Literary Agents Discuss Foreign Rights and the International Book Market

Today’s guest post is a Q&A by Sangeeta Mehta (@sangeeta_editor), a former acquiring editor of children’s books at Little, Brown and Simon & Schuster, who runs her own editorial services company. For most writers, it’s a dream come true to have their book published in a foreign country. There’s little that tops the excitement...

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Pick Your Pond: How Nonfiction Authors Can Find the Right Positioning

Photo on Visualhunt Today’s guest post is an excerpt from the new book Get the Word Out: Write a Book That Makes a Difference by Anne Janzer (@AnneJanzer). Write what you know. Stay in your lane. Find your niche. On the one hand, everyone tells you to think bigger, but then they also seem to be saying the opposite: think...

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The Charm of the Large Word

Photo credit: g2 Duckworth on Visualhunt / CC BY-NC Today’s guest post is by author, editor and writing coach Mathina Calliope (@MathinaCalliope). Big words get a bad rap. George Orwell practically outlaws them in his famous essay Politics and the English Language (which, if you haven’t yet read, do, as soon as you finish...

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A Successful Author Was Rejected By Her Publisher. Here’s How She Found Another.

Today’s guest post is by memoirist and Brooklyn-based writing mentor Virginia Lloyd (@v11oyd). With three commercially successful novels published in her native Australia, Fiona Higgins is known for her page-turning stories of contemporary life. Her 2012 debut The Mothers’ Group was a bestseller, as were her follow-ups Wife on the Run...

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Maximizing Book Sales with Facebook and BookBub Ads: Q&A with Melissa Storm

Today’s Q&A is by journalist and romance writer Cathy Shouse (@cathyshouse). Melissa Storm is a New York Times and multiple USA Today bestselling author of women’s fiction, inspirational romance, and cozy mysteries. Her latest book, Witch for Hire, was written under her pen name, Molly Fitz, and released in November. Her second...

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Emotional Truth and Storytelling: Why It Works and How

Photo credit: rossyyume on VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-ND Today’s guest post is by national award–winning journalist Robin Farmer (@sonewsy), author of the YA novel Malcolm and Me. I never fancied myself a fantastic writer. What I do believe I excel at is the ability to capture the emotional truth(s) of a character, scene, chapter,...

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4 Story Weaknesses That Lead to a Sagging Middle

Photo credit: ce2de2 on Visual hunt / CC BY-NC Today’s guest post is editor by Tiffany Yates Martin (@FoxPrintEd). Is there anything more thrilling for the creative soul than starting a shiny new story? It seduces you effortlessly, promising you a dazzling future, and in the heady flush of new love it feels as if this perfect...

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Common Reasons Nonfiction Books Don’t Sell

If you want to publish a nonfiction book that lands you a literary agent or a contract from a sizable publisher (with a decent advance in the four or five figures), then market conditions—and your position in that market—will affect your ability to secure a deal. Writers new to the publishing industry sometimes find it shocking how little they...

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Should You Hire a Social Media Assistant?

Today’s guest post is by author Barbara Linn Probst. I hate social media. It’s an addictive rabbit-hole. I just don’t have time. Social media takes away from my precious writing time. I’m no good at creating those visuals and posts. I hate all that self-promotion. I’ve heard many authors—myself included—express...

Oct 2020

Why Waiting Too Long to Register Your Copyright Is a Big Mistake

Today’s post is by former trial attorney-turned-author Liani Kotcher (@RektokRoss). She offers a free masterclass teaching the five most costly copyright mistakes she encounters (and how to fix them), which runs October 27 through November 3 and is accepting enrollment now. Under the current Copyright Act of 1976 and its subsequent amendments,...

Oct 2020