new publishers, agents, and digital media ventures (book-related) that were announced in 2020.
Using Book Promotion Newsletters to Increase Sales
Book promotion newsletters are a dynamic component of the overall book industry, but their focus—and results—can vary dramatically.
Is Your Writer’s Block Really Writer’s Indecision?
When facing decisions in your writing, it helps to identify which questions have lower stakes and which ones are preventing real progress.
How to Effectively Manage Multiple Narrators in Your Novel
There’s nothing wrong with using multiple narrators in a first-person story, but it requires some serious background work.
The End May Only Be the Beginning: Infusing New Life Into Your Fiction
One editor’s technique to add narrative tension, deepen characterization, and force you to think past the original boundaries of a premise.
Securing Audiobook Rights: The Rights You Need to Bring Your Audiobook to Market
Whether you’re an audiobook producer, a publisher or an author, here’s a breakdown of the rights needed to bring an audiobook to market.
How to Move From First Draft to Second Draft to Publishable Book
When you’ve completed a draft but it’s falling a bit flat, it’s time for the Story Draft: creative work done technically.
A Beginner’s Guide to Amazon Pre-Orders
Ebook pre-orders can be a great tool for KDP authors, but it might not be right for everyone—especially those without an established audience.
Literary Agents Discuss Foreign Rights and the International Book Market
Literary agents Priya Doraswamy and Carly Watters discuss foreign rights, translation logistics, a book’s chances abroad, and much more.
Pick Your Pond: How Nonfiction Authors Can Find the Right Positioning
As an author, it’s good to be a big fish in a small pond—but you’ll benefit even more if your pond is connected to a larger system.
The Charm of the Large Word
Use of a big word can be beautiful, as long as it meets two criteria: it must be the right word and the best word.