Business of Writing

Anthropic Settlement Update: 91.3 Percent of Books Claimed in Settlement

May 4, 2026

The high rate of claim means the forecasts of a bigger payout based on the March 19 report of 54 percent will not happen. The actual payout will likely end…

Promote You and Your Historic Novels with The Historic Traveler

May 4, 2026

The Historic Traveler is a unique online destination for history lovers offering posted articles, an e-magazine, and carefully curated recommendations for historic novels, biographies, films, museums, and more. We attract…

My First Library Talk

March 29, 2026

My debut novel received mild acclaim and wound up in several libraries. I thought of hauling a lawn chair into the local library to sit by my book all day,…

Getting Blurbs for Your Book

March 2, 2026

When the edited manuscript is ready, request from these new “famous friends” if they will write a blurb. If you write nonfiction, send it to other well-known experts or scholars…

You Want to Do a Newsletter?

March 2, 2026

by Mary Reed So you've decided to issue a newsletter, a useful promotional tool available to all writers with the coming of the internet. Now the question to be settled…

Elyse Myers Faces Backlash for Commenting on a Negative Review of Her Book

January 2, 2026

https://cafemom.com/entertainment/elyse-myers-backlash-commenting-negative-review-of-book Her response was respectful and in line with what she was used to doing as an influencer. Book people say she crossed the line between readers and writers. Influencer,…

Chasing Rainbows

December 1, 2025

by Ray Tabler Recently, I was at an author’s event at a local library. About 20 local writers were there, displaying their works and meeting fans. There was a festive…

The Care and Feeding of Heresy

September 30, 2025

by Ray Tabler There are no limits upon the writing of science fiction and fantasy. Any crazy, improbable, even impossible situation the human mind can conceive is fair game. The…

Author’s Corner – Doing It Together by Ed Mickolus

September 1, 2025

Sometimes you have a great idea for a book, but you know that you’re not the right writer to bring it to fruition, due to limitations of, say, your skill…

Author’s Corner: Managing Marketing Departments – Dusting Your Dust Jacket

August 1, 2025

by Ed Mickolus You put together your first book. You polished it through a dozen drafts, shared it with colleagues and experts, researched the market, obtained representation, shepherded it through…

Book Covers Using Stock Images

August 1, 2025

by Diana Hurwitz If you decide to design your own cover, you must understand licensing for images. Just because you can find an image on the internet or through a…

Read Widely, but Also in Your Field

July 2, 2025

by Ed Mickolus Different perspectives on problem-solving can assist you in looking at an issue differently, and adapting those insights into your solutions. It’s also important to keep up…

My Publishing Journey: Above and Beyond

July 1, 2025

by Lynn Varon It starts with a stack of faded typewritten pages, hand-lettered charts, and muddy photocopied images, the result of decades of research and translation completed by my mother-in-law’s…

My Second ShortCon

July 1, 2025

by Tom Milani The second annual ShortCon was held on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at Elaine’s Restaurant in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. I attended last year’s inaugural event and liked…

7 Ways to Repurpose Your Book’s Content to Earn Even More Money

July 1, 2025

From Sandra Beckwith Start by choosing one repurposing idea that makes sense for your book and audience. Not only can it bring in additional income, but it also helps you…

FOX PAWS — and other grammar goofs you want to avoid

June 1, 2025

by Flo Selfman In years past, people such as baseball great Yogi Berra and comedian Norm Crosby were famous for distorting the English language in their own inimitable ways. Berra…

Purr-fect Planning: Your Quick Guide to Organizing a Regional Retreat

June 1, 2025

by Dusty Rainbolt Cat Writers’ Association formed as a kitten organization in 1992. A few years later, we started to hold national conferences so members could gather, learn from…

Character Bibles – How to Easily Maintain Flawless Character Consistency

June 1, 2025

by Ed Mickolus Among the more embarrassing things that can happen to a fiction writer are unintended changes in a character. These can include physical discrepancies (the protagonist has…

Author’s Corner

May 5, 2025

By Ed Mickolus This article originally appeared in Mensana, the newsletter of the North East Florida Chapter of Mensa. Reprinted with permission. Why are you considering writing? As the designated…

What’s your Zoom-i-quette? Or, did I just get photobombed by my cat?

May 5, 2025

by Flo Selfman Want to know more about Flo? Check the YouTube video link in her bio below. Two useful offshoots of the recent pandemic that are likely here to…

From the Glass Ceiling – Through the Looking Glass! The Red Queen Effect Strikes Again!

April 1, 2025

By Pamela Ebel “Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else you…

Writers Need Writers

March 1, 2025

by Kathleen Marple Kalb One of the best investments you can make in your career is dues for professional groups. Which specific group depends on your genre, but every writer…

Coloring Outside the Lines:

January 1, 2025

Depression, the Value of Art, the Responsibility of the Artist to Society, and the Responsibility of Society to the Artist by Eric Schumacher, reprinted with permission, FlapperPress.com I’ve had…

Don’t know how to format a manuscript?

October 1, 2024

Tips from Michael Bracken, an editor mentioned in The October Publishing Game William Shunn offers two samples: the “modern” version and the “classic.” Note that Shunn didn’t create this out…

Writers Who Lunch? Not!

October 1, 2024

by Pamela Ebel "People should be interested in books, not their authors!"—Agatha Christie In August of last year, I was one of five speakers, one man and four women, on…

Removing the Fat: Meeting Word Limits

October 1, 2024

by Arthur Vidro, from the Summer 2017 issue of Calliope, reprinted with permission. In the 1980s, I was fortunate to work as part of the copy-editing team at a national…

So You Wrote the Book, Now What?

October 1, 2024

by Kathleen Marple Kalb, reprinted with permission Sooner or later, you’re going to get an online assault. It may come as a one-star review from someone who informs you that…

Don’t Say It Twice, Don’t Say It Twice

September 1, 2024

by Arthur Vidro, from the Winter 2023 issue of Calliope, reprinted with permission. As a child I attended a free summertime performance at an outdoor public skating rink of You’re…

Bad Writing Advice

August 1, 2024

by Michael Bracken, reprinted with permission, SleuthSayers.com Recently, I talked to a writer who felt overwhelmed. She sought advice about accomplishing all the projects she committed to while taking advantage…

When NOT to Seek an Editor

August 1, 2024

by Arthur Vidro, reprinted with permission, Calliope (ISSN 2691-1388) Sometimes, it’s better to delay or forgo hiring an editor. You might be a professional-caliber editor and capable of editing your…

Benefits of a Writers Conference—Four Pieces of Advice

June 1, 2024

by W. Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin) As a professional writer I’ve found many benefits from attending a writers' conference. I consider these events a personal investment. Attending for a full day…

Book and eBook Lengths are Changing

May 31, 2024

by Dave Chesson, Your Book Trend Watchdog, and Kindlepreneur founder At Kindlepreneur, we’ve dug into Amazon trends and found something you'll want to check out. I was surprised when my…

You Want It All, But You Can’t Have It: Parenting. Work. Travel. Success. Impossible?

February 1, 2024

By Zibby Owens, Reprinted with permission It’s 11:00 p.m. and I’m still sitting on my son’s bed after I put him to bed. I’m in the dark, the only sound…

Authors, you need to have the original files for your book

January 1, 2024

By Kathleen Kaiser One of the biggest mistakes I've found when working with self-published authors is that they don't have the original high-resolution PDF for their book's interior or the…

The Logistics of Touring Part IV–A Day in the Life

November 1, 2023

by Mark Parsons Click here if you missed Part III. There is the theory of and the planning of, but sooner or later you face the doing of. A typical…

What to know about AI in 2023

October 1, 2023

by Eric Hauch This was the year that artificial intelligence went tete-a-tete with human writers. While AI has been around for years, the introduction of ChatGPT introduced an automated process…

The Logistics of Touring Part III – Promotion & Product

October 1, 2023

by Mark Parsons Click here if you missed Part II. “If you build it, they will come” doesn’t apply to in-store events. It’s more like “If you build it—and tell…

The Logistics of Touring aka Part II – Making it Happen

September 1, 2023

by Mark Parsons Click here if you missed Part I. Last time we discussed the overall steps in setting up a book tour. Let’s look at some of the important…

The Logistics of Touring aka Part I – Planning the Tour

August 1, 2023

by Mark Parsons We’ve gone on three different book tours within the past year. First for my wife’s newest book, The Peach Rebellion, last May, then for my latest, The…

Is Stratton Press a publishing predator? Here’s everything you need to know

April 1, 2023

by Sandra Beckwith Posted March 22, 2023 Reprinted with permission I received an interesting voicemail message earlier this month. “Hi Sandra, this is Ann and I’m calling from Stratton Direct.…

Lessons Learned in ‘The Business’ in 2022

March 1, 2023

by Gabriel Valjan, reprinted with permission, first appeared on Criminal Minds Now that 2022 is well and truly “in the books” (!) did you learn any business tips you can…

Understanding Your Digital Afterlife—Why You Should Name a Digital Asset Executor

February 1, 2023

by Mary Brook, Senior Lifestyle Specialist If you're a baby boomer or older adult, many of you have already prepared a will and trust as part of your overall estate…

No One Wants to Hear You Breathe

June 30, 2022

by Gabi Coatsworth First published at BookLife.com and reprinted with permission An author gets a crash course in narrating her own audiobook I’ve noticed that most memoir writers who decide…

Publishing Contracts 101: Beware Internal Contradictions

June 30, 2022

by Victoria-Strauss for Writer Beware® June 10, 2022, reprinted with permission It should probably go without saying that you don’t want your publishing contract to include clauses that contradict one…

9 Ways Authors Use Crowdfunding Platforms to Reward Readers

May 31, 2022

by Shailee Shah, reprinted with permission Crowdfunding has become an increasingly popular way for artists, entrepreneurs, and other creators to finance their projects and engage their fans. As evidenced by…

The Worst Writing Advice I’ve Ever Gotten

May 1, 2022

by Connie Berry reprinted with permission, first appeared in Writers Who Kill blog. Aspiring authors usually seek advice from those who have achieved success. Ten years ago my big question…

Trouble with a client? Vent here!

July 31, 2021

Details for submitting your story to Per Our Last Email Podcast. The goal of the podcast is to share stories from freelancers in order to laugh together about mishaps, commiserate…

What Is Kindle Vella?

April 30, 2021

By Dave Chesson, Kindlepreneur As many of you might have heard, Amazon just announced the Kindle Vella system. A quick recap of this: New system that sells novellas called episodes…

The Benefits of Being a Writer

March 31, 2021

by Marilyn Levinson Writing mysteries is wonderful for my health. Well, sure, I do a lot of sitting around, but I counter the bad effects of that by getting up…

My Writing Life: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways

January 30, 2021

by Patricia Fry In honor of Valentine’s Day I’ll attempt to capture the elements of my career, which has kept me happily writing for forty-eight years. In 1973 I began…

More Impact for WPN Changemaker Authors!

December 31, 2020

Changemaker Collaboration Circle Unites Authors, Speakers, Leaders, Experts, Coaches, Filmmakers & Entrepreneurs in a Facebook Group to Foster Interaction, Client Attraction, Mutual Support and Goodwill by Jackie Lapin Changemakers who…

Industry Must Do Now to Prevent Harassment and Other Toxic Misconduct

July 31, 2020

By Paula Brantner Has this ever happened to you? You attend a professional conference, and at one of the networking events you strike up a conversation with another conference attendee.…

Nine Things to Consider About Writing Contests

February 1, 2020

by Kimberly Davis Basso Trying to get your work to stand out is a daunting prospect, what with more than four thousand books published daily. And there seem to be…

The Writing Game on Steroids

November 7, 2019

by Patricia Fry For a professional writer, more words mean more money. So the goal for some writers is to write faster. And that’s okay if you can handle the…

Getting Paid…Or Not

November 6, 2019

by Barbara Florio Graham I received the first payment for my writing at age nine. Humpty Dumpty magazine paid me $5 and a free year's subscription for a poem. Two…

Co-writing! It’s a Trend!

September 30, 2019

by Terrie Moran and Laura Childs You may have noticed that co-writing has become a well-established practice within the mystery community. Think of Clive Cussler, W.E. B. Griffin, James Patterson.…

Book Piracy Hackers Now Use Catfishing to Target Unsuspecting Readers

August 31, 2019

by Rhonda Rees I perused the most-persuasive-words in the English language lists, FREE came up about every time. Not surprising, as many people reacting to this word become excited when…

Tame Your Negative Beliefs

July 31, 2019

by Michele Vosberg, Ph.D. Reprinted with permission. Do you ever let negative beliefs about yourself color your future actions? If so, you are in good company. Negativity bias is strong,…

Ten Tips for Surviving a Writers Conference as an Introvert

June 30, 2019

by Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer Whether we’re giving a reading to a small club or attending a huge conference, these occasions can feel more arduous than facing a three-headed cat-dragon…

What's Wrong with Your Book?

March 31, 2019

by Barbara Florio Graham As a publishing consultant I'm often contacted by authors who feel stuck, either because they can't finish their book, or because it's been published but isn't…

Why Contests?

March 31, 2019

by C. Hope Clark Why contests? I could be facetious and say why not, but I want you to truly feel the reasons why contests are so good for you…

When the Tail Wags the Dog

January 31, 2019

by Mari Barnes The Facebook page reads “Adventures in Reading—formerly Flying Turtle Publishing.” That’s accurate for Facebook, but it’s not the whole story. I used that Facebook page to build…

Why Bother Attending Conferences?

November 30, 2018

by Bobbie Christmas More than 600 people gathered in Altamonte Springs outside of Orlando, Florida, in October, and I proudly walked among them. For the seventeenth consecutive year the Florida…

Using Writing Skills to Develop a Company

October 30, 2018

by Wendy Dager With three decades of writing behind me, including a long stint as a stringer/freelancer for a newspaper, I felt time had come for something new. Vintage has…

Dealing with Difficult Clients

August 31, 2018

by Barbara Florio Graham Since one of my areas of expertise is reviewing book contracts for clients, I think I know how to avoid most pitfalls. But a couple of…

GDPR for Indie Authors

May 31, 2018

by Penny Sansevieri If you are US-based and wondering what the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) act has to do with you, you definitely need to read this. Because,…

Bobbie’s Bill of Writes #17 through #20 in a series )Final Installment)

May 1, 2018

by Bobbie Christmas I devoted an entire chapter to my Bill of Writes for writers in my seven-award-winning book on creative writing titled Write In Style: How to Use Your…

Talking Books for the Impaired

March 31, 2018

by C. Hope Clark As the traditionally published author of eight novels, I’m periodically asked to do podcasts, radio shows, and online classes for Writer’s Digest. Turns out I have…

Bobbie’s Bill of Writes #14, #15, and #16 in a series

March 31, 2018

by Bobbie Christmas I devoted an entire chapter to my Bill of Writes for writers in my seven-award-winning book on creative writing titled Write In Style: How to Use Your…

Bobbie’s Bill of Writes #11, #12, and #13 in a series

February 28, 2018

by Bobbie Christmas I devoted an entire chapter to my Bill of Writes for writers in my seven-award-winning book on creative writing titled Write In Style: How to Use Your…

Visibility: The Key to Selling More Books

January 28, 2018

by Jackie Lapin Today, the fastest and most effective way to create the massive visibility that sells books is through speaking, radio shows/podcasts, and virtual summits. You need to be…

Bobbie’s Bill of Writes #9 and #10 in a series

January 26, 2018

by Bobbie Christmas I devoted an entire chapter to my Bill of Writes for writers in my seven-award-winning book on creative writing titled Write In Style: How to Use Your…

Bobbie’s Bill of Writes #7 and #8 in a series

December 28, 2017

by Bobbie Christmas I devoted an entire chapter to my Bill of Writes for writers in my seven-award-winning book on creative writing titled Write In Style: How to Use Your…

Complying with Anti-Spam Legislation

November 30, 2017

by Barbara Florio Graham Canada’s anti-spam legislation came into effect on July 1, 2014. The law generally prohibits individuals and businesses from sending commercial email to Canadians without their consent.…

Bobbie’s Bill of Writes # 6 in a series: Setting Goals

November 30, 2017

by Bobbie Christmas I devoted an entire chapter to my Bill of Writes for writers in my seven-award-winning book on creative writing titled Write In Style: How to Use Your…

How to Write a Book: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Steps (Part 5)

November 30, 2017

15. Fill your story with conflict and tension Your reader craves conflict, and yes, this applies to nonfiction readers as well. In a novel, if everything is going well and…

Bobbie’s Bill of Writes #5 in a series: Writing Equipment

November 3, 2017

by Bobbie Christmas I devoted an entire chapter to my Bill of Writes for writers in my seven-award-winning book on creative writing titled Write In Style: How to Use Your…

How to Write a Book: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Steps (Part 4)

November 2, 2017

12: Think reader first This is so important that that you should write it on a sticky note and affix it to your monitor so you’re reminded of it every…

Bobbie’s Bill of Writes # 4 in a series: A WRITING PLACE

September 29, 2017

by Bobbie Christmas I devoted an entire chapter to my Bill of Writes for writers in my seven-award-winning book on creative writing titled Write In Style: How to Use Your…

How to Write a Book: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Steps (Part 3)

September 29, 2017

Part 9. Eliminate distractions to stay focused by Jerry Jenkins Are you as easily distracted as I am? Have you found yourself writing a sentence and then checking your email?…

Bobbie’s Bill of Writes #3 in a series TIME ALONE

September 2, 2017

by Bobbie Christmas I devoted an entire chapter to my Bill of Writes for writers in my seven-award-winning book on creative writing titled Write In Style: How to Use Your…

How to Write a Book: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Steps (Part 2)

September 2, 2017

4. Settle on your BIG idea by Jerry Jenkins To be book-worthy, your idea has to be killer. You need to write something about which you’re passionate—something that gets you…

How to Write a Book: Everything You Need to Know in 20 Steps

August 1, 2017

by Jerry Jenkins (Serialized) Part One: Before You Begin You’ll never regret—in fact, you’ll thank yourself later for—investing the time necessary to prepare for such a monumental task. You wouldn’t…

Clearing the Clutter

July 31, 2017

by Barbara Florio Graham As a busy writer, consultant, and mentor, my office is cluttered with files. I'm often dealing with many different clients at the same time, and I'm…

I Don't Know Art but I Know I Like Vintage Purses How This Writer Became a Museum Curator

July 3, 2017

by Wendy Dager The imaginary handwriting was on the virtual wall. Or more precisely, the end of days for traditional newspapers began as soon as social media became the preferred…

Bobbie’s Bill of Writes

July 3, 2017

by Bobbie Christmas When I speak to writers, at times I sense their angst. Some feel embarrassed to admit they are writers, as if being a writer were a disease…

How to Pick the Right Editor

April 30, 2017

by Bobbi Christmas Every book should be edited, but well-qualified book editors don’t come cheap, the process takes weeks, and many editors require payment in advance. We’ve probably all heard…

You May Not Need an Agent

April 21, 2017

by Barbara Florio Graham Most authors dream about having an agent who will find a top publisher, negotiate a terrific contract, and provide guidance through a successful career. Agents, unfortunately,…

Starting From Scratch as a Writer

March 31, 2017

by Ruth Hill There are several growth stages in being a writer. Secretly, writers can write anything they want, but then, what to do with it? If the writing is…

Email Efficiency and Safety

March 27, 2017

by Barbara Florio Graham A friend and I were reminiscing recently about the early days of email. We were members of a writing group who joined one of the earliest…

Six Truths About Anthologies

March 1, 2017

by Barbara Florio Graham I'm using the term “anthology” to cover all kinds of books you may contribute to, but you aren't the primary writer or co-writer. There are a…

Editing Nightmares

November 30, 2016

by Barbara Florio Graham I don't review many books, but recently a friend approached me. He needed a review for his local newspaper in advance of several book signings. A…

The Adult Coloring Book Craze

September 27, 2016

by Sandra Murphy Publishers Weekly reported sales in 2015 of 1.75 million copies of the ten best-selling adult coloring books, through November. Coloring books allow users to be creative without…

The Real Costs of Self-Publishing

April 30, 2016

by Linda Formichelli Self-publishing consists of whipping out a manuscript and sticking it up on Amazon, right? After all, self-publishing is all about doing it yourself! Who needs to hire…

Your Pen or Mine

September 28, 2015

by Barbara Hunter and Catina Williams When we tell other authors we are collaborating on a book series, the response is astonishment. Suddenly, no one is interested in what we…

Commit: How to Blast Through Problems and Meet Your Goals through Massive Action

February 28, 2015

by Linda Formichelli Commit is taking massive action to solve a problem or reach a goal. It’s pretty much the opposite of the baby-steps approach. When you Commit, you do…

Should You Use a Pseudonym?

January 7, 2015

by Moira Allen As a writer, you naturally want to make a name for yourself. But what if that name isn’t the one you were born with? Writing under pseudonyms…

How to Gain Control Over Your Freelancing Life

January 2, 2015

by Linda Formichelli When we sense our life is out of our control, we tend to feel anxious, worried, and depressed, and our motivation suffers. We feel as if life…

Love Yourself, Love Your Wealth, Top-Ten Magic Manifesting Tips

December 22, 2014

by Teresa Maron Have you ever thought about what true abundance feels like? Most of us have felt that delicious feeling of complete comfort and joy, but what does it…

Around the World and Back Again

March 5, 2014

by C. Hope Clark Most readers think I began writing nonfiction, and then branched into fiction. I have no idea which I wrote first, but it doesn’t matter. A real…

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