Write Compelling Query Letters for Novel & Memoir with Jane Friedman. $25 webinar. Saturday, January 13, 2024. 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern.
ONLINE CLASS Compelling Query Letters for Novel & Memoir Learn the best practices of query writing whether you plan to ...
Image: a pair of cufflinks with question marks on them.
The query letter has one purpose, and one purpose only: to seduce the agent or editor into reading or requesting ...
confusion on query letters
At its core, a query letter is a sales document, and so it’s meant to sell. But opinions differ on ...
/ Queries & Synopses
Image: a redheaded woman wearing a green dress stands in front of green curtains. In each upturned hand she holds two books, weighing them against one another in the manner of scales of justice.
When a query letter receives conflicting feedback from professionals, how does an unpublished writer decide what to believe? ...
/ Ask the Editor, Queries & Synopses
Query Letter Master Class with Jane Friedman. $79 workshop. Wednesday June 29, 2022. 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern.
Learn the best practices of query writing (in any genre), get personalized feedback, and submit your work with confidence. The ...
how to improve query letter
In my many years of critiquing queries, I see the same weaknesses again and again. Here are the biggest issues ...
/ Queries & Synopses
query letter
Some agents and editors say that personalizing a query letter can backfire. Others say the opposite—that it's mandatory. What should ...
/ Queries & Synopses
query letters for nonfiction
Learn how to pitch your nonfiction book to agents and publishers—whether you're writing memoir, narrative nonfiction, or prescriptive nonfiction ...
Image: nine colorful wood blocks are stacked atop each other in a 3 by 3 square on a tabletop. Eight of the blocks are painted with a white arrow pointing to the right but one block, which is breaking away from the grid, is painted with a red arrow pointing to the left.
If your query letter isn’t standing out from the pack, consider leading with what makes you, not your story, compelling ...
/ Guest Post, Queries & Synopses
Writing Middle Grade Fiction Today with Mary Kole. $25 class. Wednesday, June 28, 2023. 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern.
ONLINE CLASS Writing Middle Grade Fiction Today Learn what it takes to break into the middle-grade market Registration is closed ...
Headshots of Susan Chang, Julie Scheina, and Sangeeta Mehta
Three editors discuss the types and stages of editing, whether publishing industry experience matters, hiring guidelines and much more ...
/ Guest Post, Working with Editors
Image: dozens of arrows with different styles of colorful fletching stand vertically, in front of archery targets.
Even with an excellent query and opening pages, you’ll still get rejections. A lot of them. Success comes to those ...
/ Guest Post, Queries & Synopses
Getting Past the Gatekeepers with Allison K Williams and Jane Friedman. $35 class. Wednesday, March 20, 2024. 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern.
ONLINE CLASS Getting Past the Gatekeepers Learn to troubleshoot your novel’s first pages and query letter—and increase your chances of ...
Photo of Alan Davis with quotation: "Publication, literary fame and monetary compensation either come your way or they don’t. Either way, writing well is always the best reward."
One professor addresses common questions and criticisms about MFA programs ...
/ Author Q&A, Guest Post
Copywriting Secrets for Writers with Catherine Baab-Muguira. $25 class. Wednesday, December 1, 2021. 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern.
ONLINE CLASS Copywriting Secrets for Writers Marketers use these time-tested strategies to gain attention and get their messages read. You ...
how to write a novel synopsis
Learn how to craft a strong novel synopsis, while avoiding the most common mistakes, including the dreaded "synopsis speak." ...
Image: illustration of birds following the leader
An unpublished writer describes how she built a five-figure Twitter following within a year, by helping other writers and engaging ...
/ Guest Post, Social Media
define and describe your readership
If you’re pitching a nonfiction book, at some point, an editor or agent will expect you to describe the readership ...
/ Book Proposals
Starting Later & Starting Over: Launching a Writing Career When You’re No Longer “Young”
Seven-figure deals seem to be given to more 20-something debut writers than debut writers in any other age group, yet ...
Kindle Press
In 2015, Kindle Press published about 90 novels. By the end of 2016, it had published a total of 218 ...
hiring a pro editor
But being able to truly see if you’ve been successful in writing a compelling work requires objectivity and distance than ...
goal setting for writers
The most successful people in every industry use goals as road maps to help them reach their desired destination. It’s ...
writers cooperatives
Writers' collectives can help independent authors gain an advantage in quality, cost control, and marketing ...
Thank You
Thanks so much for sending your materials. You’ll hear from me within 1 business day via email to confirm I’ve ...
Ashley Scott Meyers
Screenwriter Ashley Scott Meyers (@AshleyMeyers) discusses the critical writing lesson he learned over time, what it takes to make a ...
Looking up from the bottom of an escalator.
Literary agent Jessica Faust discusses how she helps authors self-publish ...
Publishing 101 by Jane Friedman
Whether you’ve finished your manuscript or just have the seeds of a book idea, Publishing 101 shows you how to approach editors ...
Should Children’s Book Authors Self-Publish?
Note from Jane: Today's guest post is by Sangeeta Mehta (@sangeeta_editor), a former acquiring editor of children's books at Little, ...
Louisiana Book Festival
Today's guest post is by Darrelyn Saloom, who I first met in December 2008 at a Writer's Digest event. Her ...
/ Guest Post
Brian Hathcock / Flickr
Today I'm revisiting a few of the basics of getting published. (There are always people new to the writing and ...
/ Improve Your Writing
Publishing 101 by Jane Friedman
Getting Started The Key Book Publishing Paths (Infographic) The Only Way to Know If You'll Be a Successful Writer You ...
Image: in the background a woman in business attire is speaking. In the foreground a man who's turned to face the camera is giving a thumbs-down while his other hand holds a sign reading "Not this again…".
Publishers and literary agents know this, even if they pretend otherwise to conveniently reject you and your work ...
Image: a clear lucite box contains dozens of blue pencils standing vertically and tightly packed. At the center of them is a single red pencil.
To ensure you’re giving value to your audience, make sure you know who your newsletter is for and what they ...
/ Email Newsletters, Guest Post
Image: dozens of identical plastic yellow ducks with hooks attached to their heads float in circular pool of water in a fairground game.
When seeking an agent, it helps to research what they've actually repped and sold versus what they claim they’re looking ...
Image: a black and white photo of a woman walking down a massive indoor staircase on which a quote from Anish Kapoor is painted in large letters spanning many of the stair risers: "All ideas grow out of other ideas."
In marketing, “proof of concept” means testing an idea for sales potential before going all-in. Here’s how to apply that to ...
/ Guest Post, How to Get Published
Image: a hand holding a die-cut sticker of the word "Hello!" in handwritten script with a graphic of a smiley face beneath.
When soliciting blurbs or appearances on podcasts, its important to convey—in just a few lines—what you and your writing are ...
/ Author Platform, Guest Post
Author Platform Audit & Workshop
IN-PERSON WORKSHOP Author Platform Audit & Workshop Work hands-on with Jane in Boston to improve your author website, email newsletter, ...
Image: an illustration by K. Woodman-Maynard of herself seated at her desk, painting spreads of her graphic novel, with her cat curled asleep beside her.
While artists don’t necessarily need an agent to get into comics, these tips will help graphic novelists seeking traditional publication ...
Image: brightly-colored graphic illustrating the concept that text on a laptop computer can morph, like a butterfly, into a physical book.
While a newsletter might not sell your book, writing one can change your work for the better and help build ...
From underwater a lone hand emerges, holding a sparkler.
When her indie publisher goes AWOL, an author finds the community and resources she needs to pick up the pieces ...
/ Getting Published, Guest Post
The phrase "Thank you!" typed three times on a typewriter.
Acknowledgment pages allow us to peer into authors’ lives, and reveal the fascinating web of the publishing world ...
Why Agents Don’t Give Feedback—And Where to Get It Instead
Providing feedback to every pitch would leave agents no time for their existing clients. Instead, check your own first pages ...
Instagram Smarts for Writers with Ashleigh Renard. $25 webinar. Thursday, March 17, 2022. 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern.
ONLINE CLASS Instagram Smarts for Writers Learn best practices and how to use your time productively Registration is closed INSTRUCTOR ...
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 ...
Image: mother working at table while kids play in background
Mom writers are wired to succeed at writing (and querying) because they can multitask like no other ...
/ Guest Post, Improve Your Writing
Image: three tree stumps in a triangle, supporting hammocks
The key to an author’s emotional wellbeing and continued productivity is creating a support system, and knowing which part to ...
/ Guest Post, Improve Your Writing
Image: woman's hands at a laptop computer, crafting a colorful post based on the open book at her side
Virtual assistants take over tasks that you could do yourself. What you’re buying, in effect, is the freedom to use ...
/ Guest Post, Social Media
Message inside a glass bottle washed up on the beach
Despite the pandemic, getting that proposal off your desk allows you to shift your energy to platform—a bigger deal than ...
/ Getting Published, Guest Post
Linda Camacho and Jennifer Soloway
Good literary agents keep fighting for books they believe in. But how do agents decide which authors to rep? In ...
/ Getting Published, Guest Post
BookExpo 2018
Broadly, traditional print book sales continue to grow at about 2 to 3 percent per year, but growth is driven ...