Last week I shared 12 Must-Read Articles From 2011. Now I’m going to share a list of the best advice I gave in 2011 as a handy reference.
My Absolute Favorites
- You Hate Your Writing? That’s a Good Sign! This was one of the most tweeted articles I wrote in 2011.
- The Persistent and Damaging Myth About Introverts and Marketing. One of my favorite posts from 2011.
- 4 Steps to Useful Critiques: The Lerman Method. This was a guest post by Wolf Pascoe (@JustAddFather)
- Don’t Write a Memoir to Get Revenge. This is an excerpt from a book by Marion Roach Smith (@mroachsmith)
- A Tugboat Arrived. A major milestone in the journey of Darrelyn Saloom in seeking a publisher for the memoir she has co-authored with Deirdre Gogarty.
General Advice
- Everyone Wants to “Help” Writers. But Whose Help Do You Really Need? I get on my high horse.
- 5 Things More Important Than Talent. They include remarkability, community, risk-taking, ability to handle failure, and adaptability.
- How to Avoid Being Fooled by Bad Writing Advice. This is where I advocate you seek out advice that offers thoughtful nuance rather than extreme perspectives for the sake of garnering attention.
- Back to Basics: Writing and Publishing Memoir. A link round-up of my favorite resources and blog posts (from me and others).
- My Secret for Battling Procrastination. I include screenshots (and a worksheet download) of my 2-step method.
- 3 Questions Every Creative Person Must Ask. This post was brewing in me for a period of months. Huge discussion in the comments.
Getting Published
- The Basic Pitch Formula for Novelists. Short, sweet, and powerful.
- Where to Find Free Market Listings. A resource guide on how to find agents and publishers for your work.
- Back to Basics: Writing a Novel Synopsis. Includes a list of great resources.
- Are You Worried Your Ideas or Work Will Be Stolen. I wish this were the first thing every aspiring writer read, based on the number of questions I get about it.
New Media
- How to Meaningfully Grow Traffic to Your Site or Blog. I share five tools, as well as broad strategies.
- What Digital Natives Can Teach Us About Publishing. I tend to cringe when writers gasp, “Oh, finally! I can focus on WRITING A BOOK.” Here’s why.
- Get Started Guide: Blogging for Writers. This is one of those posts I’ll be referencing for years to come. Everything but the kitchen sink.
Marketing and Promotion
- A Checklist for Marketing Your E-Book. Based on some of the oldest principles of marketing, the 4Ps.
- A Critical Marketing Secret: Don’t Go It Alone. The importance of relationships in any marketing effort.
- Draft Your Platform Action Plan: 5 Worksheets. Some of my best hands-on tools are right here.
- How Much Has Book Marketing Changed Since 2005? One of my favorite Q&As this year with author Amy Stolls.
- How Should You Spend Your Book Marketing Budget? Assuming you had a few thousand dollars lying around, here’s what I think you should do with it.
- I Hate Press Releases. My most helpful rant of the year.
Social Media
- You Don’t Have to Blog, Tweet, or Be on Facebook. Be interesting or have something interesting to say (a purpose!) before tackling social media.
- The Secret to Twitter That Can’t Be Taught. Inspired by Christina Katz.
- The Evolution of How I Use Twitter. I still refer people to this post when they ask why I’m not following them on Twitter (or why I unfollowed).
Self-Publishing & E-Publishing
- Self-Published Authors Have Great Power, But Are They Taking Responsibility? I believe in author empowerment and independence. But writers need to understand the need for professional assistance, too.
- 5 Things Beginners Should Know About E-Book Publishing. I review the basics.
- Should You Self-Publish After a Near-Miss? Self-publishing does NOT kill your chances at a traditional deal later. BUT: Do not spend any significant money on self-publishing—whether print or digital—until you’re certain of two things.
- 4 Key Categories of Self-Publishing. The four categories I discuss are print-on-demand free service, print-on-demand paid service, e-book single channel, and e-book multiple channel.
- 3 Barriers You Must Eliminate to Maximize E-Book Sales. What I learned from firsthand experience.
- 10 Tips for Effective Book Covers. This generated considerable discussion in the comments.
Best Guest Posts
- Two Rules for Successful Freelance Pricing by Laurie Lewis. A phenomenal post.
- What Is a Story? by Philip Martin. Sometimes we need a reminder, and this is one of the best.
- 3 Important Privacy Issues in Memoir by Tracy Seeley (@tracy_seeley). Will so-and-so ever speak to me again? What are your ethical obligations? What your legal obligations (defamation, invasion of privacy)?
- 7 Don’t-Miss Sites for Online Marketing by Meg Waite Clayton (@MegWClayton). A great list that still holds up.
- How to Get Reviews for Self-Published Books by Joel Friedlander (@JFBookman). Lots of great resources mentioned here, in addition to a solid step-by-step process.
- Cliches for Aspiring Writers by Rafael Yglesias (@rafaelyglesias). Know your audience, write what you know, etc … Yglesias discusses why to ignore such cliches.
- Writing Memoir: Art vs. Confessional by Susan Cushman (@susancushman). We write to reclaim our life, but it has to be about art if it’s going to be published.
Looking for more?
- Here are my best posts from 2010. Unfortunately, the links in this post no longer work because of the Writer’s Digest site redesign, but if you Google the post titles, you can find the correct link.
Jane Friedman (@JaneFriedman) has nearly 25 years of experience in the media & publishing industry. She is the publisher of The Hot Sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2019.
In addition to being a professor with The Great Courses (How to Publish Your Book), she is the author of The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal.
Jane speaks regularly at conferences and industry events such as Digital Book World and Frankfurt Book Fair, and has served on panels with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund. Find out more.
- Everyone Wants to “Help” Writers. But Whose Help Do You Really Need? I get on my high horse.
- 5 Things More Important Than Talent. They include remarkability, community, risk-taking, ability to handle failure, and adaptability.
- How to Avoid Being Fooled by Bad Writing Advice. This is where I advocate you seek out advice that offers thoughtful nuance rather than extreme perspectives for the sake of garnering attention.
- Back to Basics: Writing and Publishing Memoir. A link round-up of my favorite resources and blog posts (from me and others).
- My Secret for Battling Procrastination. I include screenshots (and a worksheet download) of my 2-step method.
- 3 Questions Every Creative Person Must Ask. This post was brewing in me for a period of months. Huge discussion in the comments.
Getting Published
- The Basic Pitch Formula for Novelists. Short, sweet, and powerful.
- Where to Find Free Market Listings. A resource guide on how to find agents and publishers for your work.
- Back to Basics: Writing a Novel Synopsis. Includes a list of great resources.
- Are You Worried Your Ideas or Work Will Be Stolen. I wish this were the first thing every aspiring writer read, based on the number of questions I get about it.
New Media
- How to Meaningfully Grow Traffic to Your Site or Blog. I share five tools, as well as broad strategies.
- What Digital Natives Can Teach Us About Publishing. I tend to cringe when writers gasp, “Oh, finally! I can focus on WRITING A BOOK.” Here’s why.
- Get Started Guide: Blogging for Writers. This is one of those posts I’ll be referencing for years to come. Everything but the kitchen sink.
Marketing and Promotion
- A Checklist for Marketing Your E-Book. Based on some of the oldest principles of marketing, the 4Ps.
- A Critical Marketing Secret: Don’t Go It Alone. The importance of relationships in any marketing effort.
- Draft Your Platform Action Plan: 5 Worksheets. Some of my best hands-on tools are right here.
- How Much Has Book Marketing Changed Since 2005? One of my favorite Q&As this year with author Amy Stolls.
- How Should You Spend Your Book Marketing Budget? Assuming you had a few thousand dollars lying around, here’s what I think you should do with it.
- I Hate Press Releases. My most helpful rant of the year.
Social Media
- You Don’t Have to Blog, Tweet, or Be on Facebook. Be interesting or have something interesting to say (a purpose!) before tackling social media.
- The Secret to Twitter That Can’t Be Taught. Inspired by Christina Katz.
- The Evolution of How I Use Twitter. I still refer people to this post when they ask why I’m not following them on Twitter (or why I unfollowed).
Self-Publishing & E-Publishing
- Self-Published Authors Have Great Power, But Are They Taking Responsibility? I believe in author empowerment and independence. But writers need to understand the need for professional assistance, too.
- 5 Things Beginners Should Know About E-Book Publishing. I review the basics.
- Should You Self-Publish After a Near-Miss? Self-publishing does NOT kill your chances at a traditional deal later. BUT: Do not spend any significant money on self-publishing—whether print or digital—until you’re certain of two things.
- 4 Key Categories of Self-Publishing. The four categories I discuss are print-on-demand free service, print-on-demand paid service, e-book single channel, and e-book multiple channel.
- 3 Barriers You Must Eliminate to Maximize E-Book Sales. What I learned from firsthand experience.
- 10 Tips for Effective Book Covers. This generated considerable discussion in the comments.
Best Guest Posts
- Two Rules for Successful Freelance Pricing by Laurie Lewis. A phenomenal post.
- What Is a Story? by Philip Martin. Sometimes we need a reminder, and this is one of the best.
- 3 Important Privacy Issues in Memoir by Tracy Seeley (@tracy_seeley). Will so-and-so ever speak to me again? What are your ethical obligations? What your legal obligations (defamation, invasion of privacy)?
- 7 Don’t-Miss Sites for Online Marketing by Meg Waite Clayton (@MegWClayton). A great list that still holds up.
- How to Get Reviews for Self-Published Books by Joel Friedlander (@JFBookman). Lots of great resources mentioned here, in addition to a solid step-by-step process.
- Cliches for Aspiring Writers by Rafael Yglesias (@rafaelyglesias). Know your audience, write what you know, etc … Yglesias discusses why to ignore such cliches.
- Writing Memoir: Art vs. Confessional by Susan Cushman (@susancushman). We write to reclaim our life, but it has to be about art if it’s going to be published.
Looking for more?
- Here are my best posts from 2010. Unfortunately, the links in this post no longer work because of the Writer’s Digest site redesign, but if you Google the post titles, you can find the correct link.
Jane Friedman (@JaneFriedman) has nearly 25 years of experience in the media & publishing industry. She is the publisher of The Hot Sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2019.
In addition to being a professor with The Great Courses (How to Publish Your Book), she is the author of The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal.
Jane speaks regularly at conferences and industry events such as Digital Book World and Frankfurt Book Fair, and has served on panels with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund. Find out more.
- How to Meaningfully Grow Traffic to Your Site or Blog. I share five tools, as well as broad strategies.
- What Digital Natives Can Teach Us About Publishing. I tend to cringe when writers gasp, “Oh, finally! I can focus on WRITING A BOOK.” Here’s why.
- Get Started Guide: Blogging for Writers. This is one of those posts I’ll be referencing for years to come. Everything but the kitchen sink.
Marketing and Promotion
- A Checklist for Marketing Your E-Book. Based on some of the oldest principles of marketing, the 4Ps.
- A Critical Marketing Secret: Don’t Go It Alone. The importance of relationships in any marketing effort.
- Draft Your Platform Action Plan: 5 Worksheets. Some of my best hands-on tools are right here.
- How Much Has Book Marketing Changed Since 2005? One of my favorite Q&As this year with author Amy Stolls.
- How Should You Spend Your Book Marketing Budget? Assuming you had a few thousand dollars lying around, here’s what I think you should do with it.
- I Hate Press Releases. My most helpful rant of the year.
Social Media
- You Don’t Have to Blog, Tweet, or Be on Facebook. Be interesting or have something interesting to say (a purpose!) before tackling social media.
- The Secret to Twitter That Can’t Be Taught. Inspired by Christina Katz.
- The Evolution of How I Use Twitter. I still refer people to this post when they ask why I’m not following them on Twitter (or why I unfollowed).
Self-Publishing & E-Publishing
- Self-Published Authors Have Great Power, But Are They Taking Responsibility? I believe in author empowerment and independence. But writers need to understand the need for professional assistance, too.
- 5 Things Beginners Should Know About E-Book Publishing. I review the basics.
- Should You Self-Publish After a Near-Miss? Self-publishing does NOT kill your chances at a traditional deal later. BUT: Do not spend any significant money on self-publishing—whether print or digital—until you’re certain of two things.
- 4 Key Categories of Self-Publishing. The four categories I discuss are print-on-demand free service, print-on-demand paid service, e-book single channel, and e-book multiple channel.
- 3 Barriers You Must Eliminate to Maximize E-Book Sales. What I learned from firsthand experience.
- 10 Tips for Effective Book Covers. This generated considerable discussion in the comments.
Best Guest Posts
- Two Rules for Successful Freelance Pricing by Laurie Lewis. A phenomenal post.
- What Is a Story? by Philip Martin. Sometimes we need a reminder, and this is one of the best.
- 3 Important Privacy Issues in Memoir by Tracy Seeley (@tracy_seeley). Will so-and-so ever speak to me again? What are your ethical obligations? What your legal obligations (defamation, invasion of privacy)?
- 7 Don’t-Miss Sites for Online Marketing by Meg Waite Clayton (@MegWClayton). A great list that still holds up.
- How to Get Reviews for Self-Published Books by Joel Friedlander (@JFBookman). Lots of great resources mentioned here, in addition to a solid step-by-step process.
- Cliches for Aspiring Writers by Rafael Yglesias (@rafaelyglesias). Know your audience, write what you know, etc … Yglesias discusses why to ignore such cliches.
- Writing Memoir: Art vs. Confessional by Susan Cushman (@susancushman). We write to reclaim our life, but it has to be about art if it’s going to be published.
Looking for more?
- Here are my best posts from 2010. Unfortunately, the links in this post no longer work because of the Writer’s Digest site redesign, but if you Google the post titles, you can find the correct link.
Jane Friedman (@JaneFriedman) has nearly 25 years of experience in the media & publishing industry. She is the publisher of The Hot Sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2019.
In addition to being a professor with The Great Courses (How to Publish Your Book), she is the author of The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal.
Jane speaks regularly at conferences and industry events such as Digital Book World and Frankfurt Book Fair, and has served on panels with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund. Find out more.
- You Don’t Have to Blog, Tweet, or Be on Facebook. Be interesting or have something interesting to say (a purpose!) before tackling social media.
- The Secret to Twitter That Can’t Be Taught. Inspired by Christina Katz.
- The Evolution of How I Use Twitter. I still refer people to this post when they ask why I’m not following them on Twitter (or why I unfollowed).
Self-Publishing & E-Publishing
- Self-Published Authors Have Great Power, But Are They Taking Responsibility? I believe in author empowerment and independence. But writers need to understand the need for professional assistance, too.
- 5 Things Beginners Should Know About E-Book Publishing. I review the basics.
- Should You Self-Publish After a Near-Miss? Self-publishing does NOT kill your chances at a traditional deal later. BUT: Do not spend any significant money on self-publishing—whether print or digital—until you’re certain of two things.
- 4 Key Categories of Self-Publishing. The four categories I discuss are print-on-demand free service, print-on-demand paid service, e-book single channel, and e-book multiple channel.
- 3 Barriers You Must Eliminate to Maximize E-Book Sales. What I learned from firsthand experience.
- 10 Tips for Effective Book Covers. This generated considerable discussion in the comments.
Best Guest Posts
- Two Rules for Successful Freelance Pricing by Laurie Lewis. A phenomenal post.
- What Is a Story? by Philip Martin. Sometimes we need a reminder, and this is one of the best.
- 3 Important Privacy Issues in Memoir by Tracy Seeley (@tracy_seeley). Will so-and-so ever speak to me again? What are your ethical obligations? What your legal obligations (defamation, invasion of privacy)?
- 7 Don’t-Miss Sites for Online Marketing by Meg Waite Clayton (@MegWClayton). A great list that still holds up.
- How to Get Reviews for Self-Published Books by Joel Friedlander (@JFBookman). Lots of great resources mentioned here, in addition to a solid step-by-step process.
- Cliches for Aspiring Writers by Rafael Yglesias (@rafaelyglesias). Know your audience, write what you know, etc … Yglesias discusses why to ignore such cliches.
- Writing Memoir: Art vs. Confessional by Susan Cushman (@susancushman). We write to reclaim our life, but it has to be about art if it’s going to be published.
Looking for more?
- Here are my best posts from 2010. Unfortunately, the links in this post no longer work because of the Writer’s Digest site redesign, but if you Google the post titles, you can find the correct link.
Jane Friedman (@JaneFriedman) has nearly 25 years of experience in the media & publishing industry. She is the publisher of The Hot Sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2019.
In addition to being a professor with The Great Courses (How to Publish Your Book), she is the author of The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal.
Jane speaks regularly at conferences and industry events such as Digital Book World and Frankfurt Book Fair, and has served on panels with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund. Find out more.
- Two Rules for Successful Freelance Pricing by Laurie Lewis. A phenomenal post.
- What Is a Story? by Philip Martin. Sometimes we need a reminder, and this is one of the best.
- 3 Important Privacy Issues in Memoir by Tracy Seeley (@tracy_seeley). Will so-and-so ever speak to me again? What are your ethical obligations? What your legal obligations (defamation, invasion of privacy)?
- 7 Don’t-Miss Sites for Online Marketing by Meg Waite Clayton (@MegWClayton). A great list that still holds up.
- How to Get Reviews for Self-Published Books by Joel Friedlander (@JFBookman). Lots of great resources mentioned here, in addition to a solid step-by-step process.
- Cliches for Aspiring Writers by Rafael Yglesias (@rafaelyglesias). Know your audience, write what you know, etc … Yglesias discusses why to ignore such cliches.
- Writing Memoir: Art vs. Confessional by Susan Cushman (@susancushman). We write to reclaim our life, but it has to be about art if it’s going to be published.
Looking for more?
- Here are my best posts from 2010. Unfortunately, the links in this post no longer work because of the Writer’s Digest site redesign, but if you Google the post titles, you can find the correct link.
Jane Friedman (@JaneFriedman) has nearly 25 years of experience in the media & publishing industry. She is the publisher of The Hot Sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2019.
In addition to being a professor with The Great Courses (How to Publish Your Book), she is the author of The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal.
Jane speaks regularly at conferences and industry events such as Digital Book World and Frankfurt Book Fair, and has served on panels with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund. Find out more.
Jane Friedman (@JaneFriedman) has nearly 25 years of experience in the media & publishing industry. She is the publisher of The Hot Sheet, the essential newsletter on the publishing industry for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2019.
In addition to being a professor with The Great Courses (How to Publish Your Book), she is the author of The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal.
Jane speaks regularly at conferences and industry events such as Digital Book World and Frankfurt Book Fair, and has served on panels with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund. Find out more.