A Successful Author Was Rejected By Her Publisher. Here’s How She Found Another.
When big publishers rejected a book due to marketing concerns, one author forewent an advance to work with an indie that saw potential.
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Maximizing Book Sales with Facebook and BookBub Ads: Q&A with Melissa Storm
The bestselling author discusses best practices for ads, how to keep your spending in check, the top three mistakes authors make, and more.
Emotional Truth and Storytelling: Why It Works and How
Emotional truth is the lens that allows us to see ourselves in a story, resulting in a heartfelt connection in a fictional narrative.
4 Story Weaknesses That Lead to a Sagging Middle
If your middle’s lost momentum, check to see if your plot, characters, stakes and suspense consistently propel readers along the story arc.
Common Reasons Nonfiction Books Don’t Sell
If you want to land a traditional publishing deal, then market conditions—and your position in that market—will affect your chances.
Should You Hire a Social Media Assistant?
Virtual assistants take over tasks that you could do yourself. What you’re buying, in effect, is the freedom to use your time in other ways.
Why Waiting Too Long to Register Your Copyright Is a Big Mistake
Though registration with the Copyright Office is no longer required for protection, there are still many reasons why it’s important.
How One Author Landed a Publishing Deal for a Gift Book: Q&A with Sarah Chauncey
The debut author discusses writing an illustrated book for adults, platform building, and listening to the little voice inside.
Don’t Hold Out for Publishing to Make You Feel Seen. Here’s Another Goal Instead.
Publication is elusive and in many ways out of your hands, but feeling seen is something that writers can offer each other right now.
I Spent Nearly Two Decades Writing and Editing My Book. It Finally Found a Publisher.
Perseverance isn’t just about finding the right agent or publisher—it’s also about refining your work into the best version of itself.
What You Can Learn About Platform From a 12-Year-Old
Building a platform is akin to making friends at a new school: invite, engage, be helpful, share and, most of all, be your best self.
The Benefits of Writing Flash Fiction
Let go of description, extra words, and clever exposition. What’s left is a tightly crafted nugget of concentrated gold—flash fiction.
2 Methods for Structuring Your Memoir
Authoring a memoir, the gift of hindsight allows you to invest moments with deeper meaning than they may have had at the time.
Letter Writing as a Powerful Prompt
From Franz Kafka to Bob Dylan, history shows that letter writing can be a portal to discovery that benefits a wide variety of projects.
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.
3 Tips for Cutting Your Word Count (Without Giving Your Whole Story the Ax)
Like pruning the extra sprouts out of a garden, sharper and tighter prose makes the details you keep stand out.
Writing True Crime: Q&A with Janis Thornton
The Indiana author discusses publishing and promoting close to home, plus the logistical, ethical and legal issues around writing true crime.
Writers Often Ask Me a Question I Can’t Answer
The field is saturated, so many people wanting to tell their interesting stories. You wonder: Am I a good enough writer to keep doing this?
Online Book Events: A Necessary Pivot in 2020, But How Do You Compete?
It’s now possible to fill every lunch hour and evening with book clubs and book festivals and live readings and more. Thus, even if you offer a creative and enticing online event, it’s hard to sell when so much content right now is available for free. Before you decide to run an online event, consider the following.
Amazon’s Importance to US Book Sales Keeps Increasing—for Better or Worse
Amazon has changed, grown, and dominated more than any other company in the book publishing industry. Here are the key developments that authors need to know about.
Everyone Wants Barnes & Noble to Survive. Can It?
The biggest bookseller in the United States has suffered a slow decline over the last 10 years. Can the business be turned around?
A Writer’s Guide to Fair Use and Permissions + Sample Permissions Letter
If you need to request permissions from an author or publisher, here are general guidelines, plus a sample letter you can customize.
A Successful Daily Practice Requires Honesty
A daily practice can only succeed if we’re 100% honest about our doubts and weaknesses, because one area of denial can scuttle the ship.
Where Novelists Get Stuck: 3 Common Issues with Early Drafts
Writing can be a lonely process, and it’s easy to feel stuck. Editors and coaches can help identify the common problems—and their solutions.
To Avoid Rejection, Take the Writer Out of the Story
Experienced editors look for a story so engrossing the reader forgets that he’s reading—story in which the author’s voice seems not to exist.
4 Lessons from 4 Years of Self-Publishing
It’s hard work and there’s no magic formula to boost sales, but you’ll also find a passionate audience and a strong sense of accomplishment.
How to Find Publishers
If you have a book idea or manuscript, one of your first questions is probably: How do I find a publisher? Here are the most popular, essential resources.
What Your First 50 Pages Reveals
To gauge your manuscript’s pitch-readiness, turn a critical eye to the query letter, synopsis, and first fifty pages.
Building Your Career-Long Marketing Foundation
However you decide to publish, it’s unwise to rely on someone else to build your career, or to be responsible for growing your readership.
Are Editors Responding to Submissions During Coronavirus?
Despite the pandemic, getting that proposal off your desk allows you to shift your energy to platform—a bigger deal than most authors realize.
The Joy of the Work: Q&A with Author Caroline Leavitt
In this interview, the bestselling author discusses her indefatigable enthusiasm for writing, the importance of writers helping writers, and more.
How to Do Honest and Legal Giveaways as an Author
Whether using a third-party service to conduct a giveaway or managing it on your own, it’s important to protect the rights of your entrants.
US Book Publishing Remains Resilient: Print and Ebook Sales Are Growing
As much of the retail world faces crisis, book publishing is positioned to grow in terms of unit sales when compared to 2019. In fact, 2020 may prove to be one of the strongest sales years in recent memory.
3 Keys to Freelance Editing: Position, Package, and Price
When you’re starting out as a freelancer, it can be tempting to say yes to every project. But, as in writing, the key to success is often to go narrow.
Why Write Memoir Right Now
Writing memoir won’t fix what’s wrong. But writing what you know will give you the kind of insight that begets a better sense of control in uncertain times.
6 Principles for Writing Historical Fiction
Whether grappling with believable world-building or adherence to historical accuracy, these six tips will help you navigate this daunting genre.
Amazon Editorial Reviews: Are You Using This Incredible Section?
Editorial reviews are one of the most underrated tools in a self-publishing author’s arsenal. Learn what they are and how to manage them.
Making the Switch from Nonfiction to Fiction: Q&A with Kate White
The former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan discusses how a grounding in nonfiction can both help and hinder fiction writing, and much more.
How Do Publishers Decide Which Books to Bet On?
Every book is a gamble, and publishers ask the same two questions any capitalist or gambler asks: how much should we stake, and how much might we profit?
6 Tips to Create a Memorable Virtual Book Launch
Online or in person, the basics of public speaking are still what matters most: be captivating, interactive, and take your audience on a journey.
Books to Film: The Option Versus The Shopping Agreement
If your goal is to see your book become a movie, it’s important to understand the rights you grant—and the money you earn—during initial development.
Marathons, Sprints, and Pounces: 3-Tiered Approach to Book Launches
Promoting a book isn’t a one-off event. It’s a series of actions: long-lead strategies, mid-range tasks, and sudden opportunities.
You Win This Round Comma
Why sweat the commas? To save your reader from working to decode syntax-level meaning, enabling full focus on your protagonist, your plot, and your prose.
How I Hosted a Socially Distanced Book Event
One author’s experience with the pros and cons of promoting a new book to his community in the era of limited social gatherings.
Writing, Pitching & Promoting in the Age of the Coronavirus
In this Q&A, agents Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel and Leslie Zampetti tackle the complications of authorship and literary citizenship in the pandemic age.
Stop Staring at a Blank Page: 4 (Not So) Silly Writing Tips to Get Words on Paper
If the idea of facing a blank page gives you the sudden urge to do chores, the problem might be that you’re trying to write in a way that doesn’t suit you.
How to and (Especially) How Not to Write About Family
Writing about the people you are closest to can be one of the most rewarding experiences a writer can have—but also the scariest.
Questions to Ask Your Publisher Before You Sign the Contract
Every author must have a frank conversation with their publisher about book marketing—the earlier the better. Here’s how to approach the conversation.
What I’ve Learned Writing Middle Grade Nonfiction
Librarians and teachers are clamoring for more history nonfiction for younger students. Author Tim Grove offers tips on writing to this unique segment.