Guest Post

Author and editor Rachel Starr Thomson explains how to use descriptive detail to illuminate character and move plot forward.

Writer and editor Zachary Petit discusses breaking into the freelance market with big-name publications.

Writer Joseph Bates explains all the point-of-view options for your novel and how to choose the best point of view for your narrative.

Author Ed Cyzewski offers insight into building authentic, sustainable practices in book marketing and promotion.

Freelance writer Leslie Truex offers tips on writing for content mills, websites, and information portals.

Larry Brooks discusses how to create a concept for your novel that will compel readers (and agents and publishers) to read more.

Editor and writing coach Susan Reynolds explains some of the common causes of writer's block and offers some techniques for beating it.

In today's guest post, author Maggie Kast (@tweenworlds) discusses the role research plays in the development and evolution of a historical novel.

Attorney and author Karen A. Wyle offers insight into using new attorneys in your fiction.

Writing coach and author Angela Ackerman discusses techniques for identifying and connecting with your target reading audience.

Author Lisa Lenard-Cook explains when and how to use time shifts to heighten the emotional impact of your story.

Poet and memoirist Benjamin Vogt discusses his own personal journey to learn his family's history.

Allyson Rudolph discusses some of her favorite experimental fiction, the day-to-day life of an associate editor at a publishing house, common problems she sees in fiction and nonfiction, her commitment to increased diversity in media and the arts, and more.

Martha Alderson and Jordan Rosenfeld explain how to craft a compelling scene and when it's okay to use summary.

Editor Jessi Rita Hoffman warns against the use of "stammer verbs," words that cause an unnecessary halt in the scene.

Fair use allows you to use someone’s copyrighted work without permission. However, invoking fair use is not a straightforward matter. Learn the 7 questions to ask to help determine if your use might be considered fair under the law.

Essayist and professor Nell Boeschenstein discusses how establishing structure can liberate your writing.

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.

Editor Gabriela Lessa explains how to use outlining to generate a strong voice for your characters.

Indie author Teymour Shahabi explains how to find an editor for the draft of your self-published book and what to look for in a good editing relationship.

Editor Jessi Rita Hoffman explains how to craft professional and compelling back-cover copy for your book.

Author Barbara Baig discusses word choice and how it affects tone, voice, and clarity.

Alex Limberg discusses attaining the perfect balance between dialogue and description in your fiction.

A children's author shares her strategies for promoting her picture books on Pinterest—as well as what adult fiction marketing techniques haven't worked for her.

SELF-e offers self-published authors a way to distribute ebooks to libraries, but without any pay. The team behind SELF-e addresses the money issue.

Journalist and consultant Porter Anderson explains the new SELF-e program from Library Journal for getting self-published ebooks into American libraries.

Writing groups can cause fatal frustration, deep self-doubt, and sometimes years of wasted effort. Learn the most common dangers of writing groups, and find out how to improve your group to give you more of what you need—and less of what you don't.

Author Carol Bodensteiner answers the seven questions she gets most about working with Amazon Publishing.

Brooke McIntyre of Inked Voices explains what to look for in a critique group and how to find the best writing critique group for you.

Blogger Tania Strauss of NY Book Editors discusses whether you should outline your novel before beginning to write.

Thriller author Todd Moss describes his own marketing efforts and the marketing efforts of his Big Five publisher, Putnam, for his book The Golden Hour.

You’ve probably heard the adage that you must begin your novel with action—even if it’s not the main action of the book. While this rule is fairly well-accepted in fiction teaching circles, not everyone agrees with it.

When we talk about plot as separate from the characters, the symbols, the locales, the dialogue, and the philosophical introspection, what we are doing is privileging events over everything else. But nothing exists in a vacuum.

More writing does not necessarily equal better-quality writing, nor does faster writing lead to faster achievement of your goals.

Learn how to improve the description of your book, and improve its metadata, when using Amazon KDP.

What is crowdfunded publishing? Learn about the two types of models now prevalent, plus the major services you can choose from.

A specific and daily moment of self-reflection can revolutionize your writing by offering you a clear picture of your mental state, anxieties, and fears.

Writers flounder trying to figure out how to make their idea compelling enough to sustain a great novel. Here's how to go from ordinary to extraordinary.

To inspire other people to engage in something that you're concerned about, you have to avoid getting caught in the trap of writing with an agenda.

Build a bio that's not only better than most you have read, but also compelling enough to attract the fans & clients you'd like to have in the first place.

by Aurélien Bellanger Today's interview is by contributing writer Kristen Tsetsi (@ktsetsi), who does every-other-Wednesday interviews for the 5 On

UK author Harry Bingham describes the four stages of his career, and why he's decided to self-publish after good experiences with traditional houses.

Most novels have some amount of back story—because they rarely start from the beginning of a character’s life. However, writers tend to misuse it or include too much.

Old post alert! This was published in 2014 and some aspects of Kindle Unlimited have changed. If you're investigating whether

Note from Jane: Today's guest post is by Sangeeta Mehta (@sangeeta_editor), a former acquiring editor of children's books at Little,

Today's guest post is by freelancer and author Marcy McKay. The November 2014 issue of Rolling Stone interviews the master of

Note from Jane: Today's guest post is by publisher and author L.L. Barkat (@llbarkat). She has one of the most

If you don't like the terms offered by Amazon's ACX for selling your audiobook, you do have an alternative. Author Lee Stephen explains the path he took.

Note from Jane: Today's guest post is by Marcy Kennedy (@MarcyKennedy). Almost as soon as authors were told they should

Note from Jane: Today’s guest post is by Simone Collins (@SimoneHCollins) at ArtCorgi. See her earlier post on The Advantages