Why Write A Non-Fiction Book
The two central pillars in effective personal marketing are the establishment of credibility and the quest for exposure. You could have a large business or [Read More]
fiction
The Secrets To Marketing Fiction
When my first book (The Cliffhanger) was published nearly seven years ago, I had high hopes of its success. I mean I am, after all, [Read More]
What Makes a Good Fiction Book?
In fiction, the writers job is to entertain, to draw an emotional response from the reader. The reader is often looking for suspense, action, and [Read More]
Writing The Blockbuster Book Proposal: How To Sell Your Non-Fiction
You did it. You crafted the perfect query letter for your non-fiction book, and as a result, an editor at a large publishing house has [Read More]
Writing Fiction: Find Great Ideas For Your Next Novel
One of the biggest challenges when you’re writing fiction is finding truly good ideas. We discussed finding great ideas in a recent writers’ group meeting. [Read More]
10 Literary Journals that Publish Longer Fiction
Most literary journals are only interested in publishing short stories that are up to 3,000 words or so in length. So it can be harder [Read More]
Fiction University: Give Your Readers Someone to Hate
Sometimes, your novel needs a character readers love to hate. Last week, Literary Rambles posted a great article about why we need unlikable characters that reminded me [Read More]
Experimental Fiction: What Is It And Who’s Publishing It
Experimental fiction is a hot topic in contemporary literary magazines. This new concept has a modern, cutting-edge sensibility that puts the genre at the center [Read More]
Best Books On Writing (25 Writing Books For Fiction/Nonfiction Writers)
Looking for books to hone your skills as a writer? Maybe you’re looking for the perfect gift for a writer you know whose library of [Read More]
Fiction University: A Faster Way to Write a First Draft
Writers are always looking for a way to write faster, and sometimes, writing more means starting out with less. For this year’s NaNoWriMo, I tried [Read More]
Fiction University: Simple Steps to an Author Auto-Responder
One of the topics I’d heard other independent authors talk about a lot was auto-responders, but for years, I put off actually setting up one [Read More]
What Can Flash Fiction Do For Novel Writers?
Book publishing is a tough, competitive business. Still, there’s no reason to make the road harder to travel. Enter flash fiction—an excellent way to break [Read More]
What Is (and Isn’t) High Concept Fiction, and How Do You Pitch It?
Pitching a high concept novel can be the key to skyrocketing to the top of agents’ slush piles, according to Angie Hodapp of Nelson Literary [Read More]
Using Kids and Parents as Beta Readers for Children’s Fiction
Debut author Marie Unanue, whose book and message are about being “kind all the time,” has a unique writing process story: After writing two very [Read More]
What a Coincidence: 7 Clever Strategies for Harnessing Coincidences in Fiction
Well-timed coincidences can catapult a story forward, but a poorly planned one can bring your readers to a dead stop. Use these 7 strategies to [Read More]
6 Ways to Manipulate Time in Fiction
One of the least analyzed literary devices in literature is time. Time works differently in books. It ceases to be the tyrannical presence that we [Read More]
Fiction University: Practical Advice for Beginning Fiction Writers
First, don’t do it, if that’s how you plan on making a living. Sure, we all hear about the fabulous successes of the J.K. Rowlings [Read More]
26 Non-Fiction Publishers Open to Direct Submissions
The following publishers all focus on publishing non-fiction books. Most focus in on one or two aspect of non-fiction, such as history books, memoir, or [Read More]
Buzz Aldrin Talks Scientific Pioneers, Science Fiction, and What He’d Do with the Infinity Gauntlet
To say that Buzz Aldrin is legendary wouldn’t be an overstatement. Not only was he the second man to walk on the moon, but he’s [Read More]
How Science Fiction is Training Us to Ignore the Real Threats Posed by AI
CEOs of artificial intelligence companies usually seek to minimize the threats posed by AI, rather than play them up. But on this week’s episode of [Read More]