Saying Good-Bye
Sadly, this month we say good-bye to The Book Doctor, a staple here since Writers and Publishers Network began as SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists, and Writers Network) many years ago.…
Ask the Book Doctor
Why Did You Change My Writing?
by Bobbie Christmas Q: Your track changes on my manuscript show that you want me to delete a lot of words from my manuscript. Why did you make that recommendation?…
Literary Agents
by Bobbie Christmas Q: Do I really need a literary agent if I want to sell my book to a publisher? A: The answer depends on your manuscript. Some publishers—it…
Capital Letters
by Bobbie Christmas Q: When I refer to a specific chapter in my book proposal or in my book, do I capitalize it? For example, when I say, “See Chapter…
Artificial Intelligence
by Bobbie Christmas (and AI) Q: What are your feelings about using artificial intelligence to write a novel? A: I’m intrigued with all the discussions about AI. My opinion is…
What Agents and Publishers Want
by Bobbie Christmas Q: I just received an encouraging response from an agent I queried regarding my manuscript of fiction. The agent is requesting, among other things, a description (approximately…
How to Handle Numbers
by Bobbie Christmas Q: When am I supposed to write out numbers or use the numeral? Do I use the actual number, for example, 5, or do I write five?…
Author Intrusion
by Bobbie Christmas Q: Someone online the other day inquired about a quick, easy way to look up questions about writing. People suggested The Elements of Style by Strunk and…
Style Issues
by Bobbie Christmas Q: What does it mean when a magazine says, “No serial commas, except to avoid confusion.” What are serial commas? A: Also called the Oxford comma, a…
All About Titles
by Bobbie Christmas Q: I’ve written five short stories for children compiled in one book. Each short story has a title and subtitle. The book has a title and subtitle.…