Querying & Submitting in 2023: Q&A with Jeff Herman

Jeff Herman is the author of the long-running marketplace directory Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, now in its 29th edition. He’s also the coauthor of Write the Perfect Proposal. He has presented hundreds of workshops about writing and publishing and has been interviewed for dozens of publications and programs....

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How Author Platform Connects to Author Brand

Photo by Peter Aroner on Unsplash Today’s post is excerpted from Brand the Author (Not the Book) by Karen A. Chase (@KarenAChase). Certain words and phrases are bandied about all the time in publishing, but they don’t always make sense. One of the biggest is author platform. You may have attended enough writing seminars and conferences...

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Create a Book Map for Your Nonfiction Book

Photo by DS stories Today’s guest post is by Ariel Curry and Liz Morrow of the Hungry Authors podcast. Imagine you’re starting out on a road trip. First, you have to know where you’re going; then, you need a map to help you get there. It’s the same with books. So often, aspiring authors start off on a “road trip” without...

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Promoting Your Book as an Introvert in the Age of TikTok

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash Today’s post is by author Julie Vick (@vickjulie). One question I was asked a few times around my book launch was, “How is it to promote a book about introversion when you are an introvert?” The short answer I usually gave: I’ve figured out ways to make it work. When I wrote my humorous...

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How to Pursue a Career in Editing: Advice for College Students

Photo by Matthias Heyde on Unsplash Ask the Editor is a column for your questions about the editing process and editors themselves. It’s a place to bring your conundrums and dilemmas and mixed feelings, no matter how big or small. Want to be considered? Learn more and submit your question. This month’s Ask the Editor is sponsored...

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The Key Value That Makes Retreats Magical

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash Today’s post is by Allison K Williams (@GuerillaMemoir). Join her on Saturday, Feb. 4 for the online workshop Create Live or Virtual Retreats That Sell. Three times a year, I get to spend time with great people in amazing destinations, teaching what I love to see learned. Two more times, I lead virtual...

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Is It OK to Ask for Before/After Examples from a Freelance Editor?

Photo by Caleb Oquendo Ask the Editor is a column for your questions about the editing process and editors themselves. It’s a place to bring your conundrums and dilemmas and mixed feelings, no matter how big or small. Want to be considered? Learn more and submit your question. This month’s Ask the Editor is sponsored by Written...

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Backstory Is Essential to Story—Except When It’s Not

Today’s post is by editor Tiffany Yates Martin (@FoxPrintEd). Join her on Wednesday, Jan. 25, for the online class The Biggest Mistakes Novelists Make—And How to Fix Them. Characters don’t exist in a vacuum: Who they are, what they want, and why they do what they do is rooted in who they have been and what they have done—in other words,...

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The Author-Creator Marketing Playbook

Photo by Tim Samuel on Pexels Today’s post is excerpted from the forthcoming book Creator Economy for Authors by Michael Evans (@mevansinked), co-founder of Ream. During my first full year of publishing, I made almost $200. I had three books in my catalogue and dabbled in Amazon Ads. In 2019, I made $412 publishing three more books....

Jan 2023

The Biggest Mistake Even Expert Writers Make

Today’s post is by author and editor Ken Brosky (@Grendelguy). I was watching a TV series based on a popular novel the other week, curious about how the showrunners were going to adapt it to the big screen. Turning a book into a movie or series can be a daunting task in the best of circumstances, even if you leave out the messy business...

Jan 2023