If a literary agent asks for a six-week exclusive window to look at your manuscript, should you grant it? Here's what you should consider.
Brian Klems’ The Writer’s Dig
Free E-book Promotions—Are They Right for You?
If you’re a self-published author, you know it’s an arduous task to get your books noticed, and as the self-publishing industry continues to expand, there is a growing difficulty for authors to stand out. Kindle claims to have close to 4 million e-books in its store, and I’ve heard recent estimates that 40-45% of...
10 Tips for a Successful Book Launch
Events are complex beasts and the devil is in the details, so here are some key pointers to give you the best possible chance for a full house at your book release party.
Writer’s Digest Boston Event: The Well-Sold Story Weekend – March 19-20
Join us March 19-20, 2016, for The Well-Sold Story Weekend, a brand-new Writer's Digest event in Boston with a goal of helping you to not only write a great book but position it for success in today's difficult publishing climate.
Do Your E-Book Right (and Start Making Money) — March 24 Webinar With Jane Friedman
This intensive and information-filled 90-minute webinar gives you a tour of how these sites work and how writers are using them to move their career forward. It all happens at 1 p.m., EST, Thursday, March 24. Sign up here.
Historical Novelist Peter Golden Shares Tips for Transforming Real People Into Fictional Characters
"Writing is a job...and requires the same day-to-day discipline—that is, showing up and getting your work done. I can think of no better advice for writers." While that's his best advice, he has other great tips for writers. Check them out here.
Does a High School Protagonist Mean Your Book is Young Adult?
It was only after contacting agents that I realized that by making my historical novel's lead a high schooler I had created a problem. Here's what I learned.
How to Set a Novel in an Unfamiliar Location
For a fiction writer, weaving a real historical incident into my narrative posed an interesting challenge. Here's what you should know.
6 Things to Consider After You Write Your First Draft
Here are a few things to consider after you’ve written your first love—uh—I mean draft.
Remembering Harper Lee, Author of To Kill a Mockingbird, & Her Famous Writer’s Digest Quote
In honor of the great Harper Lee's passing, we'd like to share her writing advice from the September 1961 Writer's Digest.
5 Reasons You Should Pitch Your Writing to Smaller Markets
Small-circulation publications are often overlooked, but they offer big perks to writers who are willing to reach out.
Should I Pay For A Publicist?
If you are like me, the very words “marketing” and “publicity” exhaust you. Here's what you need to know about hiring a publicist.
What NOT To Do When Writing YA Books (Advice From a Teen Writer)
Want to make your YA characters more like real teenagers? This teenage writer talked to every teen she knows and came up with a list of the top 6 mistakes writers make when writing YA books.
Dealing With Doubt Planters
How often do we allow others to get into our heads, and cause us to question our abilities? Here's how to handle that and push forward with your writing.
How Three Authors Collaborated on One Novel
Learn how multiple authors dealt with the challenges of working together on a novel.
Find Success with Your Query Letter: Getting Beyond Form Letters – Webinar with Carly Watters
In this live 90-minute webinar literary agent Carly Watters will teach you how to deconstruct rejections and more. Plus, as a bonus, Carly will critique your one-page query letter! Details here.
5 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block
Here are five common causes of writer's block and the solutions to get you out of them.
How To Write When You’re A Parent
If you're a parent (or a writer with outside responsibilities), you'll need to find a way to write in an always-changing, consistently disruptive environment. Here's how to do that and reach your writing goals.
Querying 101: Putting Your Best Book Forward – Webinar with Agent Jennifer De Chiara
In this live 90-minute webinar literary agent Jennifer De Chiara will guide you, step by step, in writing the perfect pitch for your book. Plus, she'll critique your query letter. Sign up now.
Bring Diversity to Publishing—and to Your Bookshelf
We invited professor, award-winning author and National Black Writers Conference co-founder Elizabeth Nunez to contribute to the conversation on diversity in publishing. Here's what she had to say.
The New Way to Write Your Life Story: The 10 Themes of Legacy Writing
If you have ever written a high school term essay, you can write your life story. Here are the 10 core legacy themes to help you accomplish it.
How to Write Better Using Humor
It may sound funny, but it’s true: Humor is a great way to hook readers, no matter the subject. Here’s how to write better nonfiction simply by lightening the mood.
A Writer’s Guide to Defamation and Invasion of Privacy
Chances are, you’re not the only character in your book. Here’s what every memoir writer needs to know about invasion of privacy, defamation and the law.
11 Tricks and Mythbusters of Writing
When it comes to writing, like all writers, I’m learning as I go. I was working on White Collar Girl, my fourth novel, I became aware of few crucial things. Let’s just say I debunked some popular writing myths and have learned some valuable tricks that I’d like to now pass along.
How Being a Journalist Can Help You Write a Novel
Whenever I pitched my book to an agent, I was always quick to point out I’d been a reporter for almost two decades. They’d have to take me somewhat seriously because everyone knows journalists can write. Right? If only that were true.