Category: How To and Tips
What (Not To) Expect At Your First Book Signing
My first time at a table in a busy large-chain bookstore, copies of my book stacked on either side and Sharpie at the ready, went much differently than expected. First, the good stuff: the full-circle moment when I walked in and saw my book front and center on a table (having frequented that location for […]
Turning Rejection Into Resilience: Proof That Dreams Don’t Need Permission
By Kay Bratt If you’re familiar with the traditional publishing world, you probably know the nerve-wracking experience of submitting a manuscript to your editor and waiting on tenterhooks for their response. You may even know the sinking feeling of receiving feedback that says, “It’s a good story, but not for us.” I’ve been publishing books […]
Launch Diaries: Asking for Author Blurbs
I once believed the hardest part of becoming an author was querying the novel—which is like believing parenting can’t possibly get tougher than during the infant stage. (Insert maniacal laughter of parents with teenagers and authors asking for endorsements here.) Before my own publishing journey, I noticed jacket quotes on books, I just never considered how they […]
Recipe for a Healthy Author-Editor Relationship
By Lorraine Zago Rosenthal After a book deal is signed, the next step on the path to publication is developmental editing, during which an editor gives feedback intended to strengthen the novel. The goal of every fiction editor should be to enhance an author’s writing while maintaining the author’s voice and vision. Fortunately, during the […]
Chucking the Rules and Finding Ultimate Freedom in Indie Publishing
How one author with a wildly different book had to do it herself. Welp! Things don’t often happen as one thinks they should. As I penned (for the last twenty-plus years) what I once believed to be the next great American novel, I never considered that getting my story into the hands of readers would […]
Why Women Should Write By Theresa Slater
I’ve been plagued by imposter syndrome most of my life. I convinced myself I was “less than” — not educated enough, not worldly enough. You get the idea. I never recognized or named this warped sense of self until I wrote my first book. The process of writing became a journey to self-awareness. My love […]
QUERIES IN PERFECT PITCH
By Christina Hamlett As we approach another new year, thoughts often turn to dusting off pitch letters or composing fresh ones to agents and publishers. How can you make yours stand out from the competition and garner a green light to submit your work? Consider the following tips. PRELIMINARIES Is your book actually finished? When […]
You Should Write a Book
For forty years, I kept hearing, “You should write a book.” Over 80% of people want to write a book, while only 3% actually finish a novel. At first, I thought, Why me? Then, I looked in the mirror and thought, Why not? I wasn’t getting any younger. So, one day, I finally began writing. […]
What Do You Learn When You Write A Novel?
By Barbara Josselsohn A few short months ago, I published my eighth novel, THE FORGOTTEN ITALIAN RESTAURANT, the third in my World War 2 series. It’s about two “lost” souls – Callie, a 33-year-old woman dealing with present-day grief, and Emilia, a ninety-three year old woman who has yet to come to terms with bitter […]
Writing Boys by Barbara Shoup and Kat Higgs-Coulthard
Indiana authorsWriting Boys by Barbara Shoup and Kat Higgs-Coulthard and Kat Higgs-Coulthard are longtime friends who met through their involvement in The Indiana Writers’ Center. Each has been honored by the 2012 Eugene and Marilyn Glick Foundation, with Shoup receiving the 2012 Regional Indiana Author Award and Higgs-Coulthard honored on the short-list for the 2024 Indiana […]
Recent Comments