Debut Author Interview: Helen Hoang, Author of The Kiss Quotient
We spoke to Helen Hoang about her debut romance, The Kiss Quotient, in our September issue and since the novel’s release, it’s generated buzz from The New York Times, Bustle, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Publishers Weekly and more. Read an interview with Hoang.
On Writing and Skinny Dipping: The Importance of Writing Personal and Realistic Fiction
Debut novelist Helen Hoang discusses the importance of writing personal and realistic fiction.
Nothing Wasted: Interview with Tomi Adeyemi, Author of ‘Children of Blood and Bone’
In our "Breaking In" column in Writer's Digest magazine, we talk with debut authors—such as Tomi Adeyemi, San Diego-based author of Children of Blood and Bone—about how they did it, what they learned and why you can do it, too. This is an extended interview with Adeyemi, who appeared in the February 2018...
9 Tips for Writing & Targeting Your Nonfiction Book Proposal
Douglas Haynes shares nine tips for writing and targeting a book proposal, based on his experience crafting more than thirty drafts of the proposal for his debut book.
5 Tips for Writing Appealing Characters
An appealing protagonist (or villain!) gives readers someone to root for, but appealing characters are not the same thing as perfect characters. Characters that never make mistakes and have lives without incident are not only boring, they are the quickest way to turn-off your readers. Column by Emily Littlejohn, author of INHERIT THE...
7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Pamela Wechsler
Pamela Wechsler, author of MISSION HILL (May 3, 2016, Minotaur Books), shares the 7 most valuable lessons she's learned during her writing career.
How I Got My Literary Agent: Amber Brock
Amber Brock, author of debut novel A FINE IMITATION (May 3, 2016, Crown), shares her long journey to representation and eventual publication.
10 Tips on Landing an Agent at a Writers’ Conference
When I was ready to seek representation, I chose not to approach agents in the usual way—by email query—even though most agents prefer that method. I wanted to get a face-to-face impression of my future agent’s personality and communication style, so I decided to attend writers’ conferences. Over six months, I...
How Do You Know When You’re Ready to Submit?
If you’re even pondering this question, chances are you need to slow your roll. I get it—you’re excited, you’ve worked really hard, your mom likes it, you’re worried someone else is going to beat you to the punch with a similar idea, your particular genre is really hot right now, you...
How to Write for Writer’s Digest (… Even if You’ve Never Written for Magazines Before)
Yesterday we updated the Submission Guidelines for Writer’s Digest magazine (just some routine tidying—adjusting links, adding a couple sections, overanalytically tweaking a word here and there, then immediately changing it back, etc.). Which got me thinking. A few years back I did what I wish more editors would do—I wrote about...