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 […]
Case Study: Using NetGalley and Goodreads for Book Marketing and Publicity
Sarah Miniaci at Smith Publicity and Kristina Radke at NetGalley review the marketing and publicity strategies that can help increase your book’s discoverability, word-of-mouth, and reviews, using NetGalley and Goodreads in particular.
Authors: Think Twice Before Paying to Exhibit at Book Expo (BEA)
BEA is a quality industry event, and it is a legitimate marketing and promotion opportunity. But for the majority of indie authors, it does not make sense to invest what are likely your limited resources in BEA.
What the Industry Is Talking About: Best Takeaways for Authors From Digital Book World
My industry newsletter for authors, The Hot Sheet, released a special (and free) issue last week with original reporting from Digital Book World.
How Kindle Press Made My Novel a Bestseller
In 2015, Kindle Press published about 90 novels. By the end of 2016, it had published a total of 218 books—all chosen through the Kindle Scout program.
Q&A with Pronoun: An Increasingly Competitive Ebook Distributor
Pronoun works with independent authors to distribute their ebooks to the five major online retailers: Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play. Pronoun charges authors nothing upfront, and doesn’t take a cut of ebook sales either.
Is Amazon Exclusivity Right for You?
There are advantages to selling ebooks only through Amazon, and makes most sense for authors who are just starting out or who are relatively unknown.
When a Story Ending Doesn’t Satisfy
Sometimes endings are designed to satisfy, answering the questions posed along the way. Endings that allow you to leave as easily as you came in. But what if the ending isn’t designed to satisfy?
Should You Submit Your Work to Agents or Editors?
Is it better to look for a literary agent first, or to approach editors and publishers? Much depends on the commercial potential of your work.
Book Marketing Resources for Authors: The Best of 2016
Every year, I share hundreds (even thousands) of articles and reports on book marketing. Here, I look back on the best of what I found in 2016.
Building a Platform to Land a Book Deal: Why It Often Fails
If you’re preparing to pitch your nonfiction work to agents or publishers, you may have heard about the necessity of platform. What if you don’t have one?
The Best Literary Fiction Blogs & Websites
A list of the best blogs and websites focused on literary fiction and culture
Using Amazon KDP Ads to Sell Your Ebook on Amazon
Amazon offers two ways for authors to advertise ebooks at their site. Learn how to smartly set up and manage product display and sponsored product ads.
Looking Back at 2016: Important Publishing Developments Authors Should Know
A round-up of important 2016 publishing news and trends that will affect authors in the years to come.
Writing Retreats: Bringing the Goodness Back Home With You
On the last day of your retreat or on your way back home, pose this question to yourself and take it seriously: How can I take the way I’m feeling home with me?
Writing Retreats: How to Make the Most of One
Productivity is certainly one goal of a retreat. But there are other desired outcomes, such as returning home rested, relaxed, and energized by the time away.
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Creative Process
Learn about four tensions you may experience that have the potential to undermine your creative work and leave you feeling stuck.
A Self-Published Poet’s Path to Her First Book Deal
How a self-publishing poet achieved visibility for her book—and landed a book deal with traditional publisher Andrews McMeel.
How to Make Readers Deeply Connect to Your Characters
There is one secret ingredient to crafting a novel that readers will read from beginning to end. All the other elements are important and necessary, but they play supporting roles to this one.
5 WordPress Themes for Professional Authors
One of the first choices you have to make for your author website is determining its theme or template. It sets the tone and even defines the site.
The Value of Writing Retreats
Why must writers schedule time for residencies and retreats? Because in doing so, we honor an annual appointment with writer self-care.
What Is a Hybrid Publisher?
Defining a “hybrid publisher” is difficult; you will hear different descriptions depending on who you ask. Here’s what you need to know to evaluate one.
When Brevity in Storytelling Is Bad
It’s sometimes easier to cut a piece of writing if you can’t see how to fix it. Just remove the offending bits, job done. But it can deaden a piece.