Category: How To and Tips
From Claustrophobia to Empowerment: Why Hybrid Publishing Became My Path
A Stern Vow and Unexpected Opportunities In my twenties, when I was beginning a successful IT career, I also remained dedicated to the creative goals I had dreamed of since childhood. I created a high bar for myself, resolving: I won’t have a child until I have published a book. No lengthy thought process went […]
The Time for Your Book Might Not be Now By Patti Eddington
It’s been almost 15 years, but I remember what the agent said when saying no to my book: “I just don’t identify enough with the characters.” My book was a memoir. Since the “characters” were myself, my husband and daughter I probably should have felt that rejection quite a bit more deeply than I did. Here’s the […]
Traditional versus Indie Publishing: What’s the score? by Laura Wilkinson
A view from a traditionally published author who has recently self-published a novel. First off, despite the title, I don’t see it as competition. Increasing numbers of authors are hybrid – putting out books from both sides of the publishing fence. The reasons for this are myriad, but aside from a small percentage of authors […]
One Author’s Unique Challenge by Kerryn Harvey
Writing with only one hand was hard work, but celebrating at the end created an even bigger issue, for author Kerryn Harvey. Here, she tells her story. “I’m writing a book!” I excitedly announced on my social media platforms back in mid 2024. I had waited 11 years to feel like I was in the […]
Making it BIG as an Author by Dede Montgomery
Now that I have your attention, I’m sorry to burst your bubble. I am not here to share fine secrets about blowing your book or your bank account out of the water. Rather to tease into this idea. It often happens as I peruse various author groups on social media, I see someone newer to […]
Why I Couldn’t Stick to One Genre by Irene Wittig
For me, writing started with ceramics. I lived in Naples and loved the hand-painted ceramics I found all along the Amalfi Coast. I learned how to do it, and thought other people might like to learn too. So I wrote a how-to book with illustrations, instructions and projects. Chilton Books liked the idea and published […]
On Writing Free Range Girl by Meghan Cox Gurdon
When I tell people that I’ve written a memoir about moving to rural Maine at the age of twelve to live with my father on a homestead that he was building with his own hands, I’m immediately asked: But what about your mother? At first the question surprised me, because as a child it didn’t […]
Let Your Main Character Change You—It’s a Relationship, After All by Lee Upton
Recently I asked another novelist how she characterizes her relationship with her main character. Without hesitation she said, “It’s a passionate love affair.” That sounds exciting—and fabulous. Our connection with a main character might be volatile, obsessive, teeming with unexpected swerves, even fraught with the possibility of abandonment if the novel fails. To write a […]
How Losing my Son in a Shopping Centre Inspired me to Write a Children’s Book By Gul Salih
There are moments in life that divide your world into a before and an after. For me, one of those moments happened in a busy shopping centre and lasted only a few minutes, yet it felt like a lifetime. I was shopping with my son and my mum. At one point, my son wanted to […]
On Writing CLEAN SLATE by Brianna Labuskes
Following the massive success of the Dr. Gretchen White and Raisa Susanto series, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brianna Labuskes returns with her most chilling investigation yet. CLEAN SLATE is the first installment in the Olive Hunt series and introduces readers to a gritty new protagonist, a crime scene cleaner who finds herself […]
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