Author Q&A

Author Elisa Lorello’s exploratory dive into ChatGPT led her to discover its usefulness—rather than threat—to fiction and nonfiction writers.

The recently published LISTEN, WORLD! is a page turning biography of Elsie Robinson, the most read woman journalist of the twentieth century.

Three successful authors who are outside of Wattpad's key demographic discuss why they contribute to Wattpad and how it’s furthered their careers.

Jeff Herman is the author of Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, 29th Edition.

The author of dark- and paranormal romance discusses negative attitudes toward the genre, why sex scenes are the hardest to write, and more.

The Toronto-based novelist discusses his journey from self- to traditional publishing, marketing, the art and business of writing, and more.

The author of “weird fiction” discusses why writers should never wait for permission, and the value of reading and writing for entertainment.

One professor addresses common questions and criticisms about MFA programs.

THE TASTE OF GINGER author discusses challenges in her quest for publication, writing about the immigrant experience, and much more.

The SWING author discusses the pre-order campaign for her self-published book, the importance of social media engagement, and more.

The author and podcaster discusses what she learned from going the wrong kind of viral, the power of vulnerable truth in writing, and more.

Donna Ward is an Australian writer whose first book, She I Dare Not Name, has just been published in the US.

The poet and author discusses writing through trauma, his novel’s path to publication, adjusting details to suit a higher truth, and more.

Author Darien Hsu Gee discusses writing and publishing across multiple genres, going back for her MFA at age 50, and having faith in her creative process.

The author discusses film adaptation, writing effective humor and natural dialogue, using a light touch with character description, and more.

The bestselling author discusses best practices for ads, how to keep your spending in check, the top three mistakes authors make, and more.

The debut author discusses writing an illustrated book for adults, platform building, and listening to the little voice inside.

The horror author shares what scares him, the authors who taught him the most about the genre, crowdfunding, trigger warnings, and more.

The Indiana author discusses publishing and promoting close to home, plus the logistical, ethical and legal issues around writing true crime.

In this interview, the bestselling author discusses her indefatigable enthusiasm for writing, the importance of writers helping writers, and more.

The former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan discusses how a grounding in nonfiction can both help and hinder fiction writing, and much more.

In this interview, she discusses writing to trends, the limits of writing what you know, taking the time to discover your identity as an author, and more.

In this Q&A, Hill discusses why he wanted his memoir to incorporate the observations and life experiences of other Canadians of mixed racial heritage.

If there's an organization whose mission aligns with your story or characters, a partnership might help both parties promote one another.

In this interview, Bob Eckstein discusses art vs. commerce, newspaper/magazine cartoons vs. TV as communication delivery systems, the influence of just the right validation, and much more.

In this interview, she discusses discovering writing in mid-life, how she knew when her writing was ready, why she opted to self-publish, and much more.

In this Q&A, Anna Schmidt discusses how she became a romance novelist, the nearly accidental way she acquired her current literary agent, her journey from successful romance novelist to self-published literary novelist, and more.

The Indie Author Project identifies the best self-published fiction by state; thirteen states participate so far. This year's national winner is Ran Walker.

Is it still necessary today to encourage men to read women, or to shine a targeted light on female writers? Bill Wolfe says yes.

Writer and graphic designer Jonathan Westbrook discusses what it's like to win an extraordinary screenwriting contest, then have that win fall through.

Even a well-published and successful author can have a difficult time finding a home for a memoir. Margaret McMullan discusses her path to publication.

How much input should an author have when it comes to the narrator's interpretation? When is feedback helpful, and when is it frustrating? What is a reasonable cost per finished hour of audio? An interview with Rich Miller.

Freelance editor and former literary agent Amy Tipton discusses her love of young adult and middle grade fiction, the "unlikable female character," whether agents who don't want a manuscript will be likely to pass it along to an agent friend, her personal editing style, and more.

Novelist Cai Emmons discusses how a van tour to meet booksellers in person helped her overcome her timidity toward book marketing.

Author Russell Rowland discusses the big mistake he made with HarperCollins, whether the journey of writing is truly its own reward, why his Indiegogo campaign worked so well, and his experiences with publishing—from one of the Big 5 to self-publishing.

A Q&A on children's self-publishing with authors Zetta Elliott, who has released several books under her own imprint, including picture books; Brent Hartinger, who self-published a young adult series and a new adult series; Cheryl Klein, the author of a self-published a work of nonfiction; and Stephen Mooser, who released a middle grade book on his own.

In this 5 On interview, author and publisher Ian Thomas Healy shares what he learned from his experiences with literary agents, what to look for when submitting to small press publishers, his feelings about Amazon KDP Select, and more.

Author, publisher, and book marketer Julie Smith shares what she loves to write—and read—in a mystery, how her writing obsession evolved into marketing, the mistake many authors make with their book covers, and more.

Author Jay Swanson discusses how he's succeeded with Patreon, which allows fans to pledge monthly financial support to his creative efforts.

Lisa Tener shares important lessons learned when writing her first book, the ups and downs of co-writing, the most important platform writers should have, and more.

Author Dario Ciriello talks about breaking writing rules, what publishing other writers taught him about the business, and how little he as a writer cares about what other writers think.

Tapas, a new digital publishing platform, has led to meaningful earnings and readership for independent artists and writers in less than two months.

Screenwriter and novelist Nina R. Sadowsky shares screenwriting techniques that have influenced her novel writing, and writers can learn from the screen.

Primarily an indie published author, Aleatha Romig participates in Kindle Worlds, which allows other authors to write about the characters in her work.

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.

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

Author Caroline Leavitt reveals the fears behind her middle-of-the-night writer anxieties, the contents of her colored book tour folders, her reaction to the praise her latest novel is receiving, and more in this 5 On interview.

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.

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.

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.