How To Design a Professional Ebook for Free
Discover the three major steps and a slew of free tools to help you format and design an ebook from start to finish, no design skills necessary.
Case Study: How Self-Publishing Led Author Jonathan French to Hybrid Success
Jonathan French's approach to self-publishing played an important role in how editors and agents perceived his book, and persuaded French to reevaluate his perspective on how authors can, and should, break into print.
5 Things to Consider Before Publishing Your Book
After pouring everything you had into your story, IngramSpark encourages you not to lose momentum and to consider prepping that book for publication. Here are some tips to make sure you set your book up for success.
Finding the Right Publishing Path for Your Book
Ricardo Fayet explores all the options available to authors and help you decide what the best one is for your book.
Marketing & Sales Perspectives for Indie Authors
I’ve considered myself a professional writer for a little over three years now, and I’ve learned a great deal about the publishing industry in that time. Much of how I think and what I do as an independently published author parallels the experiences of my traditionally published friends, but there are...
Why EVERY Writer Is a “Writer for Hire”
I’m in the midst of potty-training my toddler, so when I awoke this morning, in the dark dawn before my alarm, to the sound of her screaming “POO!”—well, needless to say I jumped out of bed a smidge faster than I usually do. “POO!” she screeched as my fingers scrambled across...
5 Steps to Surviving Your Copy Edit
You might think that editors who are also writers aren’t at all bothered by being edited. The truth? We understand the importance of being edited probably more than some other writers. We also know going in how key it is to choose our battles, and might feel more comfortable deferring to an...
DEADLINE JUNE 6: WD’s Self-Published Book Awards
This week is your last chance to enter the premier self-published competition exclusively for self-published books. Writer’s Digest hosts the 24th annual self-published competition–the Annual Self-Published Book Awards. This self-published competition, co-sponsored by Book Marketing Works, LLC spotlights today’s self-published works and honors self-published authors. Don’t miss your chance to...
Extended Interview with WD’s Self-Published e-Book Awards Winner
Eleven Regrets by Mel Anderson is the grand-prize winning entry in the 3rd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published e-Book Awards. It bested more than 725 entries across eight categories to take home a prize package that includes $5,000 and trip to the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City. For complete coverage of...
3rd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published e-Book Awards Winners
Writer’s Digest would like to congratulate the winners of the 3rd Annual Self-Published e-Book Awards. For complete coverage of the awards, see the May/June 2016 issue of Writer’s Digest. For an extended interview with grand-prize winner Mel Anderson, click here. Grand Prize Eleven Regrets by Mel Anderson ($9.95 Kindle; Kindle Unlimited; $16.95 Paperback),...
What You Can Do Now to Master the Business of Writing
Even without knowing you (yes, you! hello there), I can say that we put together the “Master the Business of Writing” package for the February 2016 Writer’s Digest with you in mind. Because whether you’re an aspiring author, a midlist novelist or a freelancer looking for bigger paychecks, this issue will...
5 Things I Wish I Would Have Known Before Self-Publishing
Dela, author of 2014 novel THE 52ND, shares five things she wish she knew before deciding to self-publish her debut novel.
A Book in 30 Days: What Writers Can Learn From Rapid Publishing
BY AMANDA L. BARBARA The Internet has brought about a new age of experimentation in publishing, and stepping into the literary laboratory is the prolific storytelling duo, Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant. The authors’ recent project, “Fiction Unboxed,” was a crowdfunded experiment in writing and publishing a book live in...
Create an e-Anthology to Show Off Your Body of Work
BY DAVID WOLMAN Bad news first. That page on your website so lovingly curated and carefully updated with links to your published work? No one reads it. OK, maybe your Mom and an editor who wants to see samples of previous work, but no one else. That doesn’t mean you aren’t...
Enter Your Self-Published Book and Launch Your Career
Writer’s Digest wants to recognize the hard work that you have been putting into your book. That’s why, every year, we look for the best from authors in their self-publishing ventures. Whether you’re a professional writer, a part-time freelancer, or a self-starter, WD is looking for self-published books for the 22nd...
“Publishing Agnosticism”—What It Is, Why It’s Important, and What It Means for Authors
BY EVE BRIDBURG, Executive Director of GrubStreet The first time I heard the term “publishing agnostic” was in November of 2011 at the Park Plaza hotel in Boston. Barry Eisler used it during a talk he gave to the GrubStreet community as part of our NEA-funded Publish it Forward series. He...
The Why and How of Self-Publishing
The following is a guest post from the grand prize winner of our 1st Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published e-Book Awards (featured in InkWell in the May/June 2014 issue of Writer’s Digest). Judith Gille is the founder and owner of City People’s stores in Seattle, but her passion is writing about Mexican...
21st Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards Winners
Writer’s Digest would like to congratulate the winners of the 21st Annual Self-Published Book Awards! GRAND PRIZE Zero Chance of Passage: The Pioneering Charter School Story by Ember Reichgott Junge ($20). Beaver’s Pond Press and Charter Schools Development Corporation. Email: ember@visi.com. Web: zerochanceofpassage.com. CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS First Place: Gertrude’s Green Hat by...
Online Exclusive: Extended Q&A with Ember Reichgott Junge
Ember Reichgott Junge, the grand prize winner of WD’s 21st Annual Self-Published Book Awards, has had a fascinating career in politics and legislation. Her book Zero Chance of Passage: The Pioneering Charter School Story wowed the WD staff and judges, as well as several other national competitions. Below is an extended conversation...
How to Become a Kick-Ass Writer
If you haven’t yet read, met, or followed the career of Chuck Wendig, you’re in for a treat. I’ve had the great pleasure of following Chuck’s blog at terribleminds.com for a couple of years now, and the writing advice he offers is some of the best—as well as some of the...
Should I Self-Publish? – Part Three
If you’ve followed this series, you’ll notice that: a) I think most writers have a project that would make for a fun and possibly profitable self-published book, and b) Creating a successful self-published book will require a fair amount of design and technical skills, either your own or someone else’s. I...
Should I Self-Publish? – Part Two
In the previous post in this series, I discussed how we each have a great project buried in our computers, notebooks, or desk drawers that would make for a fun self-publishing project as opposed to a traditionally published book. Some things just weren’t meant for Random House. And while the small...
Should I Self-Publish? – Part One
The big dream since childhood—shared by so many fellow writers of all ages—was to walk into a bookstore (perhaps a bookstore that I owned—bonus dream!) and find a novel with my name on the cover gracing a column of shelves with eager hands reaching upward to pluck a copy and buy...
3 Surprising Lessons About Publishing Today
With the newsstand release of every new edition of Writer’s Digest magazine, I typically share a few of the best tips relating to the issue’s cover theme here. But in compiling our February 2013 issue—focused on innovative ways to Make Money Writing and featuring an unexpected WD Interview subject—I found that...