Most writers have journaled at some point. Perhaps your practice has been pushed aside by life’s everyday demands, a main writing project, and/or a day job. Recently, I researched journaling books while…
I’ve lost track of the number of authors I’ve heard from who waited until their e-book was available on Amazon or they had boxes of books stacked in a corner before they started thinking about…
There's a version of today where you open your Meta Ads Manager, nothing looks wrong, and you keep spending. The campaigns are running. The numbers are moving. Everything looks fine. It's not. Meta retired…
For many self-published authors and small publishers, getting their books into libraries can feel like an elusive goal. Public libraries are a lucrative market, but authors are often in the…
Letter from the outgoing President Kathleen Kaiser Twelve years ago, Patricia Fry asked if I would take over as president of this organization. She was busy writing cozy mysteries and…
I remember, in a slightly slower world, when abbreviations were unusual enough that they stood out and we knew what they stood for. Most were written with periods (F.B.I.), as…
You can do all the complex and intricate worldbuilding you want. You can have civilizations developed, with customs, languages, and characters. And you will fall on your face as a…
Reprinted with permission. Did you put a lot of time and emotional energy into your book launch? Did you pour your heart, soul, and dreams into announcing your book to…
This article originally appeared in Mensana, the newsletter of the North East Florida Chapter of Mensa. Reprinted with permission. Just thinking about writing books, novellas, or long articles can be…
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 is what type…
The question most often asked of writers is, “Where do you get your ideas?” Novel writers are lucky. They don’t need to come up with a new idea more than…
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…
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…
In most areas, the cold weather has moved on. Although tornados and thunderstorms may be headed our way, in between, the weather is warming and it encourages us to step…
At three months out from your launch, it’s time to design your print collateral—but not print it yet. That restraint matters. A strong review, endorsement, or award may still come…
Your fantasy or science fiction world needs to be grounded in reality. You need to give as detailed a map as possible, or as you need to carry the storyline.…
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,…
Last month, we looked at why you might want to write prolifically and how to start thinking about time management. Having multiple projects going simultaneously keeps your writing and creative…
It’s Spring, and along with a seemingly endless list of holidays, you may want to squeeze a book festival or two in between all the festivities. Whether you’re attending online…
So far, this year has been a mixed one – snow, ice, followed by temps in the 70s, tornadoes (two so far), and spring allergies I’ve avoided for the last…
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…
In designing your world, you are going to be confronted with the need to deal with sex and sexuality, ethics, mores, customs and how your characters react in sexually charged…
Sandra Murphy, Editor If you’d like to write a guest post for the newsletter, send an email to editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com with ideas for articles. Don’t send the full article—we want to…
by Heidi Hunter Research is one of the most powerful tools in a novelist’s toolbox, helping your story feel authentic, your characters believable, and your world fully realized. It’s also…
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…
by Ed Mickolus As promised, this month we’ll look at techniques you can use to be(come) a prolific writer. Let’s get back to you again. Write down: What you write…
by Walt Boyes In designing your world, you are going to be confronted with the need to deal with sex and sexuality, ethics, mores, customs and how your characters react…
Sandra Murphy, Editor If you’d like to write a guest post for the newsletter, send an email to editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com with ideas for articles. Don’t send the full article—we want to…
by Walt Boyes What makes great fantasy novels go is not the thud and blunder of battles. You can find that in any MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role-playing game). What…
by Christine Verstraete Writers gotta write… but when they’re not writing, many like to keep their creative juices flowing by getting crafty or taking up a variety of hobbies. For…
by Leslie Budewitz The skillful use of history can deepen a contemporary story. In my writing and reading, I’ve identified several ways writers can weave history into modern tales. Atmosphere…
by Carolyn Marie Wilkins I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded by English colonists in 1630, it is one of the oldest cities in the USA. Within walking distance of my…
by Trish and Tracy Accuracy in death scenes is something many writers struggle with, given a lack of exposure to the topic, and if your research consists of reruns of…
What you need is a plan and a timeline. Those of you who know me realize I’m a pragmatist. I plan everything as far in advance as possible because DATES…
From David Baldacci When my son asked ChatGPT to write a plot that read like a David Baldacci novel, it produced three pages in seconds that mirrored nearly every book…
Sandra Murphy, Editor If you’d like to write a guest post for the newsletter, send an email to editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com with ideas for articles. Don’t send the full article—we want to…
by Marilyn Levinson Releasing the first book in a new series gives one a new perspective on things. While I confess I don’t get to read all my reviews, I…
by Ramona D Marek, MS Ed. The Cat Writers’ Association (CWA) held its 31st Annual Conference, on October 24–25, 2025 in Indianapolis, IN, at the Wyndham Indianapolis Airport Hotel. CWA…
by Kathleen Kalb A sure sign of the holiday season is the big author takeover party events on Facebook, all-day, weekend-long—or even multiple weekends—celebrations in which each author gets a…
I recently attended my first New England Crime Bake. Sponsored by the New England chapters of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, along with corporate sponsors, this…
by Eleanor Hecks Many authors fly through writing their first book, just to run into a mental wall when they begin writing their second. If you’ve experienced this common phenomenon,…
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,…
by Ed Mickolus As promised, this month we’ll look at techniques you can use to be(come) a prolific writer. Let’s get back to you again. Write down: • What you…
Sandra Murphy, Editor If you’d like to write a guest post for the newsletter, send an email to editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com with ideas for articles. Don’t send the full article—we want to…
by Shelley Toler Franz We’ve all seen the outraged social media posts or maybe even an article in a local newspaper: “The library is throwing away perfectly good books!” with…
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…
by Susan Schwartz After a far-too-long sabbatical that ended several years ago, I seem to have developed a new way of writing short fiction. Novels, frankly, are hopeless. They are…
by Robert Riggs Publicists flood my inbox with pitches to feature their authors on my True Crime Reporter® podcast. Authors can reach 40,000+ listeners on my Webby Award-winning podcast and…
by Flo Selfman There was a time, before 1025 AD, when music was notated by a system of markers which simply indicated whether the notes went up or down. While…
by Adanna Moriarty Let’s be honest, the book marketing landscape has undergone significant changes. Ten years ago, you could run a free or $0.99 eBook promo, spike your sales rank,…
by Flo Selfman Uh oh, she’s secretly correcting your grammar again… TRAPS: A selection of recent quotes from the file: 1) “Criminals, an efficient group, exploit the broadest gender stereotypes…
From the editor, Sandra Murphy This is the month to give thanks. Lately, the world has been in turmoil. Reading is more important than ever. When we’re constantly bombarded from…
by Sandra Murphy https://writerswhokill.blogspot.com/2025/10/mystery-in-midlands-writing-short.html Paula Gail Benson on behalf of the Palmetto Chapter of Sisters in Crime and the Southeastern Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, invited me to be…
by Shelly Toler Franz As most of you reading this article will already know, Baker & Taylor, one of the major suppliers of books for libraries and bookstores in the…
by Ray Tabler (Kindly filling in for Walt Boyes who is dealing with a family illness) Reprinted with permission from https://raytabler.substack.com/ One of the reasons I attend science fiction conventions…
by Rachel McCarron Reprinted with permission https://litopia.com/rachel-mccarron/anthologising/ I’m relatively new to the short story game, having started my middle-aged phase of writing with novels—one completed and two currently dismantled for…
by Flo Selfman An acting teacher friend years ago invited me to participate in a beginning class as a gift. As there were several instructors in his studio, I was…
by Ed Mickolus Authors working in any genre are inevitably faced with the dreaded question, “Where Do You Get Your Ideas?” In many cases, “I don’t know, they just come…
From the editor, Sandra Murphy If you’d like to write a guest post for the newsletter, send an email to editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com with ideas for articles. Don’t send the full article—we…
By Leslie Budewitz I never trust a character who doesn’t eat. Food—the getting and the making, the sharing and the pleasure—is the literal and figurative foundation of our lives. Food…
Originally published on January 28, 2025 By Laura McCarthy The recent success of media in the horror genre is undeniable. During the very first opening weekend at the cinema this…
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…
by Pauline Tait A picture book may only be a few hundred words, but for many writers, it can feel more challenging than a full-length novel. While each line must…
by Debra H. Goldstein Clay Stafford bills his annual mystery genre brainchild as the Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference—and he’s right. The 2025 conference, which was the twentieth, had more…
From the editor, Sandra Murphy This month we’re introducing Walt Boyes, our newest columnist. He’s talking about world-building to start with—then who knows? He’s a sci-fi wizard (or is that…
by Stoney Compton When I wrote my alternative history novel, Russian Amerika, I had a specific point in history where everything changed thereafter. In the novel, I drop hints but…
by donalee Moulton Many writers are attracted to the historical mystery genre because they like weaving a mystery for readers to solve. Many other writers are history buffs and want…
by Pauline Tait Children’s picture books might appear small, but they can have a meaningful and lasting impact. A single sentence can spark a love of reading, while a single…
by Maggie King Picture a charming village where the local café owner solves crimes while serving lattes and freshly baked scones. A calico cat snoozes in the front window (the…
by Heidi Hunter A year ago, I was knee-deep in short stories about haunted houses and twisty mysteries. After retiring from an insurance career, where I worked in economic sanctions…
by Kathleen Kaiser Recently, I spoke with two bestselling authors who were perplexed by their significant drop in Amazon sales in July. When I mentioned Amazon’s major changes to book…
by Flo Selfman Pre-internet, a college student spotted my “Grammar for Grownups” class listing in the Learning Annex catalog and called me to proofread a paper she had written. When…
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…
by Walt Boyes In this series of columns, we’ll look at the world you want to build on several axes. What is the geography? How many nations or cultures does…
From the editor, Sandra Murphy Time is a commodity often in short supply. Here are ten tools that can help. The list has been published before but some ideas are…
by Carolyn Marie Wilkins Historical fiction brings the past to life in a way that helps us understand ourselves and others. As an African American growing up in the 1950s,…
by Pauline Tait Writers are often advised to choose one genre, build their author brand, and remain consistent. Readers like to know what to expect, and the industry tends to…
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…
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…
by Flo Selfman My biggest recent achievement is tossing about fifty pounds of papers from boxes in my dining room (okay, I’m often given to hyperbole). Most were recipes collected…
by Desireé Duffy Once upon a time, getting your book out into the world meant driving across town to attend a bookstore signing where you might talk to five people—three…
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…
by Flo Selfman It’s not enough for writers to just write. Besides a social media profile, talking and speaking are critical assets in a writer or author’s tool kit. Knowing…
When you visit the Books by Members section of our website and click “For more information” or “To buy the book: Click Here,” you’re redirected to Amazon through our affiliate…
by Adanna Moriarty Amazon quietly rolled out a significant algorithm update in May, replacing the long-standing A9 system with what’s now known as A10. If that means nothing to…
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…
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…
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…
From the editor, Sandra Murphy It’s Our Birthday! WPN Is 30 Years Old (and Doesn’t Look a Day Over 21). Its original name was the Small Publishers, Artists and Writers…
What was your introduction to the literary magic of Shirley Jackson? Mine was her famous and famously disturbing horror story “The Lottery.” Young people reading it today seem to think…
