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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 what 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If a writing fairy popped out of an old typewriter and granted me the ability to fix one craft problem in all the unpublished manuscripts across the realm I would probably terrify it by how quickly I'd shout, "PERSPECTIVES!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. How to find a literary agent Here are the basic steps for…

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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:

Are you giving the reader enough information? (page critique)

May 19, 2022 by Nathan Bransford Leave a Comment

If you’d like to nominate your own page or query for a public critique, kindly post them here in our discussion forums: Nominate Your First Page for a Critique on the Blog Nominate Your Query for a Critique on the Blog Also, if you’d like to test your editing chops, keep your eye on this area or this area! […]

Filed Under: Critiques Tagged With: page critique

Breaks, permission, and writing

May 16, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 6 Comments

In the past, I often approached time away from work with the same spirit of competition and productivity that governs my work life. By the time I approached a vacation I had often worked myself into a state of exhaustion, so I was absolutely going to “vacation well” and maximize every moment I had away […]

Filed Under: The Writing Life

Spring blog break

April 11, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 2 Comments

The cherry blossoms are blooming in Prospect Park, I’m going to be doing a bit of traveling, and the blog is going to go on a bit of a spring hiatus as I rest and recharge. BUT! I’ll still be booking editing slots for May/June/July and will be checking emails, so please feel free to […]

Filed Under: Nathan's Books

The novel that predicted Putin’s war (This week in books)

April 8, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 2 Comments

This week! Books! People have been searching for answers for Putin’s senseless war in Ukraine, and at least one intriguing piece of the puzzle comes from Mikhail Yuriev’s 2006 utopian novel The Third Empire: Russia as It Ought to Be, which starts with an unannounced war in eastern Ukraine, and culminates in the entire world […]

Filed Under: This Week in Books Tagged With: Christian Smalls, Dan Blank, Derrick Palmer, Emily St. John Mandel, Erica Ackerberg, Fifty Shades of Grey, Katy Waldman, Libraries, Lincoln Michel, Lydia Kiesling, Ocean Vuong, Russia, Sands Hall, Tina Jordan, Unions, Wallace Stegner

Don’t just tell an agent what’s in your novel (query critique)

April 7, 2022 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: Nominate Your First Page for a Critique on the Blog Nominate Your Query for a Critique on the Blog Also, if you’d like to test your editing chops, keep your eye on this area or this […]

Filed Under: Critiques Tagged With: query critiques

There are no writing rules, but there are principles

April 4, 2022 by Nathan Bransford 4 Comments

The headline of this post may surprise those who know that I have published two books that have a total of ninety “rules” about writing and publishing. But trust me, I called them “rules” with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek. There are no rules in publishing. Come up with any supposedly ironclad “rule” […]

Filed Under: The Writing Life

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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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