Publishing
Are conferences just an excuse to end up at the bar?
By Amanda J. Clay My husband and I often debate the usefulness of professional conferences. In his opinion, conferences are dull, mandatory networking events where you are forced to make small talk about boring topics, listen to annoying sales pitches, and smile at competitors, all in an effort to just mask wanting to sneak away…
Read MoreWANT TO NARRATE YOUR NOVEL? THEN THE PLAY’S THE THING
–The Drama Dairy Blog by @SQUEAKYCHEESEVO Acting in a high school play ranks among the most terrifying events in your life, maybe second to cordless bungee jumping. Especially 24 hours after the Dress Rehearsal, the arrival of two of the most terrifying words when juxtaposed: Opening Night. So when you decide to narrate your novel…
Read More12 Tips to a Nonfiction Book Proposal Publishers Will Love
By Lisa Tener How to get a book deal for your nonfiction book? Write a super-compelling book proposal. “But how?” you may ask. Here are 12essential tips. Impress them with a big platform (how many people you reach in a year): Publishing companies stay in business by selling books. If your book proposal is persuasive…
Read MoreThe Benefits of Breaking Rules
By Lynn Goodwin You have to know the rules before you can break them, right? NaNoWriMo’s rules expect you to write 50,000 words of a novel during November. I bent that rule and wrote a 50K free write. After reading Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones and Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, I realized that…
Read MoreMixing business with pleasure
By Amanda J. Clay Writing is a solitary pursuit, it’s true. It’s a task done mostly in your head, locked away in a dark room or in coffee shop corners, headphones on and literally having conversations with yourself. People usually look at me like I’m half mad when I’m working out in public. Unlike 90%…
Read MoreIdea or Concept–What’s What?
By Nick Thacker I remember starting my first novel with an idea: “What if there was an ancient secret involving the ‘Golden Ratio,’ a number known to exist in many natural phenomena…” The idea was a germ; a small component of something larger — something that could eventually become an entire book. My story My…
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