Blog
How to Self-Publish a Book
Some years ago, the publishing industry was fairly predictable and easy to navigate. A number of commercial publishing houses, with secure reputations, dominated the landscape. Smaller presses, serving niche audiences, had established their own positions in the field....
read more
Historical Fiction Writing Checklist
By Ana Howard, Historical Fiction Editor and Published Author In many historical novels, the setting is so alive and present it feels like another character in the book, and when readers see it that way, it’s a huge compliment to the author. I think we’ve all read a...
read more
Researching, Writing, And Publishing Historical Fiction – It’s About Time
So you’ve come up with a great idea for a historical novel, done your research, and written your first draft. Now you’re wondering about the next step: self publishing or seeking representation for submissions to traditional publishers. Historical fiction authors have...
read more
Religion, Christianity, and Spirituality: Traditional and Self-Publishing Options
Religion, Christian, and Spiritual Books In an economy of rapidly changing technologies, it is no longer accurate to make a strict distinction between so-called "traditional" publishing and self-publishing options. In the area of religion and spirituality, the...
read more
How to Sell Books to Traditional Publishers
Traditional Publishing Is Not Dead The general consensus among aspiring authors is that any yahoo can self-publish but it's almost impossible to sell your book to a traditional publisher. The first part is certainly true, but selling to traditional publishers is...
read more
How to Turn an Idea into a Book – 10 Steps and 3 Phases
Have an idea for a book? Turning an idea into something other people will read and buy involves ten steps in three phases.
read more
Book Editing Associates – Website Redesign
New York, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 09/19/2018 -- Book Editing Associates has been redesigned to make it easier for writers to find book editors by topic or genre. "The site made it easy for me to have access to many experienced editors and then choose the one that best...
read more
Choosing an Independent Book Editor
You need an editor—of that much you are certain. But how can you avoid falling prey to incompetent, untrained, or inexperienced pretenders who may insert more errors than they correct? (Yes, it happens alarmingly often.) And how can you avoid falling prey to the scammers?
read more
Are You Thinking About Self-Publishing?
The business of self-publishing ... Perhaps you have tried to find a publisher and have not succeeded. You are not alone. The reality is that unless you are a celebrity or have a ready-made marketing platform that is guaranteed to sell thousands of books, it is...
read more
Traditional Publishing – First Contact With Acquisitions Editors
Getting Your Foot in the Door In today's tough book business, you can't just write a manuscript, mail it off, and expect a bidding war to start. Chances are that the manuscript will be returned to you without being read. A query letter provides first contact between...
read more
7 Mistakes Amateurs Make That Reveal to Agents They Are Not “Serious” Writers
There’s an enormous mismatch between the number of people who think they have a publishable book and the number of books that are considered publishable by industry professionals. Authors needs to be realistic.
read more
One Thing You Need to Get Traditionally Published: A Hearty Dose of Rejection
I teach an eight-week course in writing picture books, and on week eight, our final class, it's Rejection Night. That's right: this is the evening I bring in my teetering pile of rejection letters (and that doesn't count the email rejections) and my students look...
read more
9 Mistakes that Authors Make—And How to Fix Them
You’re going too fast Every author needs an editor, but authors need to know how to edit themselves too. Carefully evaluate what you’ve written and then go back to improve it. Are you saying everything you have to say? Is your argument clear? Are your characters...
read more
Manuscript Evaluations, Critiques, Line Editing
I'm one of those editors who say that you should never change your book based on what an agent or book-buying editor says would be "a good idea," or "just the thing your story needs" . . . unless that agent or editor says he will represent you, or will put your book...
read more
How Writing Query Letters is Like Dating
It is not as if you and your literary agent are star-crossed lovers, it is that you both seek a similar outcome: the sale of your manuscript, your growth as a writer, a meaningful relationship. Depending on circumstances, any of these scenarios may precede the other....
read more
How to Decide Between Self Publishing and Traditional Publishing
A writer told me, “I think I’ll start out with self publishing because I’m new.” And I thought, “Of course authors get daunted by the prospect of getting published, and don’t know how to start.” There is a story that traditional publication is better. People in power...
read more
The Challenge of Writing Good Fantasy
I read a lot, but it's mostly just for entertainment. It's not often that I tell myself, "Damn, I wish I could write like that!" and start studying someone else's work for pointers. In this essay, I'm going to tell you about someone whose work hit me that way,...
read more
Writing a Book. The All-Important Opening.
Novels that most of us read while in school probably opened very differently than successful novels of today. In the past, an author was allowed the luxury of giving the reader details right away about the main character's past, sometimes even going back to their...
read more
