A major conundrum that trips up many new writers is defining your target audience before you have any actual readers. Dana Sitar explains how to identify them.
Patreon offers creatives a more sustainable model for crowdfunding—ongoing micro-payments from interested benefactors.
If you want to write a book, for whatever reason, it’s important to know what kind of author you actually want to be so you know what strategy to use to sell books. Vickie Gould explains the difference and why it matters.
If you're an author, aspiring novelist, freelance writer or small publisher who wants to expand your readership, improve your business prospects and earn more from your writing, join us this September at indieLAB, an all-new event from Writer's Digest.
When launching a book, your job is to find readers, engage with readers, write good books, and sell the heck out of said book(s). Here are a few rules from the business world that will make the investment of time and energy worth your while.
When contemplating whether to pen something potentially controversial, your best defense is knowing when your work is protected and when it crosses the line. While libel laws vary from state to state, there are general principles you can rely upon.
Here, we talk with writers who have taken big writing career risks and how those risks paid off—along with what they learned along the way.
Do you ever worry that getting published—that worrying about the business of writing—might sully the purity of your artistic expression and dampen your passion for the craft? Many writers struggle with the concessions required of the publication process, but you needn't fear them; it's all part of the experience.
In a competitive industry, it’s easy to feel like publishers hold all the power. But the truth is they need good content—and writers have a right to not be fleeced. Here are some situations when the best option just might be to walk away from that book contract or that freelance writing job.
This year, to accompany our annual list of 101 Best Websites for Writers, we decided to put together a list of what we think are the best podcasts for writers. Here are our favorites—let us know if you have any additional suggestions!
How do individual writers, with unique styles and voices, come together to produce a cohesive novel with seamless prose? Here are 10 things you need to know when attempting to write collaboratively.
Industry veterans Jody Rein and Michael Larsen share an excerpt from their new book, How to Write a Book Proposal 5th Edition, about the preferred order for drafting a book proposal.
There’s a big difference between landing one or two gigs and making a career of ghostwriting—or any kind of writing, for that matter. Use this plan for long-term, full-time success.
With a few simple, inexpensive tricks, you can turn any area—no matter how small, and even if you write in a coffee shop or other public place—into a crucible for creativity.
Like a dream book publicist, Facebook has helped me in many ways. Here's how it can help you as a writer.
There are so many ways to get the word out about your book starting with your own community. Here are a number of strategies for you to use to promote your book.
From the moment you touch fingers to keyboard or pen to paper, you dream of this moment. Here's what it's like when it finally happens.
A literary agent shares a real-life novel pitch that ultimately led to a book deal—and shows you how to query your own work with success.
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.
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.
Writing conferences offer valuable chances to meet face-to-face with agents—but in the heat of the moment, nerves can get the best of even the most confident writers. Here are 5 steps to coming out on top.
Query letter writing is no doubt one of the hardest forms of writing to master. Here's what agents and publishers need to see from you when you pitch your work.
First-time author Diane Kelly offers 4 strategies to connect with editors and sell your manuscript—without an agent.