Author and social media expert Frances Caballo discusses the CARE acronym and how to use it to guide your interactions with readers on social media.

Author Daniel Parsons offers five tips for improving your Twitter interactions as a creative professional.

When writers talk about where their ideas come from, the answers are as varied as wildflowers

The way we write can define (and transform) the way we live. Author Sage Cohen believes ferocity is our best compass for finding our true way forward.

You can find depths of meaning in the shared language and goals you've developed with the writers around you.

Author and social media expert Kirsten Oliphant explains how to manage your platform-building activities on social media sites.

How do you treat subscribers after they sign up for your email newsletter? An autoresponder can usefully and effectively welcome people to the community.

Author and freelance editor Maya Rock offers six pointers for vetting a freelance editor.

Author and speaker Dorit Sasson offers tips on how to build author platform through local speaking engagements.

Pop-ups have long been despited by the Internet world, but the difficulty is: They work. Here's how to implement them in a way that won't annoy visitors.

Sangeeta Mehta interviews agents Bob Mecoy and Kristin Nelson about how agents can assist the hybrid author.

Writing coach Angela Ackerman discusses how influencers can help you market your book, how to identify potential influencers, and how to reach them.

Why are we so curious about authors' own lives in relation to their books, and the ways that they do (or don't) bring their own stories into their work? Why do we wonder what's "true"?

Before you can take someone else's advice, you have to develop a realistic picture of who you are, what your tendencies are, and what you’re willing and able to change.

Author and editor Jessica Strawser offers guidance on how to write through illness, grief, and other major life events.

Author platform is one of the most difficult concepts to explain, partly because everyone defines it a little differently. Here's what agents and editors mean by platform, plus a clear definition of what platform is NOT.

Kirsten Oliphant discusses various ways to grow your email subscriber list.

Most writers want an MFA for one of three reasons: They want to teach writing, they want to get published, or they want to make room in their life for writing. It turns out these reasons for doing an MFA are actually based on myths.

Author Jennifer Louden offers five tips for developing and strengthening your writer's voice.

Join me for a live training to learn to write sales copy that’s as impressive as your story; you'll improve book descriptions, ad copy and reader emails.

The greatest tool for gaining reader confidence is internal dialogue—because when a character reveals his thoughts, he’s confiding in the audience.

Author and writing expert Barbara Baig discusses the lessons about deliberate practice that writers might take away from Anders Ericsson's book Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise.

Every author dreams of having a successful book reading in a roomful of admiring fans. Yet too few actually spend enough time planning what they will say.

Novelist James Scott Bell identifies 5 common "rules" that writers would do best to ignore—such as "Don't start your story talking about the weather."

Writers can be like misers with their money when it comes to ideas—and ultimately that behavior can prevent you from producing great work.

Wondering why you don't have more blog traffic—or if it's worthwhile to continue your blogging effort? Here are the mistakes that commonly afflict authors.

Podcast producer Devon Fredericksen offers four tips for authors creating podcasts.

Author, editor, and publisher Rosalie Morales Kearns discusses why she started a feminist press (and what it takes to run it), favorite writing exercises, the deeply held interests that fuel her own writing, and more.

Learn about the various types of email newsletter that are sent by authors—with pros and cons of each—plus how to choose which type YOU should send.

Cover designer Alexander von Ness explains the value of a book cover redesign and walks through several cover redesigns and their goals.

Social media expert Chris Syme explains why less is more in social media, and how to make the most use of primary and secondary social media channels.

Should you self-publish? There is no single right answer to this question—it's always situational. It depends on you, your book, and your career goals. This post outlines the key questions you should ask.

As a product of the human brain, writing is particularly influenced by emotions, moods, and worldviews. Learn how to create a mindset conducive to writing.

Get links to my latest interviews and Q&A sessions where I discuss the publishing industry as well as marketing and promotion.

Author R.J. Keller on the notion of the "second-book slump," how she dealt with a book idea similar to her own beating hers to the market, why to write the things that scare you, and more in this 5 On interview.

Learn how to determine what genre you're writing in and why it matters—plus the difference between commercial and literary.

Stuart Horwitz explains how you can complete your book in three drafts: the messy draft, the method draft, and the polished draft.

Think in terms of "telling details": details that let the reader see your characters while also revealing something about their minds.

It’s the question I dislike the most from writers, and that I try to avoid answering—because it lays a terrible burden on me.

Author Massimo Marino discusses what it's like to read science fiction as a scientist, his experience with the Booktrope publishing collective, the mission of BookGarage, and more.

The connection with your email newsletter subscribers starts much sooner than you think, in a place that many gloss over or ignore: your signup forms.

In my latest post over at Writer Unboxed, I discuss what writers need to know if they're considering video as

Over 70% of author crowdfunding campaigns fail, but you can beat the odds if you embrace your role as chief marketing officer of your book.

Jane Friedman interviews author Bethany Joy Carlson about effective crowdfunding campaigns for authors.

Author and ghostwriter Stacy Ennis discusses the process of working with a ghostwriter and how to know if hiring a ghostwriter is right for you.

Author Rufi Thorpe discusses writing for men, her improbable path to publication, what she likes to see in a book review, and more in this 5 On interview.

If you’re considering WordPress as your platform of choice, here’s what you should know as you prepare to build on it.

Author Kirsten Oliphant explains how to get started forming a list of email subscribers, including how to choose an email service provider.

Web design expert Ron Bueker discusses the pros and cons of using WordPress and Squarespace to build your author website and brand.

Online marketing expert Beth Hayden explains how to use guest blogging to promote your book.