Category: How To and Tips
Give Yourself Credit for Showing Up
by Raquel Drosos “Never stop creating.” This is what I write above my signature in every book I autograph. But for a long stretch last year, I stopped following my own advice—and found myself in a bad place. Let me back up. I’m the author of two novels: Games of Chance, a coming-of-age family saga, […]
8 Author Tips to Avoid Body-Shaming in Your Books
By Paulette Stout Our culture is obsessed with body size. It just is. Especially this time of year. How large or small someone’s body is often becomes more consequential to our perceptions of them than who they are as a people. One glance and we’ve already assessed their health, worth ethic, romantic prospects, intelligence, and […]
Making it Work: How to Publish a Book When You’re in the Throes of Grief
By Cindy Eastman My second book was published in September of 2024. Finally. It was a long time coming and the topic was part of the reason for the delay in publishing my second book: it is a memoir in essays about my experience taking care of my dad for the last four years of […]
On Writing KAYA OF THE OCEAN
Recently, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about my experience of writing, and how it differs depending on the genre and format of the finished piece. Take, for example, the two mediums I write in the most: short stories and middle grade novels. For me, writing short stories is a great way to spark creativity […]
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 […]
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