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Welcome to my blog!

My blog has everything you need to know to write, edit, and publish a book. Can't find what you need or want personalized help? Check out my editing and coaching services.

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Check out a few of my most popular posts:

How to write a query letter

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How to write a query letter

April 4, 2018

In order to have a book published by a traditional publisher, you will likely need to know how to write a query letter to find a literary agent. A query letter is part business letter, part creative writing exercise, part introduction, part death defying leap through a flaming hoop. (Don't worry, you won't catch fire and die during the query…

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The publishing process in GIF form

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The publishing process in GIF form

August 27, 2012

At first you're thinking of writing a novel and you're all... But then you have an idea! And you go... But then you hit page 50 and you're all.... And then you hit page 75 and you're all... But you power through!!   And then you're finished!!! You have finished a novel!! Only then find out you have to start…

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How to write a novel

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How to write a novel

June 21, 2019

Let me preface this article on how to write a novel by saying that my book on the topic has all the best advice I know: How to Write a Novel: 49 Rules for Writing a Stupendously Awesome Novel That You Will Love Forever. And if you need personalized help: Reach out for coaching or editing! How to write a novel.…

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Third person omniscient vs. limited vs. head jumping

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Third person omniscient vs. limited vs. head jumping

August 24, 2020

If a writing fairy popped out of an old typewriter and granted me the ability to fix one craft problem in all the unpublished manuscripts across the realm I would probably terrify it by how quickly I'd shout, "PERSPECTIVES! For the love of Melville fix the broken perspectives!!" You probably know there are three main perspectives to choose from in…

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Everything writers need to know about pitching their book

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Everything writers need to know about pitching their book

May 7, 2018

Like it or not, pitching your book is one of the most important things you'll do as an author. If you're trying to find a literary agent, you'll need to write a query letter. If you're self-publishing, you'll need to write good jacket copy (or at least know what good jacket copy looks like). When you're telling acquaintances what your…

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How to find a literary agent

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How to find a literary agent

March 20, 2018

If you want to have your book published by a publisher, chances are you are going to need an agent. Here's how to find a literary agent. Welcome to publishing, the land of books, writing, and agonizingly long waits. Pour yourself a drink. You're going to need it. In this post I'm going to give you an overview of how…

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Everything you need to know about novel word counts

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Everything you need to know about novel word counts

April 23, 2018

Ah, word count. Few elements of the book-writing process inspire such hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing as trying to constrain your novel within certain seemingly arbitrary bounds. In this post I'm going to tell you: Why word count matters for novelsStandard word count ranges for various genresThe word counts of some famous novels for comparison But before I do that, let me…

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Most recent posts:

Plinko scenes

March 27, 2023 by Nathan Bransford 2 Comments

When I’m editing manuscripts, often I’ll come across a jarring scene that feels like it comes out of left field, has nothing to do with the scenes before and after, and never really ends up amounting to much. I call these “Plinko scenes,” after the famous The Price is Right game. (Hello to my fellow […]

Filed Under: Writing Advice

Why are YA sales declining? (This week in books)

March 24, 2023 by Nathan Bransford 3 Comments

This week! Books! News came this week that after years of increasing market share, young adult fiction is now among the only categories posting declines in sales. The #takes have rolled in, and many people cited book bans, a decrease in B&N shelf space for YA, and a lingering lack of diversity. Librarian Karen Jensen […]

Filed Under: This Week in Books Tagged With: Anna-Verena Nosthoff, ChatGPT, Dan Blank, Erin Bowman, Felix Maschewski, Filippo Bernardini, Justin Sullivan, Karen Jensen, Katherine Marsh, Metaverse, Min Jin Lee, Young Adult Literature

Rein in your plot description (query critique)

March 23, 2023 by Nathan Bransford 1 Comment

If you’d like to nominate your own page or query for a public critique, kindly post them here in the discussion forums: Also, if you’d like to test your editing chops, keep your eye on this area or this area! I’ll post the pages and queries a few days before a critique so you can see how your […]

Filed Under: Critiques Tagged With: query critiques

How to edit someone’s novel

March 20, 2023 by Nathan Bransford Leave a Comment

Last week I updated my post on how to edit your own novel, and since you may need to be dishing edits out in addition to receiving them, today I’ll update my previous posts on how to edit someone else’s novel. I’ll get into the ins and outs of how to go about this, but […]

Filed Under: Writing Advice

No, AI-generated work is not copyrightable (This week in books)

March 17, 2023 by Nathan Bransford Leave a Comment

This week! Books! GPT-4 has arrived, leading to all sort of breathless headlines like this one from The Atlantic: ChatGPT Changed Everything. Now Its Follow-Up Is Here. Uhhhh… what exactly has it changed apart from prompting tech types and their financial enablers to lose their collective minds? Longtime readers know I am far from a […]

Filed Under: This Week in Books Tagged With: Amy Weiss-Meyer, Austin Kleon, ChatGPT, Copyright, Jennifer Jackson, Kimon de Greef, Ursula K. Le Guin

Contextualize new characters (page critique)

March 16, 2023 by Nathan Bransford 3 Comments

If you’d like to nominate your own page or query for a public critique, kindly post them here in our discussion forums: Also, if you’d like to test your editing chops, keep your eye on this area or this area! I’ll post the pages and queries a few days before a critique so you can see how your redline […]

Filed Under: Writing Advice

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About Nathan

Hi, I’m Nathan. I’m the author of How to Write a Novel and the Jacob Wonderbar series, which was published by Penguin. I used to be a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. and I’m dedicated to helping authors achieve their dreams. Let me help you with your book!

My blog has everything you need to know to write, edit, and publish a book. Can’t find what you need or want personalized help? Reach out.

Learn more about me

Need Editing?

I'm available for consultations, edits, query critiques, brainstorming, and more.
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My Books

How to Write A Novel
Cover of How to Publish a Book by Nathan Bransford
Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapo
Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe
Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp

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