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Lord of the Rings

B&N hardcover policy sparks controversy (This week in books)

September 2, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 7 Comments

This week! Books Controversy erupted in the last few weeks as children’s book authors began posting about Barnes & Noble’s stocking policies for hardcover debuts, complaining their new deemphasis on children’s hardcover hurts new, mid-list and diverse voices in particular. B&N CEO James Daunt confirmed the gist of the hardcover policy, citing that up to […]

Filed Under: This Week in Books Tagged With: Alexa T. Dodd, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, James Daunt, Jane Friedman, Jessamine Chan, Lord of the Rings, Nathan J. Robinson

What makes a great setting in a novel

October 25, 2021 by Nathan Bransford 113 Comments

What Makes a Great Setting

The Reading Rainbow theme song really had it right. One of the best parts of reading is the way books open up new worlds to us, whether a story is set in an unpronounceable ancient kingdom, the far reaches of outer space, ancient history, the distant future, or even the real world but maybe somewhere […]

Filed Under: Writing Advice, Writing Novels Tagged With: Cormac McCarthy, How to Write a Novel, Lord of the Rings, William Faulkner, writing advice

This Week in Books 3/18/11

March 18, 2011 by Nathan Bransford 80 Comments

The Books! This Week! First up, one of my blog readers is an editor in Egypt, and as there aren’t many/any agents in Egypt (but there could be), she’s hoping to work as a virtual intern at a literary agency to learn more about the trade. I know we’re all rooting for Egypt after the […]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: How to Promote a Book, Lord of the Rings, Self-publishing, Writing Conferences

This Week in Publishing 10/22/10

October 22, 2010 by Nathan Bransford 41 Comments

This Week in Publishing Normal This Time Whew! I may have missed a few items in publishing news this week as I chipped away at the mountain that sprouted in my office while I was out, but here are a few of the many things that happened over the past week. Don’t forget about Page […]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: iPad, Kindle, Lord of the Rings, Old Spice Guy, Suzanne Collins, Young Adult Literature

Professionalism (It’s not what you think it is)

October 14, 2010 by Nathan Bransford 80 Comments

By: Hannah Moskowitz This post has nothing to do with writing and absolutely everything to do with being a writer. The stereotype of a writer–the middle-aged man pounding feverishly at a typewriter, cigarette in his mouth, sending hard-copy manuscripts to his agent and protesting the change of every word–has yet to catch up with the […]

Filed Under: The Writing Life Tagged With: Dan Brown, guest blog, How to Promote a Book, Life of a Writer, Lord of the Rings, Suzanne Collins, Twilight, Twitter

Writers, Authority, and The Keith Hernandez Rule

August 12, 2010 by Nathan Bransford 83 Comments

While I have previously tackled the perennial conversation topic/game/complaint Today’s Publishing Industry Would Have Never Publishing Such and Such Genius Old Book Because Everyone in Publishing Today is a Freaking Idiot, there is a component to these complaints that I would like to delve into just a tad deeper. I find it curious that whenever […]

Filed Under: The Writing Life Tagged With: David Foster Wallace, Harry Potter, How to Write a Novel, J.K. Rowling, James Joyce, Lord of the Rings, Moby-Dick, Seinfeld, William Faulkner, writing advice, Writing and Sports

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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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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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