Author Q&A

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.

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

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.

Author and editor Yi Shun Lai discusses writing for the J. Peterman catalog, common problems she sees in short fiction and short nonfiction, why she decided to start writing about being Asian, and more in this 5 On interview.

Author Che Gilson discusses what she as an unagented author learned to look for in publishing contracts, designing your own cover art, the necessity of continually creating new material, and more.

Philip B. Persinger discusses his attraction to sonnets, the broad art of writing and selling a play, why he published his latest novel with Amazon, and more.

Author/songwriter Henry Baum discusses self-publishing services, the value of a paid review, why he started his own self-publishing service, and more.

Author Barry Eisler discusses the pros and cons (where they exist) of legacy, Amazon, and self-publishing; research and editing; selling book rights; and more.

Author and radio broadcaster Reggie Lutz discusses her tendency as a writer to synthesize fiction genres, recommends qualities to look for in a writing critique group, offers advice on pitching and interviewing with radio hosts, and more.

Book publicist Patrick Walsh discusses effective social media promotion, what it takes to make the same old book-marketing advice work for you, questions to ask yourself when trying to decide whether your story should be a book or a screenplay, and more.

Screenwriter Ashley Scott Meyers (@AshleyMeyers) discusses the critical writing lesson he learned over time, what it takes to make a living as a screenwriter, and what it felt like the first time one of his scripts was produced

In this 5 On post, bestselling author Elisa Lorello discusses authenticity, using social media to connect with readers, rejection, and the differences between self- and traditional publishing.

Jane Smiley on necessary compromises, writing good sex scenes, and what makes her nervous about writing even now in this 5 On interview.

Heather Hale discusses the top five mistakes screenwriters make, the usefulness of online script databases, and how to approach a first screenwriting contract.

David Corbett discusses the decline in our country's writing skills, his personal approach to marketing, writing to the market vs. to the passion, and more.

Dr. Eric Maisel discusses how writers can overcome creative blocks and deal with internal self-criticism of their work.

In this interview, Bonnie Neubauer, author of The Write-Brain Workbook discusses her own creativity practices and goals, her favorite means of gathering writing prompts, and myths about creativity.

Debut author Nadine Darling discusses her revision and query process, blogging, writing with children in the house, and more.

Author and editor Chuck Sambuchino discusses promoting books, the talent writers need, and good writing advice.

Eddie Wright discusses artistic collaboration, why he adapted his novella into a graphic novel, marketing straight fiction vs. marketing comics, and more.

Sandra Gulland discusses the delicate process of blending of fact and fiction, the allure of unhappy endings, the publishing industry then vs. now, preparation for public readings/signings, and more.

Literary agent Mollie Glick on what drew her to being an agent, what kind of query letter gets a quick delete, thoughts on chick lit, and more in this 5 On interview.

Craig Lancaster talks about his surprise success, what he learned from his most memorable rejection, why he gets so personal on social media, and more.

Steve Brewer discusses having a book adapted to film, his personal writing and editing challenges, and the tricky experience of using a pen name.

Author and former literary agent Nathan Bransford discusses (among other things) the ongoing emphasis on author platform, publisher and author marketing responsibilities, and in what way being a literary agent influenced his writing.

Author and writing coach Hannah R. Goodman shares her experiences in self-publishing and marketing YA fiction.

Editor Jim Thomsen discusses freelance editing, story craft, favorite authors, and his own authorial aspirations.

In this interview, Josip Novakovich discusses expectations vs. reality, the role of writing instruction, trends in writing, and more.

Publishers rarely see any money in anthologies and frequently reject them. But one author was still able to find a home for her project.

In this interview, author E. E. King (Elizabeth Eve King) explains her approaches to writing, humor, marketing, and publishing.

In this interview, author Carol Hoenig explains what makes an author attractive to the media.

Robert Kroese reveals the process that allows him to write up to three books per year, and how authors can increase their sales potential.

In this 5On interview, author Anne Perry discusses (among other things): what plot is not what to look for when

BookBaby founder Brian Felsen discusses the push against the gatekeeper and the prevailing belief that not being on top is synonymous with being a "loser."

Full-time author and speaker Scott Berkun discusses his book marketing experiences as both a traditionally published author and self-published author.

Author Kathleen M. Rodgers discusses her approach to writing and reading, her self-promotion philosophy, and why she won't self-publish.

In this interview, James C. Moore discusses journalistic vs. creative writing, finding time to write when time is hard to come by, and what being a New York Times best-selling author doesn't mean.

Author and editor Victoria Zackheim discusses (among other things) the art of marketing when published by a press with a limited budget and the keys to successful personal essays.

Note from Jane: Today, I'm pleased to announce the series 5 On by author Kristen Tsetsi. 5 On asks established, traditionally published

What does it take to launch a new website and online community? A Q&A with author and entrepreneur Alexis Grant.

I'm very grateful to Joel Friedlander (@JFBookman) for taking time to answer a few questions about book design, especially as

CJ Lyons (@cjlyonswriter) is an award-winning, critically acclaimed New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She practiced pediatrics and

The following Q&A is with author Bob Tarte. Bob lives in Michigan with parrots, ducks, geese, parakeets, rabbits, doves, cats, hens,

The following interview with Peter Bowerman is excerpted from How They Did It by Diana Bocco, a collection of Q&A with 25

It is a pleasure to share this interview with two authors who are also marketing geniuses, Avery Monsen (@averymonsen) and

Today's Q&A is with Ron Hogan. For anyone who's worked in publishing for more than two minutes, Ron hardly needs an

Today's interview is brought to us by the wonderful novelist and humorist, John Warner. Odds are, if you care about

It's pleasure to bring you this insightful Q&A with writer Sean Platt. As his own website states, Sean Platt writes

I've been keeping an eye on John Carpenter and his book project ever since we first started having conversations on

I've known John Warner since my days as an acquisitions editor at F+W Media. He is among the most decent,