Blog | Page 6 of 26 | Jane Friedman

How to Spot Toxic Feedback: 7 Signs That the Writing Advice You’re Getting May Do More Harm Than Good

If you recognize the following characteristics in the critiques of your work, it may not just be inept—it may, in fact, be toxic.

How Do Books Become Bestsellers? (Can Authors Increase Those Chances?)

Is a book’s success all luck, even if ‘luck’ includes hitting the right subject matter at the right time, or is it marketing—and can an indie author in any way compete with a publisher?

Classic Story Structures and What They Teach Us About Novel Plotting

Turns out there is only one universal rule of plot, and it goes back to what Joseph Campbell uncovered: every single story worth telling is about transformation via trials.

Going Beyond Truth-Telling in Personal Essay

Writer Katherine Vaz discusses an assignment that is given to every student at her university: to write about “the most important thing ever to happen to me.”

Author Marketing Collectives: An Increasingly Important Component of Book Promotion

Authors need help with digital book marketing—the kind of help that traditional publishers rarely provide. Co-ops and collectives can help fill that gap.

How to Pitch the Media (Without Even Sending Your Book)

When you’re wooing the media, what you’re really trying to do is to intrigue them. To whet their appetites. Sometimes the best way to do that flows from remembering that less is often more.

Are You Clear About Your Writer Persona? Going Public by Design

As writers, we don’t always know how much of ourselves to share with the public. But it behooves us to create and curate an author persona—the public face for our work.

Pantser or Plotter? Deciding Which Can Save Your Writing Life

Half of writers are plotters, and the other half are pantsers. One is not the right way or the wrong way; there is only the way that works best for you.

How to Optimize Your Amazon Author Central Pages (Don’t Forget the International Pages)

Every author, regardless of when or what they’ve published, has an Author Central page. But many authors have not claimed theirs—which is a big mistake.

4 Methods for Developing Any Idea Into a Great Story

How do great authors develop stunning narratives, break from tradition, and advance the form of their fiction? They take whatever basic ideas they’ve got, then move them away from the typical.

My Recent Work with The Authors Guild: New Publishing Resources and Classes

I’m delighted to announce that I’ve been working with The Authors Guild on the creation and release of their new resource guide on e-publishing.

5 Commonly Confused Words Starting With A

Learn the difference between all ready/already, altogether/all together, all right/alright, any time/anytime, anyway/any way.

Freelance Writing IS a Viable Career (Don’t Listen to the Naysayers)

If you dream of a full-time freelance writing career, don’t be discouraged by the largely negative messages about how difficult it is out there.

The Most Common Entry-Level Mistake in the Writing Game

By far the most common entry-level mistake in the writing game, the thing that can get a perfectly good story rejected by an editor on the first page, is overwriting.

A New Memoir Class Starting April 17: Perfect for Beginners

Memoir, as William Dean Howells said, is the “most democratic province of the republic of letters.” Indeed, the genre is evidence that every person in the world has a worthy story to tell, that it’s not what the story is but how it’s told that engages a reader.

The Importance of a Strong Opening Scene

No pressure, but the opening of your book is the gatekeeper in determining whether your novel will sell. If your opening is weak, it won’t matter if chapter two is a masterpiece. Editors and agents and booksellers and librarians and readers will stop reading before they get there.

How Lists Inform Our Writing, Our World

We order; we catalogue. It is, simply, what the human mind excels at.

4 Freelancing Myths That Are Holding You Back

Misconceptions about getting started often hold new writers back. You may think that to be successful as a freelance writer, you need a J-school degree, an impressive database of editorial contacts, and a truckload of supplies. Not so—read on to learn the most common myths that can sabotage you before you start.

How to Write Your Memoir with Fun, Easy Lists

You need to write a memoir—except the mere thought floods you with anxiety. You’ve got decades of memories; where would you even start? Lists to the rescue!

The Second Act Novelist: 6 Ways to Prepare

If fiction writing is something you’d like to pursue in your retirement years, follow these steps to help you prepare for the business of authorship.

How to Get Violence Right in Your Fiction

For new writers, throwing in a few combat scenes can seem like an easy way to add some excitement to a novel, but the reality is that violence can be incredibly difficult to pull off effectively.

On Tastemakers and Making

Taste is not static. Rather than a fixed endpoint toward which one toils away, it’s a target that moves over the course of a lifetime.

The Myth About Print Coming Back (Updated)

Discussions about the “resurgence” of print and the comeback of independent bookstores amounts to wishful thinking, not an understanding of the industry.

5 On: Debra Eckerling

Debra Eckerling (@WriteOnOnline), founder of the writers’ support group Write On!, discusses common writer challenges, the value of blogs, what it means to take writing to the next level, tragic networking mistakes, and more in this 5 On interview.

How to Produce an Emotional Response in Readers: Inner Mode, Outer Mode, and Other Mode

All three paths to producing emotional responses in readers are valid, but all three have pitfalls and can fail to work. To successfully use each, it’s necessary to understand why each is effective when it is.

How to Land an Agent for a Self-Published Book

If you’ve given up on the self-publishing route and want to try traditional publishing, then there are several approaches you can take to interest agents.

Improve Book Sales Through Better Descriptions and Keyword Targeting

Is it better to have a long or short book description on Amazon? What should go in the first line? How do you research appropriate categories and keywords? Learn principles and tools to master the power of descriptions and reach your target market.

5 Things Nonfiction Authors Can Get Sued For

Unlike pure fiction, nonfiction is grounded in the real world, with real people, real names and real places, and this inevitably creates an environment where a legal misstep can occur.

How to Publish an Ebook: Resources for Authors

In this post I regularly update the best resources I know of related to learning to publish an ebook, finding the right distributors and services, and staying on top of changes in the industry.

Stop Focusing on Follower Count: 5 Better Approaches for Improving Social Media Use

When I ask most clients what their goals are in hiring me, I usually get some version of “to get more followers and sell more books.” I encourage them to think both bigger and more deeply about social media.

You Don’t Have to Finish Every Story You Start

Sometimes that first draft is never going to become a final draft. That doesn’t mean it’s a waste, though.

5 On: Elizabeth Marro

Author Elizabeth Marro discusses literary vs. commercial fiction and what she learned from the sale and marketing of her first novel.

Why We Should Pause Before Mocking the Mall of America Writing Residency

The Mall of America residency isn’t going to be an appropriate opportunity for even a majority of writers. But it’s the right opportunity for someone.

How Crowdfunding Allows You to Experiment Outside Your Genre

Established writers can’t often—and probably shouldn’t—publish far outside of their area of expertise. It’s a fast way to alienate your existing fan base. But crowdfunding allows you to experiment outside of your genre for a project you want to see out in the world.

Where to Find Opportunities to Teach (and Supplement Your Writing Income)

While you may wish to run your writing class completely by yourself (and I recommend it), you may also want to consider partnering. Here are the options.

9 Statistics Writers Should Know About Amazon

Did you know Amazon’s print book sales grew by 15% in 2016—and the gain was primarily driven by Amazon’s own discounting on print?

So You Want to Teach an Online Writing Course?

A course’s success depends on anticipating and understanding the needs of writing students and producing the outcomes they most desire.

Using Online Education as a Pre-Publication Marketing Tool

In my latest column for Publishers Weekly, I discuss the potential of online education for book marketing, particularly prior to publication.

How to Get Your Book Distributed: What Self-Published Authors Need to Know

The most important thing any author needs to know about book distribution is that more than half of all book sales (regardless of format) take place online.

Suffering From Writer Envy? There’s a Map Only You Can Make

Any accomplished writer is also a reader—and usually a reader first. For the writer who is the least a bit humble, this sets up one of the most significant psychological barriers to pursuing a writing career: How could I ever produce something as wonderful as [admired writer / admired book]? This is an area that Steven […]