Jane’s Guide to Getting the Most Out of a Writers Conference
Here’s what I’ve learned over 20 years about making the most of any writers conference, whether you’re an attendee or a speaker.
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How Partnerships Can Help Boost Your Pre-Orders: Q&A with Nina R. Sadowsky
If there’s an organization whose mission aligns with your story or characters, a partnership might help both parties promote one another.
Here’s a System and Template for Tracking Your Submissions (Bonus: It Reduces the Sting of Rejection)
You can’t control rejections, but you can control your next steps. Staying organized and focused helps isolate and minimize the impact of any one rejection.
The Complete Guide to Query Letters
The query letter has one purpose, and one purpose only: to seduce the agent or editor into reading or requesting your work. The query letter is so much of a sales piece that it’s quite possible to write one without having written a word of the manuscript. All it requires is a firm grasp of your story premise.
How to Choose an Agent Amid Competing Offers
No two publishing paths are the same. When choosing an agent, find someone you can stand strong with, whether lashed to the mast or gliding in calm waters.
How to Tell If You Have What It Takes to Succeed as a Writer
A book is often the product of teamwork. The ability to revise—to accept feedback and apply it with diligence and insight—is essential to success.
Why Do Writers Hire Book Coaches?
Book coaching is much more than editorial support. Coaches help clients complete a transformation—from someone who wants to write a book into someone who has created a book they are proud of.
5 Common Story Openings to Avoid—If You Can Help It
While it’s not wrong to open in these ways—and a great writer can make even the most pedestrian series of events read as fascinating—consider if you can find a more advantageous way to begin.
What Does It Mean to Be A Full-Time Author?
In this Q&A, literary agents Jim McCarthy and Paula Munier discuss the priorities and responsibilities—to yourself and to others—of being a working writer.
What Your Choice of Dialogue Tags Says About You
In conversation we describe dialogue simply—”She said,” “He asked”—but writing enables a broader palette. How do we decide which words to use, or not use?
The Exclamation Point: It’s More Than Punctuation
It may be on the wane for reasons ranging from linguistic evolution to feminism, but one writer says exclamation point usage is a simple kindness.
The Joys (and Perils) of Serial Novel Writing
Like trying to outrun a semi bearing down in your rear-view mirror, writing serially for release in real-time can be both exhilarating and exhausting.
The Wonderful Thing About Line Edits
The point of line edits isn’t to say, “My way is better!”, but to give a fellow author the gift of a fresh pair of eyes and ears and alternatives to reflect upon.
Art Versus Commerce: Q&A with Author-Cartoonist Bob Eckstein
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.
Knowing When You’re Ready to Submit: Q&A with Adela Crandell Durkee
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.
Beware of Similes or Metaphors That Leave Readers Unaffected
Effective “defamiliarization”—an unexpected comparison—results in readers viewing the commonplace in new ways, but beware of employing it in half measures.
A Vivid Character Is More Than a Series of Attributes
Description alone won’t bring a character to life; it must be supported with evidence of a personality—and the more concrete, the better.
6 Steps to Get Your Self-Published Book Into Libraries
When you’re a one-person marketing team, try these foundational tips for approaching libraries about having your book added to their collections.
When Your Story Opening Does Nothing But Blow Smoke
When your narrator walks readers into the story, hand-in-hand, make sure you’re really going somewhere and not just blowing smoke.
How and Why to Build a Twitter Following While Unpublished
An unpublished writer describes how she built a five-figure Twitter following within a year, by helping other writers and engaging on a personal level.
Exposition Should Serve the Scene, Not the Other Way Around
Exposition works when it arises organically from a scene. But a scene that only exists to deliver exposition might leave readers disengaged.
What Makes Readers Give an Unknown Author a Chance?
A debut novelist surveyed readers on Facebook. The result? In publishing, as in life, first impressions matter—and we do judge books by their covers.
The Problem Confronting Memoirists: Overabundance of Material
Our lives contain an abundance of indelible experiences, but a good memoir isn’t just about us—it’s about illuminating a facet of our shared humanity.
6 Tips for Securing Speaking Engagements as a Self-Published Author
Skip the book signing; there’s greater reward in identifying and connecting with the audience that already shares a passion for your topic.
A Game Plan for How to Nail Your Next Reading
To read your work aloud well, you must train like a pro. From public speaking coach Gigi Rosenberg, here’s a guide to what you need to do to show up with confidence.
The Pros and Cons of Present Tense
To convey a sense of immediacy, nothing beats the present tense. But for readers to want to stay in that moment, your scenes must be suspenseful and compelling.
For Writers, Silence Might Not Be Golden After All
Research shows that most people reach peak cognitive performance under moderately noisy conditions—roughly the sound of a coffee shop on a busy day.
How to Reach Out to Influencers for Book Promotion
You don’t need an influencer’s clout to make your book and brand successful, but it can help expose your work to a larger audience. Before you reach out, here are some important do’s & don’ts to keep in mind.
The Value of Touching Details
The point of fiction is to make believers out of us. Small details provide authenticity, making an invented world feel real enough to invest in emotionally.
Current Trends in Traditional Book Publishing: Fiction, Nonfiction and YA
The rise of Millennial nostalgia and graphic novels, the decline of political tell-alls and publisher-driven marketing: all of this and more in 2019 trends.
7 Non-Literary Ways for Writers to Get into the Flow
At times when reading seems like a chore and writing every day is like squeezing blood from a stone, try nurturing your creativity in different ways.
Why Writers Should Use a Clearly Defined Perspective—Not an Indeterminate One
To convey a scene clearly, your narrator must experience it clearly—from a specific, well-defined perspective rather than a vague, general one.
Intellectual Property: The Big Picture for Authors
Ensure that your work continues to generate earnings for you and your heirs by staying on top of contracts, royalties, licensing, and available formats.
Loss: The Exact Reason to Read and Write
Loss can make fiction feel like an obnoxious waste of time. And maybe it is. But what if all of this loss is the exact reason to read? To write?
Manuscript Evaluations: What They Are and What to Expect
When you’ve taken your work as far as you can, a manuscript evaluation can address problems before you begin querying and submitting.
The Seductive Power (and Danger) of Metaphors and Similes
Used judiciously, metaphors and similes can help readers see more clearly. Overuse, or ones that seem forced, can draw attention away from the story and onto your writing.
How to Improve Your Amazon Book Descriptions
Most people don’t read websites; they scan. The same is true for your book description. In this guest post, Penny Sansevieri offers tips to make your promotional copy appealing enough for readers to linger.
How to Effectively Use Live Video (Even If You Fear the Camera) to Reach Readers
With low barrier to entry, livestreaming can be a great way to give your audience a chance to fall in love with you and your message. Here are some essential tips from the team at Best Seller Builders.
Sure, Write for Yourself—But Know Your Reader When It Comes Time to Sell
Knowing your audience is key to book marketing and sales success.
How to Convert Book Readers into Email Subscribers
Obtaining readers for your book is hard enough. Once you have their attention, how do you make the most of it? Dave Chesson suggests “reader magnets”—incentives that turn strangers into subscribers.
Beware of Blending One Too Many Literary Devices
In a story that straddles multiple genres or narrators, they can’t all have equal weight. Avoid confusion by making one dominant and others subordinate.
Point of View: Moving From Plural Perspective to Individual Perspective
To write in plural perspective—articulating the inner thoughts of a group—ensure you’re also giving enough personal expression to your narrator.
Vivid Storytelling Requires Delivery of Experience, Not Just Information
Mastering POV—a particular sensibility operating from a specific vantage point—can make the difference between bland and vivid storytelling.
7 Common Mistakes in First-Time Memoir
Readers come to a memoir in hopes it will shed light on their own life experiences. Stay on the right track by focusing on what makes your story unique and engaging.
3 Critical Things You Won’t Learn in an MFA Program
Writing takes grit and so does publishing, but your odds are better if you understand what you’re up against. In this guest post, author and educator Susan DeFreitas shares some “secrets” everyone should know.
The People in Publishing I Learn From
The funny thing about being any good as a publishing commentator: it requires talking to many others, learning varied perspectives, and writing about ideas you didn’t come up with.
What Happened After I Lost My Agent—Twice
A series of setbacks can easily lead to feelings of failure. In this guest post, author Rachel Pieh Jones offers lessons on overcoming discouragement, refocusing, and getting back on track.
How to Evoke a Unique, Human Character—Not a Generic One
Even a trivial detail can justify its place in your first sentence, so long as it achieves every sentence’s ideal goal: rendering a distinct character.
The Challenge of Sensational Story Openings
Who, what, when, where, why and how: An effective opening doesn’t necessarily address them all, but presents the best ones to serve the reader on a particular journey.
How to Build a Compelling Narrative Arc for Your Memoir
There’s a big difference between writing a book for ourselves and writing one for the reader. In this guest post, nonfiction coach and memoirist Tanja Pajevic offers five steps to keep in mind when crafting your story.