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The Key Differences Between Middle Grade vs Young Adult
Miss your mark with your target audience and you won’t be graduating to the pros. Here’s how to ace the key differences between MG and YA.
8 Unexpected Lessons From Working with a Literary Agent
I had two full manuscripts and one partial out with various interested agents when I got the email. The email that said Stacey read my manuscript and wanted to set up a time to discuss it. I’d been rejected by 14 other agents already, so I wasn’t even sure what that meant. Then I...
How to Plot and Structure Your Novel – AUG 7 WEBINAR WITH Cheryl Klein
In this live 90-minute webinar — titled "How to Plot and Structure Your Novel: Learn Important Principles, Patterns, and Practical Revision Techniques" — editor Cheryl Klein will guide you through the principles that underlie traditional narrative plotting—a framework on which you can build all sorts of variations. You'll learn about the three main types...
How to Sell Your Picture Book
Break into this competitive and growing market with the help of writing tips and inside observations from a leading literary agent.
WD Has Awesome Writers’ Conferences in both NYC and LA in August 2014. The NYC Event Has a 50-Agent Pitch Slam!
As we do each year, Writer's Digest is putting on some awesome (and HUGE) writers conferences on both coasts of the country. These conferences bring together writers from all over the country, and lead to all kinds of good things, like signing with agents, meeting your writer friends for life, keeping your finger on...
Advice for Writers: 3 Keys to Connecting With Young Readers Online
Here are three guiding stars to navigate the ever-changing Web.
4 Things You Should Know About Writing a Cozy Mystery Novel
BY ZAC BISSONNETTE Tales spun with lots of suspense—but no sex or violence—are finding a wide audience of armchair detectives. If you’re considering venturing into cozy-mystery writing, here are four things you should know
7 Steps to Creating a Flexible Outline for Any Story
Mention the word outline in a room full of writers, and you’re sure to ignite a firestorm of passionate debate. Writers either love outlines, or they hate them. We either find them liberating, or we can’t stand how confining they are. Let’s take a look at how to get the most out of the...
The Top 10 Publishing Insiders (& Outsiders) to Follow Online
We've compiled a list of 10 people who are "must-follows" when it comes to getting the inside track on publishing news. We also have a bonus list at the bottom of all the Writer's Digest editors who are online and constantly sharing great tips, advice and news on writing. If you're looking for the...
Do Your E-Book Right (and Start Making Money) — July 31 Webinar With Jane Friedman
The industry has exploded with new and free opportunities to help you publish your work electronically, at little or no cost to you. Learn how to get visibility for your work by using online services that make your work available on major e-reading platforms such as Kindle, Nook, and iPad. This intensive and information-filled...
What Writers Need to Know about the E-book Market
When it comes to a changing marketplace, knowledge is power. Here’s a look at how digital books are changing publishing as we know it—and what that means for you, your writing career, and the future of your work.
How to Finish That Novel
At one time or another, all writers would probably describe themselves as "frustrated" by the writing process. With writer's block, computer malfunctions, Twitter, kids, and Tetris all clamoring for our attention, it's hard to pen a short story, let alone a novel. But if you're serious about writing you'll make it work. Here are...
The Secret To Writing Stronger Feature Articles
BY SCOTT ATKINSON Find the narrative tension hidden in your story, and you can turn a run-of-the-mill assignment into the kind of feature piece that leaves editors—and readers—clamoring for more. Here’s how to do it.
The Keys to Good Science Fiction & Fantasy Storytelling
Writing strong exposition in speculative fiction (or SF, the umbrella term for fantastical fiction genres such as science fiction, fantasy, paranormal and horror) is a balancing act. It’s like watering a plant. Too little water and it dries up and dies; too much water and it rots and drowns. Here's how to get it...
5 Things Writers Should Ask Potential Agents
Here’s a list of the five most crucial questions you should ask any agent before agreeing to join her client list.
Want to Appear in Writer’s Digest? Here’s how.
Have you ever tried to write a book in a month—as part of NaNoWriMo, with a writing group, or just on your own? What was your experience? What were the challenges, and what did you learn as you worked to overcome them? What was the end result? And what’s the best advice you could...
9 Ways to Crack Into Major Markets With Personal Essays
Follow these 9 simple steps for writing what you already know, and you could get your big break—and a paycheck to match—faster than you might think.
How to Be a Writer Literary Agents Want
All agents, admittedly or not, have a wish list—markers that help us determine which writers are primed for our representation. With hundreds of projects flooding our inboxes daily, writers who follow these simple guidelines can catch the eye of an agent and rise like a lotus blossom out of the slush pile. Here’s how...
Will Publishers Buy a 200,000-Word Novel?
You put all your effort in to writing a book and, when finished, it comes out a little longer than most writing guidebooks suggest. Can you still sell that lengthy novel? Here's the answer.
Live Chat with Thriller Writer Steve Berry, June 11, 2014
Booktrib is hosting a live chat with bestselling thriller writer Steve Berry, author of The Lincoln Myth on June 11, 2014, at 1 p.m. Eastern time. The event is sponsored by Writer's Digest. You're welcome to submit questions ahead of time here or just join the chat on Wednesday and ask then.
6 Things to Keep in Mind When Gathering Testimonials/Book Blurbs
Testimonies are a long-established method of spreading the word about our good words. Today more than ever, testimonies are a necessity for your “platform”—incorporation on the front and back covers of your book, in the first pages, and, of course, on your website. Gathering effective testimonies depends on several things. Here are six aspects...
The Passing of Author Jay Lake
Award-winning author and friend of Writer's Digest Jay Lake passed away after a long battle with cancer. Our very own WD Books Editor James Duncan pays tribute to Lake and his legacy here.
The 12 Steps of Queryers Anonymous
BY AYA DE LEON Querying have you down? Know that you're not alone. Follow these steps to help you get through the emotionally exciting (yet tough) process of querying agents.
Reading Selection of the Month: The Hollow Girl by Reed Farrel Coleman
Tyrus Books, a member of the Writer’s Digest publishing family, announced the launch of The Hollow Girl—the final book in its popular Moe Prager series, written by Reed Farrel Coleman. If you’re a fan of crime fiction, check it out. Here are some of the reviews that have been popping up, including positive remarks...