Looking up from the bottom of an escalator.
Literary agent Jessica Faust discusses how she helps authors self-publish ...
Allyson Rudolph
Allyson Rudolph discusses some of her favorite experimental fiction, the day-to-day life of an associate editor at a publishing house, ...
how to find and choose an editor
Indie author Teymour Shahabi explains how to find an editor for the draft of your self-published book and what to ...
The Lure of Romance Writing (and Earnings) for the Literary Set
A growing number of authors with serious literary cred are finding greater financial success—and a welcoming community—in the romance business ...
Self Publishing Distribution to Libraries
Journalist and consultant Porter Anderson explains the new SELF-e program from Library Journal for getting self-published ebooks into American libraries ...
5 On: Nathan Bransford
Author and former literary agent Nathan Bransford discusses (among other things) the ongoing emphasis on author platform, publisher and author ...
Jim Thomsen
Editor Jim Thomsen discusses freelance editing, story craft, favorite authors, and his own authorial aspirations ...
Brian Smithson / via Flickr
Literary journals have done little to move beyond their gatekeeping function, and cling to a scarcity model that no longer ...
Carol Hoenig
In this interview, author Carol Hoenig explains what makes an author attractive to the media ...
Collaboration
A group of literary authors have launched a limited edition box set of novels. How did they make the collaboration ...
by Tim Pierce via Flickr
A traditionally published children's author discusses how she's launched a successful indie publishing effort in less than two years ...
Brian Felsen
BookBaby founder Brian Felsen discusses the push against the gatekeeper and the prevailing belief that not being on top is ...
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, ...
This is a written version of a presentation I gave at LitFlow 2012 in Berlin, Germany. I also wrote a ...
Why I Left My Mighty Agency and New York Publishers (for now)
Olivander / via Flickr Note from Jane: Today I'm beyond honored to feature bestselling author Claire Cook (@ClaireCookwrite), who has ...
Both Sides Now: A New York Editor and Author Goes Indie
Today's guest post is by author Leslie Wells. I’ve been on both sides of the publishing desk—as an acquiring executive ...
/ Getting Published, Guest Post
Alexis Grant
What does it take to launch a new website and online community? A Q&A with author and entrepreneur Alexis Grant ...
Small presses
Some writers think a small press is something you have to make the best of. Yet small presses can often ...
Best Business Advice for Writers: February 2013
Best Business Advice for Writers is a monthly link round-up where I share the best online articles focused on the ...
/ Author Earnings & Careers
Knocking on doors of traditional publishers
Don’t you wish someone could tell you how close you are to getting traditionally published? Don’t you wish someone could ...
/ Getting Published
Jane chatting with Kay Steinke at LitFlow
Chatting with Kay Steinke at LitFlow (Berlin), 2012 Last month, I gave a 15-minute presentation in Berlin, Germany, called The ...
Sean Platt
It's pleasure to bring you this insightful Q&A with writer Sean Platt. As his own website states, Sean Platt writes ...
/ Author Q&A, E-Books
Scott Sigler
Note from Jane: I don't usually run posts that feature or promote a single service or solution. Authors need to ...
Going Geek by John Carpenter
I've been keeping an eye on John Carpenter and his book project ever since we first started having conversations on ...
The Funny Man by John Warner
I've known John Warner since my days as an acquisitions editor at F+W Media. He is among the most decent, ...
/ Author Q&A, Marketing & Promotion
The Business of Being a Writer
Updated March 2024 None of these freelancers or services have paid to be listed, nor do I receive a commission ...
/ Uncategorized
Covers of Jami Fairleigh's The Elemental Artist series, in a row. On the left, Book One: Oil and Dust; in the center, Book Two: Graphite and Turbulence; on the right, Book Three: Charcoal and Smoke.
The self-publishing author of cozy post-apocalypic fantasy was crowned 2023 Indie Author of the Year by the Indie Author Project ...
/ Author Q&A, Self-Publishing
Image: the camera looks down at the hands of three women sitting together on a sofa, all pointing at the screen of an open laptop computer.
One author threw herself into platform building and engagement, only to lose sight of what really mattered—her writing ...
/ Author Platform, Guest Post
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: the hand of an unseen person begins to pull back the heavy, red curtain of a theatrical stage as if they're about to emerge from the darkness.
Ghostwriters, whose literary contributions have often been made in secret, are creating more community and visibility for their work ...
Image: a photo of an open book in which are printed the words: "Wish for it, hope for it, dream of it, but by all means do it."
Creative planning is the act of mapping out where you are, where you want to go, and how you are ...
/ Guest Post, Work-Life
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 person's hands holding forth a pretty gift box made of foil-stamped paper and bow-tied with iridescent ribbon.
Literary citizenship—freely sharing your knowledge with those in need—can reap substantial rewards for authors and editors ...
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: the rotary lock dial and handle of a large safe.
Owning and protecting your publishing source files is one of the most important things a writer can do to protect their writing ...
/ Guest Post, Self-Publishing
Image: a bee with a full pollen sack flying over a primrose
The average visitor spends on average 54 seconds on a webpage. Here are some tips to help turn visitors into ...
/ Author Websites, Guest Post
Image: doodles of potential website home page layouts.
A little planning and reflection will help your website be a project you sustain, rather than discard like a half-baked ...
/ Author Websites, Guest Post
Image: Sitting in front of a laptop computer, a smiling woman wearing earbuds gives two thumbs up to the computer screen.
When self-publishing be sure to determine a distribution strategy, avoid gotchas when using POD, and get pricing and metadata right ...
Memoir or Self-Help? with Liz Green. $25 class. Wednesday, May 31, 2023. 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Eastern.
ONLINE CLASS Memoir or Self-Help? Clear guidance on how to choose your book category, improve your writing, and ensure you ...
Photos of Rebecca Phelps, Sondi Warner, and Tamara Lush.
Three successful authors who are outside of Wattpad's key demographic discuss why they contribute to Wattpad and how it’s furthered ...
Image: a garish antique storefront sign reads "Giveaway."
It’s hard to get someone to take a risk on an unknown author. A giveaway can make your book known ...
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 ...
A man's hands hold a smartphone with the TikTok logo displayed on the screen.
Here’s how two self-published authors have been successful in their marketing and promotion efforts on TikTok ...
/ Social Media
A professionally-attired man and woman sit at a conference room table, reviewing documents.
Writers often view themselves as without power, but you can’t wait for permission or the “right time” to negotiate a ...
/ Author Earnings & Careers
Photo of Jeff Herman with the following quote: There’s an old Jewish saying, You can only dance at one wedding at a time. I think that sums up why so many writers never hear back from agents.
Jeff Herman is the author of Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, 29th Edition ...
/ Literary Agents, Queries & Synopses
Marketing Books That Aren’t New with Dan Blank. $25 class. Thursday, February 16, 2023. 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Eastern.
ONLINE CLASS Marketing Books That Aren’t New Learn evergreen strategies to sell your older books, again and again Registration is ...
Get Your Writing Life Organized with Paulette Perhach. $25 class. Tuesday, January 10, 2023. 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern.
ONLINE CLASS Get Your Writing Life Organized Enjoy the peace and professionalism of setting up a structure to keep you ...
Image: a neon sign reading "Less Is More" is mounted on a roughly-finished wall.
From appealing to short attention spans to offering no-fuss ways to play in another sandbox, short story writing has many ...
/ Guest Post, Improve Your Writing