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Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

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Blog Directory

In an effort to make the blog more navigable and to help newcomers discover old posts, I’ve organized all the posts into categories (except for those that are hopelessly out of date). Just click on the category to move down to that section.

I’ll keep updating this directory with new posts, so please bookmark it if you want a central place to keep up with the different topics!

Categories:

Books
Business of Publishing
Contests
Culture
E-books
Genres
Literary Agents (How to Find One/Work With One)
Literary Agents (What the Job Is Like)
Nathan’s books
Page and Query Critiques
Promoting a Book and Social Media
Publishing Industry
Query Letters
Self-Publishing
Writing Advice
The Writing Life
This Week in Publishing/Books

Books

  • Why it works: “Ramona the Pest”
  • Why it works: “Master & Commander” by Patrick O’Brian
  • What was the best book published in the 2010s?
  • Why it works: “Go Tell It on the Mountain” by James Baldwin
  • Who is the hottest villain in literature?
  • What’s the best mystery in a novel?
  • What is your favorite audiobook?
  • Who are the most memorable parents in books?
  • Why it works: “Feed” by M.T. Anderson
  • Got any book recommendations?
  • Why it works: “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • What are the best beach reads?
  • Why it works: “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson
  • You tell me: What are you reading?
  • You tell me: How would you rank the Harry Potter books?
  • You tell me: Are you worried about books losing their place in culture?
  • What’s the best fictional city?
  • What’s the best love story in a book?
  • Harry Potter at 20 — What has the series meant to you?
  • Which book most disturbed you?
  • Interview: Author and editor Rakesh Satyal on writing, the book business, and the importance of diversity
  • The best 100 novels challenge!
  • What’s the most prescient book you’ve ever read?
  • Interview: Brendan Reichs on hitting the NY Times bestseller list and yelling “OBJECTION YOUR HONOR” in courtrooms
  • Who is the greatest hero in fiction?
  • What is your favorite bookstore?
  • Happy pub day to Tahereh Mafi and Furthermore!
  • What are your favorite action scenes in literature?
  • Need a great fall read? Check these out
  • The best way to thank a writer: write a review
  • Which book have you read the most times?
  • Harper Lee to publish a new novel
  • Dirty Wings by Sarah McCarry
  • Which book do you wish were turned into a movie?
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at fifty
  • Do you read multiple books simultaneously or one at a time?
  • What are you reading?
  • Sound effects for books?
  • Publication alert: Until It Hurts to Stop by Jennifer Hubbard
  • Bestselling Nonfiction Books by Year
  • The Rory Gilmore reading challenge
  • Bestselling Novels by Year
  • Have we become uncomfortable with uncertainty in fiction?
  • Publication alert: All Our Pretty Songs by Sarah McCarry
  • Are You Reading More or Less Than You Used To?
  • Publication Alert: Hour of the Rat!
  • When Classics Leave You Cold
  • New Harry Potter Covers!
  • Which Novel Made You Cry the Most?
  • The Book of Answers
  • What Was Your Favorite Book Published in 2012?
  • Why You Think Fifty Shades of Grey is Popular
  • Why Fifty Shades of Grey is Popular
  • The Way We Learn About Books is Changing
  • The Strangeness of Re-Reading Older Children’s Books
  • How Paperbacks Changed the Way We Buy Books
  • Why Do Women Dominate YA?
  • Which Writer Do You Most Want to Be Friends With?
  • Are We Stripping Modern Books Bare?
  • Are Non-Interactive Books Going to Be the Black & White Movies of the Future?
  • Where Did You Hear About the Book You’re Reading?
  • Who is Your Favorite Fictional Couple?
  • Book Giveaway: Try Not to Breathe
  • Shatter Me Release Day!
  • Do You Read Books Straight Through?
  • What Are You Reading?
  • What is the First Book You Remember Reading?
  • Which Books Should Be Removed From the Canon?
  • What is the Best Children’s Book of All Time?
  • Which Book Do You Most Wish You Had Written?
  • Guest Blog: On Memory, Books and the Internet
  • What Is Your Favorite Character Name?
  • Kids Books Are Not Just For Kids Anymore
  • Do Typos Annoy You?
  • What Is the Future of the Book Review?
  • What is Your Favorite Film Adaptation?
  • When You’re Not Liking a Book Do You Stop Reading or Power Through?
  • What Book Most Changed Your Life?
  • Fun With Google Ngrams
  • What Was Your Favorite Book Published in 2010?
  • Which HARRY POTTER Book Is The Best?
  • Who is Your Favorite Character in Harry Potter?
  • Who Would Be Your Literary BFF?
  • Sally Feels Your Pain. Harry Just Points and Laughs.
  • What Is Your Favorite Banned/Challenged Book?
  • Which Book Would Prompt You to Talk to a Stranger?
  • Banned Books Week in the Internet Age
  • Can I Get a Ruling: How Do You Feel About Chapter Titles?
  • In Defense of Dead/Absent Parents in Children’s Literature
  • Who Has the Worst Job in Fiction?
  • Which Writer Would You Most Like to Meet?
  • Franzen, FREEDOM and the Era of the Blockbuster
  • Violence in Children’s Literature: Is There a Line?
  • Where Are Your Reading Habits on the Writing/Storytelling Spectrum?
  • Is Literary Fiction Losing Its Place in Culture?
  • Can I Get a Ruling: How Do We Feel About Acknowledgments Sections?
  • Who is the Greatest Villain in Fiction?
  • Which Fictional Characters Would You Want As Parents?
  • What’s Your Favorite Mystery/Suspense/Thriller Novel of All Time?
  • Which Literary Character Do You Totally Have a Crush On?
  • If You Could Live in the World of One Novel, Which One Would You Choose?
  • What is the Funniest Book of All Time?
  • What is the One Book That Every Writer Should Read?
  • What Are Your “Gap” Books?
  • What Is the Most Influential Book of All Time?
  • What is Your Desert Island Book?
  • Guest Blog: Mitchell Waters on Louis Auchincloss
  • RIP J.D. Salinger
  • What Was Your Favorite Book As a Teenager?
  • What Was Your Favorite Book Published in the Aughts?
  • What Was Your Favorite Book Published In 2009?
  • Parental Discretion vs. Censorship?
  • Should Children’s Books be Content-Rated Like Movies and Video Games?
  • When Do You Stop Reading a Book?
  • Guest Blog Week: Re: Your Query for THE HOBBIT
  • Best Beach Reads?
  • Which Book Would You Want to Be In?
  • Can I Get a Ruling: Does Listening to an Audiobook Count as Reading?
  • What Are You Reading at the Moment?
  • Which Fictional Characters Have Most Influenced You?
  • Who is Your Favorite Character of All Time?
  • Interview With S.E. Hinton
  • What Is On Your “To Be Read” List?
  • King vs. Meyer, and Who Decides What is “Good” Anyway?
  • RIP John Updike
  • What Was Your Favorite Book Published in 2008?
  • RIP Michael Crichton
  • RIP Tony Hillerman
  • Have Your Book Buying Habits Changed in the Last Year?
  • RIP David Foster Wallace
  • What Book Are You Embarrassed Not To Have Read?
  • What Are Your Pet Peeves as a Reader?
  • What’s Your Least Favorite Word?
  • What’s Your Favorite Word?
  • Has the Internet Changed the Way You Read?
  • What Is Your Favorite Series?
  • What’s Your Favorite Book Based On a True Story?
  • How Will We Cut Through the Crap I Mean Less Than Stellar Books?
  • Can I Get a Ruling?: Are We In A Golden Age for Books or Not?
  • Why Is Personal Taste Taken So Personally?
  • What Revered Book Did You Just Not Get?
  • Who Will We Be Reading 50 Years From Now?
  • What Are You Reading At the Moment?
  • RIP Arthur C. Clarke
  • How Objectively Can We Judge Good or Bad Writing?
  • Atonement vs. Atonement?
  • What’s Your Favorite Holiday Book?
  • What Was Your Favorite Book Published in 2007?
  • Literary Agent Book Club
  • Who’s Reading the YA Novels?
  • RIP Norman Mailer
  • Who Owns Fictional Characters?
  • Series or Stand-alone?
  • Who Is Your Favorite Author?
  • How Did You Hear About the Book You’re Reading?
  • Publication Alert: The Almanac of Political Corruption, Scandals & Dirty Politics
  • What Are You Reading at the Moment?
  • What’s Your Favorite First Line?
  • How Many Books Did You Read Last Year?
  • What Are You Reading at the Moment? (besides this blog)
  • What Was Your Favorite Book as a Child?
  • Harry Potter and the Literary Agent
  • What Is Your Favorite Book Cover?
  • What is Your Favorite Book Title?
  • Ian McEwan
  • What’s Your Favorite Gem of a Book?
  • What Is Your Favorite Book of All Time?
  • Publication Alert: FRENCH BY HEART
  • RIP Vonnegut
  • Our Books, Ourselves?
  • Great Writing: Hiding in Plain Sight?

Business of Publishing

  • When to hire a freelance book editor
  • What to expect when you work with a freelance editor
  • What writers should know about taxes
  • What if Barnes & Noble went bankrupt?
  • Moneyball for book publishers
  • How should authors be paid?
  • What is the future of bookstores?
  • The real solution to Amazon vs. Hachette
  • Are you optimistic about the future of books?
  • Can publishers change from funnels to megaphones?
  • Will there ever be a successful “Netflix for Books?”
  • Private Publishing Consultations
  • 5 Ways to Make Money Writing Today
  • Here comes another round of articles about e-book sales slowing down
  • What J.K. Rowling’s pseudonymous novel says about commercial success
  • Imagining a Post-Amazon World
  • No, E-book Sales Are Not Declining
  • Is Publishing in a Golden Age?
  • Should Consumers Be Able to Buy and Sell Used E-books?
  • Can Bookish Be a Game Changer?
  • Barnes & Noble Plans to Close a Third of Its Stores
  • Separate vs. Joint Accounting
  • Christine Pride
  • What Do You Think About Authors Paying for Positive Reviews?
  • Does the Authors Guild Serve the Interest of Writers?
  • The Randomness of Bestsellers
  • Be Wary of Anyone Who Tries to Tell You There’s Only One Way to Find Successful Publication
  • Do You Plan to Bypass the Traditional Publishing Industry Entirely?
  • 99 Cent E-Books and the Tragedy of the Commons
  • How Will Authors of the Future Make Money?
  • Why (Most) Publishers Are Still In New York
  • What Will the Publishing Industry Look Like in Five Years?
  • Why Some E-Books Cost More Than the Hardcover
  • Do Record Stores Point the Way of the Future for Bookstores?
  • The Greatest Challenge Agents Will Face: Standardization of Terms
  • A Matter of Ethics
  • All About Co-op
  • The Kindle Missile Crisis
  • Publishing’s Winner’s Curse
  • The Economics of Publishing
  • And Then Everything in Publishing Changed All At Once…. Or It Was More of the Same
  • Will the Piracy Threat Resolve Itself?
  • Why I’m Optimistic About the Future of Books
  • Book Revenue Breakdown
  • Freevangelism: What Should Content Cost?
  • It’s The End of Publishing As We Know It: Do You Feel Fine?
  • HarperStudio and Borders: No Returns
  • What Should the Publishing Industry Do in the Downturn?
  • Commerce and Art, Art and Commerce
  • Tough Times and the Publishing Industry Stimulus Package
  • The Google Settlement
  • Does Free Pay?
  • This Week’s “End of Publishing As We Know It” Article Is Brought To You By….
  • How Will the Authors of Tomorrow Make Money?
  • Where Did You Buy The Last Book You Bought?
  • Will the Economy Affect Book Sales?
  • Harry Potter is Not Walking Through That Door
  • Steve Jobs: “People Don’t Read Anymore.”
  • Should More or Fewer Books Be Published?
  • DRM vs. Piracy?
  • The Holy Grail of Publishing
  • The Future is Coming… at some point
  • Infinite Copyright vs. Public Domain?
  • How Could the Publishing Industry Become More Scentific?
  • The Secret Formula of Bestsellers
  • The Future of Books
  • Making Yourself Heard
  • Do Reviews Translate to Sales?
  • New or Used?
  • Brick and Mortar or Plastic and Silicon?
  • What’s the Next Big Thing?
  • The Basics of Publishing Contracts

Contests

  • 13th Annual Blog Bracket Challenge!*
  • Amusingly Humorous Book Title Finalists!
  • The Amusingly Humorous Book Title Contest!
  • The 6th SUFPC winner is…
  • The 6th SUFPC finalists are…
  • 6th SUFPC update!
  • The 6th Not-quite-as-annual-as-it-used-to-be Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge!!
  • 11th Annual Blog Bracket Challenge!
  • 10th Annual Blog Bracket Challenge!
  • 9th Annual Blog Bracket Challenge!
  • 8th Annual Blog Bracket Challenge!
  • 7th Annual Blog Bracket Challenge!!
  • 6th Annual Blog Bracket Challenge!!
  • Enter for a chance to win a Kindle! The #FaveWritingTip sweeps spectacular
  • 5th Annual Blog Bracket Challenge!
  • And the Stupendously Ultimate Winner Is!!
  • The SUFPC No. 5 Finalists! (As introduced by the Dowager Countess)
  • SUFPC #5 Word Cloud!
  • The 5th Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge!
  • Enter to Win a Nook! The Wonderbar Pinning Sweepstakes Spectacular!!
  • Enter to Win a Kindle! The 2nd Annual Wonderbar Twitter Sweepstakes Extravaganza!!!
  • The 4th Annual Blog Bracket Challenge!!
  • The JWFWCSHE Winner Is…
  • JWFWCSHE Finalists!!
  • JWFWCSHE Update
  • The Jacob Wonderbar Funny Writing Contest Spectacular Happening Event
  • Write a Wonderbar Review, Enter to Win a Prize
  • Enter to Win a Kindle! The Wonderbar Twitter Sweepstakes Extravaganza!!!
  • Want to Guest Post? Take to the Forums!
  • The 3rd Annual Blog Bracket Challenge!!
  • Caption Contest: The Winner!
  • Caption Contest!!
  • And The Winner Is……….. (and more about my choices)
  • The Stupendously Ultimate Finalists!! (As Introduced by Leslie Knope and Ron Swanson)
  • SUFPC Word Cloud!!
  • SUFPC Update!
  • The 4th Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge
  • The One Thousandth Post Giveaway
  • The Finalists!!
  • Suspense Word Cloud
  • The ROCK PAPER TIGER Chase/Action Writing Contest Extravaganza!!
  • Be An Agent for a Day II: So What Do We Think?
  • Be An Agent for a Day II: The Pages
  • Be an Agent for a Day II: The Queries!
  • Be An Agent for a Day II: A Sort of Scientific Test of the Query Process
  • The 2nd Annual Blog Bracket Challenge!
  • THE SECRET YEAR Publication Day! Plus Finalists!
  • Teen Diary Word Cloud
  • TSYTDCE Update
  • THE SECRET YEAR Teen Diary Contest Extravaganza!!
  • The Winner Is… (And Thoughts on First Paragraphs)
  • The Finalists! (as announced by Dwight Schrute)
  • Stupendously Ultimate Word Cloud
  • 3rd S-o-A SUFPC Update #1
  • The 3rd Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge
  • Be An Agent for a Day: The Results!!
  • Recap #3: If You Were An Agent, How Would You Handle Submissions?
  • Recap #2: How Confident Are You In Your Choices?
  • Recap #1: Was This Easier or Harder Than You Expected?
  • Be An Agent for a Day: Here We Go!
  • Announcing the “Be An Agent for a Day” Contest
  • Blog Tournament Challenge Update #2
  • Blog Tournament Challenge Update
  • It’s Bracket Time!!
  • The Winner Is…… (and more on choosing the finalists)
  • The Finalists!! (As Introduced by Donald Draper)
  • Yeah, Wow
  • The 2nd Sort-of-Annual Stupendously Ultimate First Paragraph Challenge
  • The Preposterously Magnificent Sole Survivor Is…
  • A Quick Note About Word Count
  • The Preposterously Magnificent Dialogue Tribal Council
  • TPMDC Update #2: Remembering Miss Snark and Some Other Tidbits
  • TPMDC Update #1
  • The Preposterously Magnificent Dialogue Challenge
  • The! Winner! Is! …
  • More on the Finalists (and the naysayers)
  • America’s Next Top Surprisingly Essential First Page (the Finalists)
  • ANNNNND TIME!
  • SEFPC Update #2
  • SEFPC Update #1 and Comment Thread
  • The Surprisingly Essential First Page Challenge
  • Let’s Put it To a Vote
  • What Kind of a Contest Should We Have Next Week?
  • The Most Largely Indispensable First Paragraph Is…
  • The Finalists Are… (announced in the form of a Bachelor rose ceremony)
  • LIFPC Update #5 (also some query advice re: ignoring guidelines)
  • LIFPC Update #4
  • LIFPC Update #3: Come for the Contest, Stay for the The Hills References (er, I mean, stay for the publishing advice)
  • LIFPC Update #2
  • LIFPC Update #1
  • The Largely Indispensable First Paragraph Challenge
  • And the Winner Is…
  • And the Nominees Are…
  • SUFLC Update #2
  • SUFLC Update
  • The Stupendously Ultimate First Line Challenge
  • The Results Are In…
  • The Ultimate Book Title Contest

Culture

  • Giving thanks in 2020
  • A year of living uncomfortably
  • There will be a time after this one
  • What does it mean to be your “real self” online?
  • How much does the author of a book matter to you?
  • Does speaking up online accomplish anything?
  • What are your favorite newsletters?
  • This Roald Dahl video is everything
  • How are we feeling about Game of Thrones?
  • How writing changes the world
  • What song best captures your work in progress?
  • What are your favorite podcasts?
  • How are you feeling about Trump?
  • Are people persuadable?
  • The Mother of Exiles
  • Trump supporters, can we make a deal?
  • The end of truth
  • Now we write
  • Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize in Literature
  • Jonathan Franzen, Kanye West and the cultural appropriation of trolling
  • Are “brows” disappearing?
  • Can we talk about “Serial?”
  • On a Love of Weather
  • Wait. A first person narrative isn’t serious???
  • The Terrifying Permanence of the Internet
  • Sharknado and why substance matters more than flash
  • The Privileged Rage of Jonathan Franzen
  • Race, Children’s Books and Jacob Wonderbar
  • Has HBO’s “Game of Thrones” Surpassed the Books?
  • Why the Internet Gave the Bullied Bus Monitor $700,000
  • Words Have the Power We Give Them
  • The Pulp-o-mizer
  • A Year Without Football
  • The Best 100 Movies Challenge
  • Growing Older With a Band
  • The Sound Dinosaurs Make
  • The Writing Revolution
  • Two-step E-mail Verification
  • Has Literary Culture Gotten Too Nice?
  • We’re Moving From a World of Gatekeepers to a World of Influencers
  • Violence in American Culture
  • Jonathan Franzen and a Fear of Noise
  • Do We Have a Failure to Communicate?
  • Is it Ethical to Watch Football?
  • Beware of Stories
  • Why Are So Many Literary Writers Technophobic?
  • How Art Changes With Us
  • Where is Your Favorite Place You Have Traveled?
  • RIP Steve Jobs
  • Doing the Right Thing
  • Who is LeBron James?
  • Cutting the Cable
  • What Is Your Favorite Song of All Time?
  • Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day
  • Tamales on Christmas Eve
  • What is Your Favorite Thanksgiving Dish?
  • Alan Greenspan and the Greatness of Admitting You’re Wrong
  • A Hard Day’s Year
  • “Lost” and the High Narrative Price of WTF
  • Mad for “Mad Men”
  • Interrupting Your Regularly Scheduled Programming…
  • Yes We Can
  • Words and Power
  • Learning From the Wire
  • In Praise of The Wire (Oh Indeed)

E-books

  • Will you ever buy mostly e-books? 2020 results!
  • Will you ever buy mostly e-books? (14th annual poll)
  • Will you ever buy mostly e-books? 2019 results!
  • Will you ever buy mostly e-books? (13th annual poll)
  • Will you ever buy mostly e-books? 2018 results!
  • Will you ever buy mostly e-books? (12th annual poll)
  • Will you ever buy mostly ebooks? 2017 results!
  • Will you ever buy mostly ebooks? (11th annual poll)
  • Will you ever buy mostly e-books? The results! (2016)
  • Will you ever buy mostly ebooks? (10th annual poll)
  • Will you ever buy mostly e-books? The results!
  • Will you ever buy mostly ebooks? (2015)
  • Will you ever buy mostly e-books? The results!
  • Will you ever buy mostly e-books? (2014)
  • Will You Ever Buy Mostly E-books? The Results!
  • Will you ever buy mostly e-books? (2013)
  • Publishers Should Empower Authors to Sell Their Own E-books
  • Hands-free Books Are Coming
  • What Role Should Libraries Have in an Electronic World?
  • Will Books Lose Out in a Tablet World?
  • Will You Ever Buy Mostly E-books: The Results
  • Will You Ever Buy Mostly E-books? (2012)
  • Your E-reader is Watching You
  • Why the Harry Potter E-books Are and Aren’t a Really Big Deal
  • DRM Isn’t the Answer, But It’s Not Not the Answer Either
  • Will You Ever Buy Mostly E-books: The Results
  • Will You Ever Buy Mostly E-books? (2011)
  • Amazon Kindles an E-book Fire
  • E-books Are Easily Changeable After Publication. Is That a Good Thing?
  • Are Attitudes About E-book Costs Changing?
  • What Should an E-book Cost? (2011)
  • Could Publishers Experience an E-Book Replacement Boom?
  • How Have Your Reading Habits Changed Since Getting an E-reader?
  • The Tablets Are Coming, The Tablets are Coming
  • Will You Ever Buy Mostly E-books: The Results
  • Will You Ever Buy Mostly E-Books? (2010)
  • Top 10 Myths About Our E-book Future
  • iPad!!
  • Choose Your Own E-book Adventure
  • Don’t Believe the E-book Skeptics
  • Can Bookstores and E-books Coexist?
  • What Should an E-book Cost? (2010)
  • The iTablet Cometh
  • Can We All Agree Once and For All That E-books and DVDs Have Nothing in Common?
  • Should Publishers Delay E-book Releases?
  • Will You Ever Buy Mostly E-books? (2009)
  • The Top 10 Myths About E-Books
  • Efficiency Wins in the End
  • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Kindle
  • E-Book Pricing and Publication Debate Erupts
  • In Praise of the Sony Reader
  • Will You Ever Buy Mostly E-Books? (2008)
  • Dutton to Publish Interactive Book
  • Kindle-riffic
  • I’m Getting a Kindle
  • Can I Get a Ruling: Will The Coming E-Book Era Be a Good Thing?
  • More on E-books
  • Paul Krugman on E-books and the Publishing Industry
  • How Much Would You Pay for a Dedicated E-Reader?
  • Will You Ever Buy Mostly E-Books? (2007)
  • When Will E-books Take Over?
  • Kindle Kindle Burning Bright?
  • Paper or Plastic?

Genres

  • The difference between children’s and adult books
  • Why it’s important to know your book’s genre
  • How picture books work (a very brief primer)
  • What Genre Is Your Work In Progress?
  • Cozy Mystery. What’s That?
  • [blank] Are the New Vampires
  • Genre Poll Thoughts
  • What Genre Is Your Work in Progress?
  • Sports Novels
  • PSA About Vampires
  • Can I Get a Ruling: Are Vampires Finished?
  • Commercial Fiction
  • Book Club Fiction
  • The Difference Between Mysteries, Suspense and Thrillers
  • Genre Distinctions
  • On Ennui
  • Young Adult Literature Stock Alert: Buy Buy Buy
  • What Makes Literary Fiction Literary?
  • The Difference Between YA and Adult Literature
  • A Word on Short Story Collections

Literary Agents (How to Find One/Work With One)

  • A new tool for your literary agent search
  • We need to talk about email thread etiquette
  • Comic-Con literary agent panel!
  • You probably don’t need publishing credits
  • How to work with a literary agent on edits
  • A guide to literary agent etiquette
  • How to write a nonfiction book proposal
  • When to follow up with a literary agent
  • How to handle an offer of representation
  • How to write a synopsis for a novel
  • How to research a literary agent
  • Agent stats on personalization, credentials, comp titles, and more!
  • How to know when to leave your agent
  • 8 ways to know if you have a good agent
  • Legit vs. Non-Legit Agents
  • Guest Blog: An Agent Responds to Paperback Writer By The Beatles
  • Why You Are Receiving Rejections
  • Spaghetti Agents
  • When You Discover Your Agent’s Not That Into You
  • How to Write a One Sentence Pitch
  • The One Sentence, One Paragraph, and Two Paragraph Pitch
  • The Importance of the Pitch
  • Drop-Ins Not Allowed
  • All About Writing Contests
  • I’m Back! (and a quick note on copyright)
  • Following the Guidelines
  • Taking a Chance on a Young Agent
  • How to Maximize Pitch Sessions
  • The Art of Summarizing Your Work
  • Questions: Answered. Kind Of.
  • New Year Reminders
  • Guest Blogger: Tracy Marchini on the Conference Etiquette Dating Game
  • Guest Blogger: Jeff Abbott on the Importance of Having an Agent
  • When Should I Tell an Agent X?
  • Going from Small Presses to Big Publishers
  • Unsolicited Drop-ins
  • Unagented Revisions
  • Exclusives and Literary Agents
  • Referrals and Blurbs and Quotes, Oh My
  • Can I Get a Ruling on Pitch Sessions?
  • The No A**hole Rule
  • How To Find A Literary Agent
  • A Follow-up On My Post About Follow-up E-mails After Rejections
  • Trust and Communication
  • The Do Not Call List
  • Literary Agent Blog Confidential
  • Literary Agent Blog Roundup
  • Conference Protocol
  • Know Thyself
  • Please Don’t Scare Me
  • About Those Follow-Up Questions After a Rejection…
  • Literary Agents and Writers Overseas
  • Spoiler Alert: Don’t Worry About Spilling the Ending
  • Re: Re-Querying
  • Guest Blog: Ginger Clark on How to Handle an Offer of Representation
  • Before You Add Random Agents To Your Mailing List…
  • How to Write a Synopsis
  • More About That Slush Pile (and the importance of networking)
  • Young Writers
  • How Often Should You Follow Up With a Prospective Agent?
  • Talk to Your Agent
  • What Does a Prospective Agent Owe You?
  • How to Respond to a Request for a Partial
  • Your Rights as an Author
  • Too Controversial?
  • How to Craft a Great Hook
  • Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You
  • Random Q’s…. A’d
  • Make Our Lives Easier
  • The Art of Reading Rejection Letters
  • How to Write a Book Proposal
  • Dear Mr. Brown: How Do I Spot a Bad Agent?

Literary Agents (What the Job is Like)

  • Literary agent Tess Callero on the importance of knowing the market
  • Interview: Agent Sarah LaPolla on how authors can stand out, negotiating offers, and the state of publishing
  • Should Agents Respond to All Queries?
  • Want to Know What an Agent’s Inbox Looks Like? Read Contest Entries!
  • In Praise of Reading Slush
  • Why I Write Vague Rejection Letters
  • Query Stats: Salutations!
  • Agents Are Not Just Gatekeepers
  • Emilie Jacobson
  • How Would You Handle the Query Deluge?
  • Recapping the San Miguel Writer’s Conference
  • Estoy Salieeeennndooooo en un Avion de Jet
  • Vacation Query Stats
  • Query Deluge!!
  • NYC!
  • Making Taste Overly Personal
  • What Do Literary Agents Do?
  • Agent E-mail Stats
  • I’m Back!
  • Please Help: My Partial Request E-mail
  • Breezing Through Voicemail
  • Must. Drink. Coffee
  • How Would I Know What I Like Until I’ve Read It?
  • #agentfailfail
  • Presidents’ Day Query Stats
  • Picking Droplets From a Fire Hose
  • On the Quality of Queries
  • Guest Blogger: Katherine Fausset on Her Literary Utopia
  • Guest Blogger: Ginger Clark on the Frankfurt Book Fair
  • Hi, My Name Is…. Uh, I’ll Have to Get Back to You on That
  • NYC!
  • Query Stats by Word Count
  • Random Query Trend: Fire
  • Help, I’ve Been Getting Too Many Good Queries
  • Me and Romance
  • RWA Recap
  • Query Trends: I’m Seeing Triple
  • Reading Partials: You’ve Got 30 Pages, Pal
  • Fun Times in Atlanta
  • Editors Becoming Agents
  • Literary Estate Representation
  • You’re Not Wasting Our Time
  • What Advice Would You Offer An Agent?
  • Query Stats Eeyore Would Love
  • My Rejection Letter
  • Day in the Life of an Agent
  • New Year, New Query Stats
  • The First Agent You Query
  • The Annual December Publishing Coma
  • I’m Back
  • Things I Don’t Blog About
  • Query Stat-tacular
  • When in Doubt: Query Me
  • Talking to Yourself
  • I Heart NY
  • Digging for Mushrooms
  • I Like Queries
  • Mini Query Stats
  • About That Slush Pile
  • The Agent as Editor
  • More Query Stats
  • More on How I Read Queries
  • And…. We’re Back! (with some fun query stats)
  • I Write Queries Too
  • This Is Not a Recording
  • Let’s Do Lunch
  • When Agenting is Like Dating
  • Why My Heart Is in San Francisco (and the rest of my body as well)
  • So You Wanna Be a Literary Agent?
  • What Do Literary Agents Actually Do?

Nathan’s books

  • A year of COVID
  • Mid-winter break
  • 12th annual Heifer International fundraiser!
  • New homepage! Navigation! Consultations!
  • New newsletter option: Receive updates weekly!
  • A lot can change in a decade and yet…
  • 11th annual Heifer International fundraiser!
  • My guide to publishing a book
  • Now available in audio: My guide to writing a novel!
  • ON SALE NOW: 2nd Edition of my guide to writing a novel!
  • Pre-order alert: New edition of my guide to writing a novel!
  • What kind of community should we have?
  • Taking a summer break
  • Taking a break
  • What I’ve been up to
  • 10th annual Heifer International fundraiser!
  • How to access the archives
  • 9th annual Heifer International fundraiser!
  • Redesign!
  • Looking for a few people to help me update my site
  • Which topics/features would you like to see on the blog?
  • 10 year blogoversary!
  • 8th Annual Heifer International Fundraiser!
  • I’m back! (And available for editing and consulting)
  • YALLWEST!!
  • Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe resembles… the 2016 American Presidential Election
  • 7th Annual Heifer International Fundraiser!
  • ComicCon here I come!
  • The Jacob Wonderbar books are on sale for $2.99 each for a limited time!
  • Job change!
  • My blog should now be safe for Outlook
  • New email subscriptions! And more!
  • 6th Annual Heifer International Fundraiser
  • ComicCon!
  • Brenda Novak’s 10th Annual Diabetes Auction!
  • I’m offering publishing/writing consultations
  • 5th Annual Heifer International Fundraiser!
  • Guide to Writing a Novel: On sale very soon!
  • How should I price my guide to writing a novel?
  • Job change!
  • Off to California!
  • #ThankAWriter Letter 5: Judy Blume
  • #ThankAWriter Letter 4: Ann Jonas
  • Upcoming Event Happenings!
  • #ThankAWriter Letter 3: Vikram Seth
  • #ThankAWriter Letter 2: Bill Watterson
  • The #ThankAWriter Project
  • Writing Guide Update
  • New Project: A Guide to Writing a Novel!
  • Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp Publication Day!
  • Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp: The Book Trailer!
  • Still Time to Help Raise Money for Heifer!
  • Comment on These Blogs = Money for Heifer
  • 4th Annual Heifer International Fundraiser!
  • Heifer International Fundraiser is Coming!
  • Happy Thanksgiving!
  • Affiliate Links
  • Hurricane Sandy
  • New York!
  • Moving to New York
  • New Blog Format!
  • Comic-Con Recap!
  • See You at Comic-Con!
  • Partial RSS Feeds: The Decision
  • Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp
  • I’m Considering Switching to Partial RSS Feed. Thoughts?
  • NYC!
  • Jacob Wonderbar Week!
  • Divorce in the Internet Era
  • Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe: The Book Trailer!
  • Temporary Blog Break
  • Still Time to Leave Comments for Heifer International
  • 3rd Annual Heifer International Fundraiser!
  • Happy Thanksgiving!!
  • CNET Gotham!
  • Two New Wordplay Podcasts
  • New Wordplay Podcast!
  • Wordplay Podcast!
  • Whew! (post-ComicCon)
  • See You At ComicCon!
  • Pledge Drive
  • Annnnd…. We’re Back! (And First Chapter Re-posted)
  • JACOB WONDERBAR Publication Day!!! (And First Chapter Revealed!)
  • T-minus Two Weeks!
  • Jacob Wonderbar: The Book Trailer!
  • Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe
  • Still Time to Raise Money With Your Comments
  • Making Spirits Bright With Heifer International
  • Transition
  • On the Experience of Seeing Your Cover for the First Time
  • Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow
  • Making Spirits Bright With Heifer International
  • A Million Reasons to Be Thankful
  • New Digs! Also: Forums!
  • Introducing Jacob Wonderbar
  • In Praise of “Voluntourism”
  • My Wonder: Rice!
  • Podcast With Bleak House
  • FAQs
  • Thanks, Gawker. I Think.

Page and Query Critiques

  • Sharpen your plot description (query critique)
  • Engage the reader with the story (page critique)
  • Avoid the passive voice at all costs (query critique)
  • Don’t breeze past contextualizing details (page critique)
  • Don’t make your comps too broad (query critique)
  • Harness your details (page critique)
  • Beware of hollow opening lines (query critique)
  • Know your perspective (page critique)
  • Clarify the stakes in a query letter (query critique)
  • Be precise about a character’s motivation (page critique)
  • Make details vivid in a query letter (query critique)
  • Specificity adds individuality (page critique)
  • Weave themes into the plot description (query critique)
  • Demonstrate emotions to show a character’s personality (page critique)
  • Agents assume you’ve researched your novel (query critique)
  • Don’t neglect the broader setting (page critique)
  • Build a smooth progression in a query letter (query critique)
  • It’s okay to slow down for context in an action scene (page critique)
  • Avoid convoluted phrasing in query letters (query critique)
  • Make expansive openings tangible (page critique)
  • The last thing you want to include in a query letter (query critique)
  • Don’t rely on empty banter to show personality (page critique)
  • How to weave more voice into a query letter (query critique)
  • Beware of gesture explosions (page critique)
  • Try to be precise about what motivates your character (query critique)
  • Guide the reader when you change settings (page critique)
  • Focus on the story (query critique)
  • Emotions are more powerful when they’re “earned” (page critique)
  • Don’t tell an agent what your novel means, tell them the story (query critique)
  • Don’t start a novel with a generic gesture (page critique)
  • Crystalize the quest (query critique)
  • There is such a thing as too short (query critique)
  • Make your verbs active (page critique)
  • Help the reader get their bearings (page critique)
  • Don’t smush a plot summary into the start of your query (query critique)
  • Don’t smush exposition into dialogue (page critique)
  • Every word counts in a query letter (query critique)
  • Articulate a character’s motivation precisely (page critique)
  • Bland is bland (query critique)
  • Let a scene unfold (page critique)
  • Lead with a character’s symptoms, not a diagnosis (query critique)
  • Be careful starting a novel with dialogue (page critique)
  • Causing confusion will sink your query letter (query critique)
  • Let the reader into the story (page critique)
  • Organize your query’s plot summary in a clear way (query critique)
  • Don’t substitute voice for scene-setting (page critique)
  • Don’t begin query letters with empty rhetorical questions (query critique)
  • Don’t force your first line (page critique)
  • Remove the word “shattered” from your query letter (query critique)
  • Avoid micro-flashbacks (page critique)
  • Sharpen your characters’ choices in a query (query critique)
  • Invite the reader into the story (Page critique)
  • Avoid word salads in your query (Query critique)
  • Focus your opening on what’s unique (Page critique)
  • Don’t force a “logline” into a query (Query critique)
  • The reader should generally know what your narrator knows (Page critique)
  • Don’t write queries in the second person (Query critique)
  • Infuse your opening with personality (Page critique)
  • Make sure your protagonist’s motives are clear (Query critique)
  • Don’t establish a mystery without giving us a reason to care (Page critique)
  • Make your plot tangible (Query critique)
  • Slow down and set the scene (Page critique)
  • Be mindful of the intersection between your novel’s world and the real world (Query critique)
  • Don’t overdo it (Page critique)
  • What to do when your query lacks a certain zing (Query critique)
  • Nail a character’s first impression (Page critique)
  • Clarify the contours of your world (Query critique)
  • Query critique Tuesday: Streamline to 250-350 words
  • Query Critique 7/11/17: Make sure your query is fully baked
  • Page Critique Tuesday: Dial down kids’ excitablity
  • Query Critique Tuesday: Read your query out loud before sending
  • Query Critique Tuesday: Focus on your protagonist’s journey
  • Page Critique Tuesday: Be patient with description
  • Query critique Tuesday: Just tell the story
  • Page Critique Tuesday: Write for people on Earth, not for people in your novel’s world
  • Query critique Tuesday: Streamline to 250-350 words
  • Page Critique Tuesday: Know your genre
  • Query Critique Tuesday: Character, crispness, clarity
  • Page Critique Tuesday: Anchor the reader
  • Enter for a chance to have your page or query critiqued!
  • Page Critique: Vagueness tends to deflate a mystery
  • Page Critique: Let actions speak for themselves
  • Page Critique: The danger of starting with dialogue
  • Page critique: Don’t overdo it
  • Page Critique Wednesday and the importance of changing up the action
  • Page Critique Friday and the Importance of Patience
  • Page Critique Thursday: The Importance of Staying With Your Character
  • Page Critique Thursday: Avoiding Being Writerly
  • Page Critique Thursday, and the Importance of Choosing Your Perspective
  • Query Critique 6/9/11
  • Page Critique Thursday: My Thoughts, and More About Incorporating a High Concept Hook
  • Page Critique Thursday!
  • Page Critique Thursday: My Thoughts, and More About Trusting Yourself
  • Page Critique Thursday!
  • Page Critique Tuesday: My Thoughts
  • Page Critique Tuesday!
  • Page Critique Monday: My Critique 8/16/10
  • Page Critique Monday: 8/16/10
  • Page Critique Monday: My Critique
  • Page Critique Monday
  • Page Critique Monday: My Critique
  • Page Critique Monday
  • Page Critique Monday: My Critique
  • Page Critique Monday
  • Page Critique Monday: My Thoughts
  • Page Critique Monday
  • Query Critique Monday: My Critique
  • Query Critique Monday
  • Page Critique Monday: My Critique
  • Page Critique Monday
  • Page Critique Tuesday: My Critique
  • Page Critique Tuesday
  • Page Critique Monday: My Critique
  • Page Critique Monday
  • Page Critique Tuesday – My Critique
  • Page Critique Tuesday
  • Page Critique Monday
  • Page Critique Monday
  • Inaugural Page Critique
  • Query Critiques
  • Query Critiques
  • Query Critique: Sampling a New World
  • Query Critique: Spot the Plot
  • Query Critique: The Importance of Recognizing Your Selling Points
  • Query Critique
  • Query Critique and a Few Clarifications

Promoting a Book and Social Media

  • There’s no excuse for not knowing where your book fits in the market
  • Marketing tips for reaching your first readers from David Gaughran
  • Who are your favorite authors to follow on Instagram?
  • Entrepreneur Sarah Hill on book marketing and changes in the industry
  • What’s the best book marketing campaign you’ve seen?
  • 32 book marketing ideas
  • How to write good jacket copy
  • 4 tips for marketing any children’s book
  • The key to book marketing: Do what you’re best at
  • How to make a good author website
  • Why an author’s platform matters
  • Everything writers need to know about pitching their book
  • How to come up with good comp titles for your book
  • A guide to social media for authors
  • The definitive guide to SEO for authors
  • 7 things to consider before hiring a career coach
  • How should authors navigate politics on social media?
  • What are your favorite still-active blogs?
  • I miss the blogosphere
  • The temptation of shutting down your social media accounts
  • What Beyonce’s New Album Says About Marketing
  • The strange public intimacy of social media
  • Feedly is awesome. (At least, once I got my settings right)
  • Estrangement in the Social Media Era
  • RIP Google Reader, Long Live Feedly
  • When the Twitterverse Finds Enemies
  • Where Have All the Bloggers Gone?
  • The Instagram Flap
  • Where My Blog Art Comes From
  • Facebook Pages vs. Profiles for Authors
  • 10 Marketing Techniques That Annoy Potential Readers
  • No, You Shouldn’t Send Your Tweets to Facebook
  • Social Media is an Imperfect Sales Tool. Use it Anyway
  • The Top 5 Social Media Blunders You Shouldn’t Make
  • Matthew Pearl: Expanding the World of Your Novel
  • What You Need to Know About SEO
  • Are You Ready for Facebook Timeline?
  • Is Blog Fatigue on the Rise?
  • Don’t Be a Jerk
  • Is Social Media Like a Party?
  • On the Internet There’s No Such Thing As a Brand. There Is Only You
  • Is the Internet Making Us Better or Worse?
  • Which Social Networks Do You Use?
  • The Thing About Self-Promotion is That Self-Promotion Sucks (But You Have to Do It Anyway)
  • Has Facebook Peaked?
  • Should You Use RT or the Retweet Button on Twitter?
  • How to Make Money From Your Web Presence
  • Social Media: There’s No Such Thing as Too Early
  • Facebook for Authors – How to Get Started
  • Have Blogs Peaked?
  • How to Use Twitter
  • How to Write a Good Blog Comment
  • Can I Get a Ruling: How Do You Feel About Blogging Agents?
  • In Defense of Blogging Agents
  • Seven Tips on How to Build a Following Online
  • What Platform Means for Writers
  • Can I Get a Ruling: Does Social Media Help Sell Books?
  • The Science of Buzz
  • Can Authors Balance Publicity and Privacy in the Internet Era?
  • Where Are You From?
  • Guest Blog Week: How to Make a Book Trailer
  • The Key to Marketing Your Book: Time Well Spent
  • Anonymous Comments
  • The Myth of “Just An Author”
  • Guest Blog Week: The Fine Art of Getting Blurbs
  • Guest Blog Week: The Top 7 Things Every Aspiring Author’s Website Must Have
  • Where Did You Hear About the Book You’re Reading?
  • This is a Blog
  • Twitter Update #3
  • Twitter Update
  • Twitter
  • You Tell Me: Authonomy?
  • Guest Blogger: Tracy Marchini on 21 Things an Author Can Do With Twitter
  • Guest Blogger: M.J. Rose on Book Marketing
  • Guest Blogger: Michelle Moran on How to Promote Your Book (Part 1)
  • Guest Blogger: Michelle Moran on How to Promote Your Book (Part 2)
  • Do Author Blogs Sell Books?
  • Author Websites
  • What Are Some Great Ideas for Promoting Books?

Publishing Industry

  • For the real threshold for traditional publication, look at debuts
  • How to keep up with the publishing industry in 2020
  • Apply for the WNDB mentorship program!
  • #PublishingPaidMe is just the tip of the iceberg
  • New Facebook page and group!
  • Interview with Mike Shatzkin on how coronavirus will change the publishing industry
  • ViacomCBS to sell off Simon & Schuster
  • How Jane Ubell-Meyer combined her passion for books and traveling into a new career
  • How authors make money
  • Should authors have more control over their covers?
  • A worthy guide to the publishing industry
  • When to submit to publishers without an agent
  • Know your rights as an author
  • Diversity in publishing
  • How to publish a book
  • Superstar editor Krista Marino on championing books and the publishing climate
  • Do you have beef with literary agents?
  • What do you wish existed in the publishing industry?
  • What the cover of “About a Girl” says about today’s publishing world
  • Amazon vs. Hachette: It’s over
  • Publishing consultations with Christine Pride
  • Traditionally published short story collections
  • Do You Like Amazon?
  • Who Owns E-book Rights From Old Publishing Contracts?
  • Scott Turow and the (Supposed) Decline of the American Author
  • Amazon Acquired Goodreads
  • Yet Another Amazon Review Controversy
  • The NY Times is Creating New Middle Grade/Young Adult Bestseller Lists
  • The Publishing Industry is Not Deserving of Special Protection
  • Penguin Random House
  • Empathizing With Literary Agents
  • Agent Pam van Hylckama Allegedly Assaulted By Author She Rejected
  • Does the Publishing Industry Care Too Much About Writing Quality?
  • No, Agents and Published Authors Are Not “Working” for Publishers
  • Should Agents be Worried?
  • The Biggest Challenges in the New Era of Publishing
  • What Will the Book World Look Like After the DOJ Lawsuit?
  • Why the DOJ’s Potential Lawsuit Over the Agency Model is a Really Big Deal
  • Are Publishers Plagued by a Publishing Perception Problem?
  • Amazon vs. the Indies
  • Publishers are Squandering Their Cachet On Imprints
  • ROI and KPIs in Publishing
  • Why I Chose a Traditional Publisher
  • Why I’m Still Optimistic About the Future of Books
  • How Do You Feel About Websites Poking Fun At Queries?
  • The Package of Services Publishers Provide Authors and How This Is Changing
  • If You Were King/Queen of the Publishing Industry, What Would Be Your First Order of Business?
  • Buckle Up!!
  • The Rejection Letter of the Future Will Be Silence (And Why This is a Good Thing)
  • You Can’t Make Something a Phenomenon
  • The Amazon Review Controversy
  • Moving the Needle
  • On the Pointlessness of Questioning Whether “X” Classic Book Would Be Published By Today’s Publishing Industry
  • Submitting to Editors Without an Agent
  • Will Authors of the Future Need Publishers?
  • Publishing Time
  • How a Book Gets Published
  • Book Publishing Glossary
  • What’s in a Cover?
  • Amazon, Orwell, and the Great Internet Freakout of 2009
  • Guest Blog Week: Book Sales Demystified
  • Guest Blogger: Ms. Sally Spitfire on a Day in the Life of a Book Marketing Manager
  • Should Publishers Publish Works Posthumously Against the (Deceased) Author’s Wishes?
  • Andrew Sullivan and the “Death” of Publishing
  • Authonomy (possibly hilariously) Hijacked
  • Breaking: Amazon Will Give Authors Choice on Text to Speech
  • Layoffs at Harper, Collins Closing
  • How Do You Feel About the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest?
  • Shakeup at Random House
  • Hardcover vs. Paperback Debuts
  • A Publisher’s Responsibility?
  • Editing vs. Copyediting
  • Following the Market
  • HarperStudio: Imprint…… of the Future
  • Vanguard: Imprint…… of the Future
  • Jonathan Karp on a Book A Year
  • 12: Imprint…… of the Future
  • How Long Does It Take to Sell A Novel?
  • What Should Be Done About All These Fake Memoirs?
  • What Are Your Predictions for 2008?
  • Waiting for the Next Big Thing
  • Censorship vs. Public Interest
  • Publishing Myths 101: Publishers Only Care About the Bottom Line
  • Complaining About the Publishing Industry is the New Black
  • Do You Notice Imprints?
  • The First Rule of Publishing: There Are No Rules
  • Guest Blogger: An Ex Publishing Insider Talks About What Editors Really Do (Part 1 of a 2 part series)
  • Guest Blogger: An Ex Publishing Insider Talks About What Editors Really Do (Part 2)
  • Publishing Myths 101: Editors Don’t Edit
  • Fun With Widgets
  • The Power of Google
  • What’s Going on in the Publishing Industry?

Query Letters

  • How to format a query letter
  • One of the fastest paths to rejection: implying you don’t read much
  • How to handle multiple protagonists in a query letter
  • Why you should remove the word “ensues” from your query and synopsis and light it on fire
  • The best strategy for sending query letters
  • Example of a good nonfiction query letter
  • How to list your publishing credits in a query letter
  • How to personalize a query
  • Query mastery! Hone your research and pitch
  • The key to a good query letter: Summarizing through specificity
  • In defense of personalized queries (and five tips!)
  • My Query Letter for JACOB WONDERBAR
  • How to Deal With Contradictory Query Advice
  • How to Write a Query Letter
  • Your Current Project Should Always Be the Focus of Your Query
  • Can I Get a Ruling: Do You Think the Query Process Works?
  • Query Letter Subject Lines: Act Now!! Get It While It Lasts!
  • How To Format a Query Letter
  • The Secret Strength of Killer Queries: Specificity
  • The Batch Querying Theory
  • Get the Big Stuff Right
  • Comparing Your Book to Other Books in the Query
  • Themes Schmemes
  • Previously Published Authors
  • “This Has Never Been Done Before!”
  • Example of a Good Query Letter III
  • Re: Re-querying Redux
  • Getting Crazy With Fonts
  • Hoops vs. Hints
  • Dropped Articles
  • Knowing What Your Words Mean
  • More Story, Less You
  • Can You Query If You Are an Unpublished Novelist and Your Novel Isn’t Finished?
  • More on Ghost Queries
  • Queries By Committee?
  • Is There a “Best Time” to Query?
  • Personalizing vs. Kissing Up
  • Things I Don’t Need to Know in a Query
  • When Brevity Doesn’t
  • Brevity is the Soul Of
  • The Query Points System and Rulebreaking
  • Braggadocio
  • Query Letter Mad Lib
  • Triple the Query Critique, Triple the Fun
  • On Formality In Query Letters
  • How (And Whether) to List Your Publishing Credits
  • Query Letter Formatting
  • So Begins Today’s Blog Post
  • Don’t Fake a Personalized Query
  • Funny is as Funny Does
  • The Passive Voice is Found in Your Query Letter
  • Dead Cliches
  • The Verdict on Rhetorical Questions
  • Death, Locusts, Plagues, Queries Beginning With Rhetorical Questions
  • How to Mention a Series in a Query?
  • What To Do if You Don’t Have Publishing Credits
  • Example of a Good Query Letter II
  • You Know All Those Rules About How to Write a Query Letter? Yeah, About That…
  • Themes Schmemes
  • 101 Things in Queries That Catch My Eye (Or At Least As Many As I Can Think Of)
  • Anatomy of a Really Bad Query Letter
  • Grammar: Do As I Says and Not As I Does
  • Hello, My Name is Nathan, and I Am a Literary Agent (also a Q&A)
  • The Shadow Blog (plus some random query advice)
  • Example of a Good Query Letter
  • Can I Ask You A Question? (um, you just did)
  • Should I Use Rhetorical Questions in my Query Letters?
  • An Esoterically Logorrheic Entreating Epistle
  • Special Topics in Calamitous Query Letters
  • Query Etiquette

Self-Publishing

  • How to get your book uploaded and self-published
  • How will you publish your work in progress? The results! (2020)
  • How do you plan to publish your work in progress? (2020)
  • How to self-publish an audiobook
  • What is hybrid publishing?
  • What it costs to self-publish a book
  • How will you publish your work in progress? The results! (2019)
  • How do you plan to publish your work in progress? (2019)
  • Self-publishing? Don’t neglect your interior design
  • How will you publish your work in progress? The results! (2018)
  • How to make the leap from self-publishing to traditional publishing
  • How do you plan to publish your work in progress? (2018)
  • How to self-publish a book
  • How to decide where to publish your books when self-publishing
  • How will you publish your work in progress? The results!
  • How do you plan to publish your work in progress?
  • How to determine your price point when self-publishing
  • How will you publish your work in progress? The results!
  • How do you plan to publish your work in progress?
  • Should you self-publish or traditionally publish? 7 questions to ask yourself
  • How do you plan to publish your WIP? The results!
  • How do you plan to publish your work-in-progress?
  • Self-publishing vs. Traditional: Some Straight Talk
  • What I’ve learned from the sales of my guide
  • How to choose an e-book cover
  • Self-publishing was way easier than I thought it would be
  • How Do You Plan to Publish Your Work-in-Progress?
  • In the Future, Will Everyone Be a Publisher?
  • What Are the Best Resources for Self-Publishers?
  • Traditional vs. Self-Publishing is a False Dichotomy
  • On Self-Publishing and Having a Chip on One’s Shoulder
  • Is There a Self-Publishing Bubble?
  • Do You Plan to Bypass the Traditional Publishing Industry Entirely?
  • Have You Ever Read a Self-Published Book?
  • Self-Publishing and Literary Fiction
  • By the Time a Self-Published Author Hits it Big Do They Really Need a Publisher?
  • The Real Skinny About Indie Publishing
  • Traditional Publishing, Self-Publishing and Control
  • Who Should Have the ‘Indie’ Label: Self-Publishers or Small Presses?
  • How to Use Kickstarter to Fund a Self-Published Book
  • Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing: Which Way Will You Make More Money?
  • Further Thoughts on the Kindle Millionaires
  • Amanda Hocking and the 99-Cent Kindle Millionaires
  • Would You Consider Self-Publishing?
  • Should You Self-Publish? Ten Questions to Ask Yourself
  • Self-Publishing and Your Writing Career
  • You Tell Me: Self-Publishing — Wave of the Future or Just a Sideshow?
  • SOUND OFF: Is self-publishing good or bad?

Writing Advice

  • How to write adult characters in children’s books
  • How to write clear physical description
  • Write for today’s readers
  • Describe characters and settings when they’re first introduced
  • Don’t listen to condescending feedback
  • Get in tune with your writing goals
  • Action, then reaction
  • How to format a manuscript
  • How to use hopes and dreams to make a character come alive
  • Third person omniscient vs. limited vs. head jumping
  • Be very careful with dreams and hallucinations in novels
  • Writing as a series of lenses
  • Tips for non-linear narratives
  • How to spice up relationships in novels
  • Shy characters don’t have to be passive
  • Even minor characters need to want something
  • The climax should resolve your character’s desires
  • Listen to your characters, but don’t let them run away
  • Writing, marathons, and sprints
  • How to diagnose big picture problems in your novel
  • Everything authors need to know about dialogue tags
  • Give your protagonist a mini-quest before the main plot kicks off
  • Weave exposition naturally into the story
  • Everything you need to know about inciting incidents
  • If it’s not on the page, your reader doesn’t know it
  • You probably don’t need that dramatic pause
  • Only show characters crying when they’re truly at their wits’ end
  • How to choose a book title
  • Don’t fear repeating pronouns
  • Everything writers need to know about book series
  • Avoid these generic reactions
  • You gotta tell the story
  • Make characters interesting through contradiction
  • Don’t release the tension
  • Clear out the clutter around your verbs
  • When editing, start with the problems before jumping to solutions
  • Interview on writing novels and believing in yourself
  • Why protagonists need to be active
  • My plot framework
  • What is a character arc?
  • 9 ways to spice up characters
  • The power of competing desires in a story
  • List of societal changes and threats
  • Nail every character’s first impression
  • How to be a productive writer
  • The 8 essential elements of a story
  • How to know what to cut from a novel
  • Tips for #NaNoWriMo 2019
  • 5 ways to make a character more sympathetic
  • Let the reader diagnose your characters
  • How to create a great villain
  • Are you creating a mystery or just being vague?
  • 6 ways to build intimacy between characters
  • 7 reasons your characters feel flat
  • How to get back in the saddle
  • 5 tips for writing for children
  • List of character strengths and weaknesses
  • How to write a good climax in a novel
  • The most common mistakes writers make
  • Try this trick when your novel is stuck
  • How to outline a novel
  • How to find and work with a book editor
  • How to organize a chapter
  • How to raise the stakes in a novel
  • Prioritize yourself
  • Watch out for empty gestures in your novel
  • How to choose your novel’s perspective
  • Why writers need to perfect their first thirty pages
  • Everything you need to know about novel word counts
  • How to turn a blog into a book
  • How to edit your novel
  • Writers: Be scared of the right things
  • How to turn your life into a memoir
  • Bestseller Angie Thomas on writing, bestsellerdom, and diversity in publishing
  • Bestsellers Christina Lauren on how to write with a co-writer and moving from fan-fiction to stardom
  • Writing children’s books from the inside out
  • The incredible advantage of fast typing
  • 6 writing tips from Hamilton
  • How to balance writing to market and writing what you want
  • Stop thinking and start doing
  • How to know if you have a good editor
  • The curse of having too much time
  • Want to finish your novel? Try talking to yourself
  • 4 tips for extroverted writers
  • Your handy NaNoWriMo prep
  • How to find and work with a freelance editor
  • Need an editor? Check out New York Book Editors
  • Your NaNoWriMo Tuneup
  • Creativity tip: When you need inspiration, figure out what you need to know
  • What’s in a finished novel should represent a mere fraction of your ideas
  • How to flesh out a character
  • Five things Melissa Grey learned while writing The Girl at Midnight
  • 4 ways to avoid screenplayizing your novel
  • The importance of change in a setting
  • 4 tips for handling multiple perspectives in a third person narrative
  • Everything you need for NaNoWriMo
  • Guest post (and giveaway!) – How and when to revise your manuscript
  • How do you name your characters?
  • What to write about when it feels like everything has already been written
  • Advice for young writers
  • It’s better to be a good storyteller than overly realistic
  • Don’t overthink it
  • What was the inspiration for the title of your WIP?
  • Daniel José Older on channeling darkness and writing unique characters
  • You don’t have to write every day
  • Sometimes the Boring Idea is Best
  • How did you choose your novel’s perspective?
  • How Do You Get Going on a New Project?
  • Favorite Writing Tips
  • How to get started writing a novel
  • How to get over writer’s block
  • How to find a writing style that works for you
  • How to choose an idea for a novel
  • My guide to writing a novel
  • Why newsworthy events do not lead to newsworthy novels
  • Storytelling is getting formulaic. This is an opportunity
  • Dialogue Only Has to Be True to the World of Your Novel
  • Why I’m Paying Someone to Edit My Guide to Writing a Novel
  • In Order to Write, Writers Have to Live
  • You Don’t Need to Register Copyright for Unpublished Work
  • Writing Advice in Tweet Form
  • What Writers Can Learn from Downton Abbey
  • Third Person Omniscient vs. Third Person Limited
  • NaNoWriMo Resources
  • How to Deal With Revision Fatigue
  • Give Critiques Time
  • Writers Aren’t Painters, They’re Magicians
  • Game of Thrones and the Art of Being Unsentimental About Your Characters
  • How to Return to Writing After a Long Break
  • Do You Suffer From These Writing Maladies (Part II)
  • How to Start Writing a Novel
  • The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Using Contradiction to Build Character
  • The Solution to Every Writing Problem That Has Ever Existed
  • What is the Strangest Thing You Have Ever Researched?
  • What Do You Wish You Had Known When You Started Writing?
  • Five Openings to Avoid
  • How to Craft a Mystery in a Novel
  • Reversals in Novels and Movies
  • How I Edit
  • How I Write
  • Do You Keep a Journal?
  • Separating Confidence From Self-Doubt
  • Taking a Good Idea and Elevating It
  • What Makes You Read On?
  • NaNoWriMo Boot Camp: Editing As You Go
  • NaNoWriMo Boot Camp: Choosing the Right Idea
  • The Temptation of Thinking Someone Has Made It
  • Are You Participating in NaNoWriMo?
  • The Narrowing of the Perceptible World
  • Writing Practice: What Works for Me
  • The All-Important First Chapter
  • Seven Keys to Writing Good Dialogue
  • The Pernicious Momentum of First Ideas
  • What High Concept Means
  • How to Write a Novel
  • Do You Suffer From One of These Writing Maladies?
  • Writing vs. Storytelling
  • Undercooking a Novel
  • What is Your Writing Tic?
  • Can I Get a Ruling: How Do We Feel About Prologues?
  • How to Craft a Great Voice
  • The Series Bible
  • John Green and Dynamic Character Relationships
  • A Blog Post on Repetition, Repetition That Is Distracting
  • What’s Your Least Favorite Malaprop/Mispronunciation/Homonym Error?
  • Archetype vs. Cliche
  • All About Sequels
  • Do You Own Your Characters or Do Your Characters Own You?
  • Think About What Everyone Else Would Do: Then Do Something Different
  • How to Respond to a Manuscript Critique/Editorial Letter
  • Can I Get a Ruling: Twenty-something
  • What Makes a Good 1st Paragraph?
  • Can I Get a “Ruling”: Quotation Marks for Emphasis
  • Guest Blog Week: Everything You Need to Know About Writing a Novel, in 1000 Words
  • Writing Advice Database
  • How Do You Know When Your Novel is Really Finished?
  • Revision Checklist
  • On Concepts
  • What Are Your Favorite Books on Writing?
  • Prologues
  • On Conflict
  • What Do Your Characters Want?
  • Sympathetic vs. Unsympathetic Characters
  • When Does One Become a “Writer?”
  • Can I Get a Ruling: One or Two Spaces After a Period?
  • Can I Get a Ruling: Beginning a Sentence With “That”?
  • About Those Books Beginning With Dialogue
  • Can I Get a Ruling?: Beginning a Book With Dialogue
  • What’s the Worst Writing Advice You’ve Ever Received?
  • Welcome!
  • Stock Phrases
  • Do You Have a Plot?
  • Character and Plot: Inseparable!
  • So What Makes Good Dialogue Good Anyway?
  • What Makes a Great Setting
  • How Do You Revise?
  • Novel Word Count
  • Your Similes Are Like a Giant Flood Washing Over Me
  • Shock and Awe
  • 1st Person Narratives: Conversational, yes. Chatty, like ohmigod no.
  • More on Writing Series
  • The Importance of Originality
  • First Person or Third Person?
  • He Said, She Shouted Loudly
  • The Best Book About Writing a Novel That Isn’t About Writing a Novel
  • Better Than a Blog?
  • Thy Dialogue Dost Sound Strange
  • Starting Before the Beginning
  • Quick on the Draw
  • Writing Advice From Some Old Guys At My Gym
  • What is the Best Writing Advice You Have Ever Received?
  • Setting the Pace
  • Trendspotting
  • Formatting Your Manuscript
  • Are You the Right Person to Write That Book?
  • I Know Quentin Tarantino, and You Sir, Are No Quentin Tarantino
  • Reality is Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be

The Writing Life

  • How are you moving forward? (Or are you?)
  • What we carry into 2021
  • Don’t ever ask somebody whether you should keep writing
  • Don’t rush
  • After the storm
  • Your writing matters
  • Miscalculating your fears
  • Zen and the art of fishing in Animal Crossing
  • Time to make fresh tracks
  • What is your highest and best use?
  • Harness your fears
  • Lean into the things that bring you meaning
  • Is the pandemic upending the plot of your novel?
  • Being productive can be self-care
  • How are you coping?
  • Writing in a time of anxiety
  • What will you write during the pandemic?
  • What’s the right etiquette for authors leaving reviews?
  • How has your time shifted in the past five years?
  • What are your writing New Year’s resolutions?
  • What’s your favorite beverage to drink with a good book?
  • Gifts for writers! (A tongue-in-cheek holiday gift guide)
  • What it’s like to narrate an audiobook
  • Should authors have more freedom to respond to bad reviews?
  • Caring about quality in a flash in the pan world
  • How did you choose your novel’s structure?
  • The scary part
  • How do you convince yourself to write when you don’t feel like it?
  • Increase your productivity and happiness with extreme calendaring
  • The fear of never finishing
  • How to get the most out of writers conferences
  • Art is an imperfect catharsis
  • You tell me: How many manuscripts do you have in the drawer?
  • Do you outline your novel?
  • How many hours a week do you spend writing?
  • How to regain your concentration
  • Turn off your phone notifications. All of them.
  • How writers can beat imposter syndrome
  • When did you start writing?
  • How do you cope with staring at screens so much?
  • Where do you go for support?
  • Which program do you use to write?
  • Unlocking creativity through meditation
  • The script
  • I wasted six years telling myself I wasn’t creative
  • Do you even want to win the game you’re playing?
  • How are you staying productive?
  • How are you doing?
  • Why writing is like the pyramids
  • Has the writing community become close-minded to alternate viewpoints?
  • What’s on your literary bucket list?
  • What’s your biggest challenge as a writer?
  • That uncomfortable feeling when writers don’t write
  • The quest
  • How not to write a novel
  • Do you have a writing New Year’s resolution?
  • What I learned about writing from a broken tooth
  • How do you keep track of your ideas?
  • Loner in the Garret: A Guest Post from Jennifer R. Hubbard
  • What was your favorite experience meeting a writer?
  • Would you take money or an award?
  • What’s your writing routine?
  • Why we write (in GIF form)
  • When the Internet attacks
  • In which I took an unplanned but happy break from writing
  • What is the biggest obstacle you’ve overcome to be a writer?
  • Bill Watterson on life and creativity
  • How do you know when to give up on a project?
  • Do you talk about your characters as if they’re real people?
  • What’s your biggest distraction from writing?
  • What are your writing superstitions?
  • What Jiro Dreams of Sushi means for writers
  • Steven Salmon on writing with cerebral palsy
  • Writing With a Day Job
  • 3 Things Writers Can Learn From J.K. Rowling’s Second-Thoughts About Harry and Hermione
  • The myth of the creative person
  • Writing and Depression
  • Creative Fatigue
  • Writing in the Internet era: A conversation with Sarah McCarry (aka The Rejectionist)
  • Do you re-read your books when you’re finished writing them?
  • Writing and Loneliness
  • The Bullies of Goodreads
  • You Can Never Predict Your Bad Reviews
  • When It Feels Like There’s Nothing Left to Be Written
  • When it Feels Like You’re Never Doing Enough
  • How to Know You’re a Writer (In GIF Form)
  • How Did You Choose Your Title?
  • How to Do Your Chores in 12 Easy Steps
  • Finding Calmness in an Age of Distraction
  • Living on the Edge of Confidence and Self-Doubt
  • Which Writers Most Influenced Your Work?
  • What People Talk About When They Talk About Bad Writing
  • Writers and Suicide
  • Ideas Aren’t Sacred
  • Writing As Catharsis
  • It’s Not Necessary to Write Every Day
  • The Publishing Process in GIF Form
  • Why Writing is So Hard
  • How Do You Back Up Your Work?
  • What Do Writers Owe the People in Their Lives?
  • Borges’ Birdman and the Roots of Story
  • Why Writers Shouldn’t Be Paranoid About Having Their Query Critiqued Online
  • There’s Always More You Can Do
  • How to Keep Writing When the S*** Hits the Fan
  • How Long Does It Take You to Edit a Novel? 
  • How Long Does It Take You to Finish a Draft?
  • Ten Commandments for Editing Someone’s Work
  • Can You Write With Noise?
  • Do Writers Give Up the Right to Be Causal Reviewers?
  • Do You Have Any Writing New Year’s Resolutions?
  • What Hobbies Have You Given Up for Your Writing?
  • Do You Work Better on a Deadline?
  • Success and Motivation
  • Five Ways to Stay Motivated While Writing a Novel
  • Are You Participating in NaNoWriMo?
  • When Do You Let Other People See Your Work?
  • There is No Such Thing as an Overnight Success Story
  • What is the Most Important Quality for a Writer?
  • On Distractions
  • Stories Are How We Make Sense of Life
  • How Does Real Life Inspire Your Writing?
  • Guest Blog: Rejection and Recovery
  • Rejection is Not Personal
  • Writing Time vs. Reading Time
  • The Case for Putting a Manuscript in the Drawer
  • The Fate Factor
  • When Did You Know You Wanted to Be a Writer?
  • What Are You Building?
  • In the Future, Everyone Will Have a Chance. (But Not All Chances Will Be Created Equal)
  • How to Deal With Bad Reviews
  • Virtual Witch Hunts
  • How to Find Balance?
  • How Much Do You Share About Your Idea Before You Write It?
  • Who’s Your Favorite Writer In Your Life and What Do You Love About Them?
  • Writing, Striving, and THE GREAT GATSBY
  • The More I Learn and the Older I Get the More I Realize I Don’t Know
  • How Do You Balance Writing and Life?
  • The Way Cocktail Parties Should Really Go Part II
  • What Are Your New Year’s Resolutions?
  • Do You Listen to Music When You Write?
  • The Importance of Exercise for Writers
  • The Nine Circles of Writing Hell
  • The Importance of Being Yourself
  • What Is Your Greatest Fear as a Writer?
  • J.K. Rowling and the Art of Being a Clutch Writer
  • Five Writing Tips From Reading J.K. Rowling’s HARRY POTTER
  • What’s the Genre of Your WIP?
  • NaNoWriMo: How Do You Power Through?
  • NaNoWriMo Boot Camp: Goals and Obstacles
  • Professionalism (It’s not what you think it is)
  • This Query Sucks (or how to fail and still succeed)
  • The Nine Stages of Dating a Novel
  • Are There Really That Many People Out There Writing Books?
  • When Dreams Become Expectations
  • Have You Faced Writer Burnout? How Do You Escape It?
  • Does Angst Help You Write?
  • Writers, Authority, and The Keith Hernandez Rule
  • The One Question Writers Should Never Ask Themselves When Reading
  • Why is it So Hard to Tell if Our Writing is Good?
  • To Know or Not to Know?
  • Guest Blog: Bryan Russell on the Architecture of Revision
  • Do You Spend More Time Writing Or Reading?
  • Who Have Been the Most Influential People in Your Writing Life?
  • Do You Read in the Genre You Write?
  • Guest Blogger: Lisa Brackmann on the Writing Process and ROCK PAPER TIGER
  • Every Writer Gets Rejected
  • When Do You Know if a Project is Going to Work or Not?
  • The Greatest Strength of a Writer: Willpower
  • The Way Cocktail Parties Should Really Go
  • Do You Lack Confidence in Your Writing? It Might Not Be a Bad Thing!
  • Which Writer’s Career Would You Most Like to Emulate?
  • What Writing and Lying Have in Common
  • How Can You Tell if You Have Writing Talent?
  • Where Do You Go for Inspiration?
  • What Keeps You Writing?
  • Writing Significant Other/Friend/Family Appreciation Day
  • It’s a Great Time to Be An Author
  • How Did You Come Up With the Idea for Your Work-in-Progress?
  • Guest Blog Week: You May Be a Bestseller on Tralfamadore
  • Guest Blog Week: Is Your “But” Too Big?
  • Guest Blog Week: Are You a Word Nerd or a Grammar Rebel?
  • Guest Blog Week: One, Two, Three, Five, Four
  • Staring at the Abyss
  • What’s In a Name: All About Pen Names
  • What Are You Thankful For?
  • Why Are So Many People Writing Books These Days?
  • The Waiting is the Worst Part
  • What I Learned About Writing While Watching Reality Television
  • Can Anyone Be a Good Writer?
  • The Reverse Snobbery of Low Literary Aspirations
  • When Is Writing Unhealthy?
  • Writers and Sensitivity
  • Does Creativity Trump All?
  • Should You Pay Someone to Edit Your Work?
  • Do You Need to Be Well-Read to Be a Good Writer?
  • Showing vs. Telling
  • When Do You Write?
  • Writer Appreciation Week: The Unpublished!
  • Say Something Nice About a Writer
  • Writer Appreciation Week: Published Authors!
  • Writer Survey!
  • Guest Blog Week: Critiquing Critiques
  • Guest Blog Week: The Unsung Villains of Writing
  • Guest Blog Week: Working With Your Partner, The Writer
  • How Do You Deal With the “Am-I-Crazies?”
  • The Importance of Basic Computer Skills
  • Guest Blog Week: What’s Your Writing Dream?
  • Guest Blog Week: The Five Stages of Querying Grief
  • Stepping Up Your Game
  • How Does Technology Affect Writing Style?
  • Writing as an Identity
  • Guest Blogger: Rakesh Satyal on Finding Time to Write
  • What Have You Given Up for Your Writing Dream?
  • “The Wrestler” and Writing
  • Where Do You Write?
  • How Do You Deal With Writer’s Block?
  • What Do Authors Owe Their Readers?
  • Dealing With Frustration
  • How Do You Deal With Rejections?
  • Dealing With Negativity
  • Introducing Negativity Week
  • Ten Commandments for the Happy Writer
  • What Do You Love About Writing?
  • Introducing Positivity Week
  • What Do Your Friends and Family Think of Your Writing Habit?
  • Polls and Books and “Trash”
  • Do You Think That You’re a Better Writer Than the Average Reader of This Blog?
  • Guest Blogger: Adrienne Kress On Why She Writes for Children
  • What’s the Hardest Part About Being a Writer?
  • Will Write for Food
  • Literary Acclaim or Big Money?
  • If I Were Running an MFA Program…
  • Would You Still Write If You Knew You’d Never Make a Cent?
  • Gut Busters
  • Who Are Your Beta Readers?
  • Don’t Get Caught Up in the Rush
  • Who Most Influenced You as a Writer?
  • Choosing Among Projects
  • Are Good Writers Taught or Born?
  • Can I Get a Ruling?: “Coming of Age”
  • Non-hypothetical Response to the Hypothetical Question
  • Hypothetical Question Time
  • A Book a Year?
  • It’s Not You, It’s the Odds (and the Resonance Factor)
  • Guest Blogger: Jennifer Hubbard On Going From Blog Reader to (soon to be) Published Author
  • Words Are To Writers As _____ Are To Basketball Players
  • Can I Get a Ruling?: “Our hero”
  • What is Your Goal as a Writer?
  • When Do You Follow/Ignore Writing Advice?
  • Dealing With Bad Reviews
  • Writing is Fundamental
  • Genre Hopping
  • What is Your Current Work In Progress?
  • Guest Blogger: Kim Long on Researching THE ALMANAC OF POLITICAL CORRUPTION
  • The Common Sense and Decency Rule
  • Where/How Do You Like to Write?
  • It’s Gonna Be OK
  • Want to Vent?
  • Guest Blogger: Anne Dayton on Working With a Co-Writer
  • Guest Blogger: Jack Lopez on Inspiration and Fiction
  • The Perils of Overconfidence
  • Guest Blogger: Rebecca Ramsey On Juggling Writing and Family
  • How Do You Feel About Creative Writing Schools?
  • When Should You Give Up?
  • Why Do You Write?

This Week in Publishing/Books

  • Legislation introduced for a new Federal Writers’ Project (This week in books)
  • S&S employees and authors protest Pence’s upcoming memoir (This week in books)
  • 98% of books released in 2020 sold less than 5,000 copies (This week in books)
  • S&S removes distribution for cop’s book (This week in books)
  • S&S to publish Pence’s memoir (This week in books)
  • RIP Beverly Cleary (This week in books)
  • What’s after the plague? (This week in books)
  • Support our Asian communities (This week in books)
  • RIP Norman Juster (This week in books)
  • Horton hears a huh? (This week in books)
  • RIP Lawrence Ferlinghetti (This week in books)
  • The confusing literary agent landscape (This week in books)
  • Jeff Bezos steps down as CEO of Amazon (This week in books)
  • Amanda Gorman’s books poised for 3 million first printing (This week in books)
  • Matthew Salesses challenges assumptions about writing craft (This week in books)
  • Watch out for these publishing scams (This week in books)
  • S&S cancels Josh Hawley’s book deal (This week in books)
  • This year in books 2020
  • The problem with Maxwell Perkins (This week in books)
  • The Mega 1 + Big 3 era arrives (This week in books)
  • National book award winners! (This week in books)
  • Is it OK to resend a query? (This week in books)
  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt up for sale (This week in books)
  • How to fix a boring story (This week in books)
  • What are the worst endings in books? (This week in books)
  • What does it mean when a book gets optioned? (This week in books)
  • Book links for a slow news day (This week in books)
  • How to use referrals wisely (This week in books)
  • Are you willing to stand out from the crowd? (This week in books)
  • Tips for self-editing (This week in books)
  • Supply issues will disrupt the fall season (This week in books)
  • This post is self-aware (This week in books)
  • How to choose a pen name (This week in books)
  • Don’t dehumanize authors (This week in books)
  • How to write for a changing world (This week in books)
  • Is publishing finally changing for real this time? (This week in books)
  • YOU get an open letter! YOU get an open letter! (This week in books)
  • What to look for in an agent (This week in books)
  • Honoring Juneteenth in the book world (This week in books)
  • J.K. Rowling…… (This week in books)
  • Ways to make a difference in the book world (This week in books)
  • A heartbreaking week in America (This week in books)
  • Why some authors burn their work (This week in books)
  • Glimmers of hope for the publishing industry (This week in books)
  • Twilight is back! (This week in books)
  • The war is over and one space after periods won (This week in books)
  • The greatness of characters with bad ideas (This week in books)
  • Jeff Bezos is now $24 billion richer (This week in books)
  • Tips if you’re struggling to write right now (This week in books)
  • Layoffs hit the publishing industry (This week in books)
  • Write what makes you excited (This week in books)
  • Support indie bookstores (This week in books)
  • Coronavirus hits the publishing industry (This week in books)
  • Ronan Farrow drops Hachette, employees walk out (This week in books)
  • Literary agents behaving badly (This week in books)
  • Publishing scams to watch out for (This week in books)
  • How five authors are changing the YA world (This week in books)
  • The state of diversity in publishing (This week in books)
  • “American Dirt” stirs controversy (This week in books)
  • There’s no such thing as a bad time to query (This week in books)
  • What to do when your manuscript is “quiet” (This week in books)
  • RWA implodes (This week in books)
  • Why some authors have agents but no books (This week in books)
  • Give the gift of writing! (This week in books)
  • How agents prep for an offer of representation (This week in books)
  • Why you should start before you’re ready (This week in books)
  • How to write a character whose background is not your own (This week in books)
  • When to re-query an agency (This week in books)
  • Stephen King’s turning his house into a writers retreat (This week in books)
  • Amazon and Bezos in the spotlight (This week in books)
  • The new “Hunger Games” book title (This week in books)
  • Why do some people become lifelong readers? (This week in books)
  • The article that set publishing Twitter ablaze (This week in books)
  • Have superfans gotten out of hand? (This week in books)
  • Why preorders matter (This week in books)
  • The importance of choosing a genre (This week in books)
  • Man Booker longlist released (This week in books)
  • Audible adds a controversial new feature (This week in books)
  • Can reading make you happier? (This week in books)
  • Does YA cancel culture have a point? (This week in books)
  • What’s in store for Barnes & Noble? (This week in books)
  • Orwell’s “1984” turns seventy (This week in books)
  • Barnes & Noble sold to hedge fund Elliott Management (This week in books)
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  • This week in books 4/30/17
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  • This week in books 4/14/17
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  • The past few weeks in books 3/24/17
  • The past few weeks in books 2/10/17
  • The past few weeks in books 1/9/17
  • This week in books (and politics) 12/2/16
  • The last week in books 11/21/16, plus a few words about politics
  • This week in books 11/4/16
  • This week in books 10/28/16
  • This week in books 10/21/16
  • The past few months in books 10/17/16
  • The past few weeks in books 12/14/15
  • The last few weeks in books 7/27/15
  • The last few months in books 4/19/15
  • The last indeterminate number of weeks in books 2/17/15
  • The Past Few Week in Books 9/19/14
  • The Past Few Week in Books 7/18/14
  • The Past Few Weeks in Books 4/11/14
  • This Past Few Weeks in Books 3/14/14
  • The Past Few Weeks in Books 2/7/14
  • The Last Few Weeks in Books 12/16/13
  • The Last Few Weeks in Books 10/18/13
  • The Last Few Weeks in Books 8/26/13
  • This Week in Books 8/2/13
  • The Last Few Weeks in Books 6/28/13
  • The Last Few Weeks in Books 5/20/13
  • This Week in Books 4/26/13
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  • The Last Few Weeks in Books 3/21/13
  • The Last Few Weeks in Books 3/1/13
  • These Past Few Weeks in Books 2/1/13
  • The Last Few Weeks in Books 1/4/12
  • This Year in Books 2012
  • The Last Few Weeks in Books 11/30/12
  • This Week in Books 10/25/12
  • These Past Few Weeks in Books 8/24/12
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  • These Past Few Weeks in Books 7/27/12
  • These Past Few Weeks in Books 7/2/12
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UPDATED: 5/22/21

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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!

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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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