» A Guest Author

Inside an Independent Bookstore: What Writers Should Know

By David Perez I’m a writer and published author working at Op. Cit., a locally owned, independent bookstore in Taos, New Mexico. Formerly called Moby Dickens, the shop has been in business for thirty years. From my decade of employment there, I’d like to offer a few insights. First, the sheer volume of books published…

Issue Three Hundred Twenty Three Special Feature

Keeping a Writing Career On Track With Query Tracker

Karen McGeorge Sanders Need an agent? Can’t remember which agents or publishers were queried for which project? Query Tracker may be the solution. Query Tracker (QT) is an online query tracking system that allows users to find agents and publishers in English speaking countries, list those they are querying, and track responses. It was…

Issue Three Hundred Twenty Two Special Feature

How to Engage Your Readers By Editing for Who, What, Where, When Why, & How

— Wendy S. Delmater This is the second article in a series, the first can be read here. As a writer you want your readers fully immersed in your world, as seen through the eyes of a character that they fully identify with. The last, the very last thing you want to do is break…

Issue Three Hundred Thirty Seven Special Feature

How to Create a Fan Club for Your Writing on Facebook

By Kia Carrington-Russell I remember starting out as a young author, utterly naïve to the hard work ahead of me and the different ways to connect with readers on a personal level. In my opinion, having a supportive group was a massively influential part of my development as an author. When creating a Facebook Group…

Issue Three Hundred Twenty One Special Feature

Knowing When to Rewrite

By Richie Billings I had a sickening moment not long ago. While thinking how best to put the pieces of a story together, I realized none of it worked. It was like trying to place triangles into oblongs. Before nausea came panic, and when at last they both settled, I realized I had a decision…

Issue Three Hundred Twenty Special Feature

Advice for a Writer Yet to Finish Their First Manuscript

Being at the start of your journey as a writer can feel very daunting. An Authors Publish reader wrote to me recently and asked what advice I would give to someone with a first book in draft. She was unsure whether to focus on finishing her novel or if concentrating on placing shorter pieces made…

Issue Three Hundred Nineteen Special Feature

How to Use Personality Theory to Write Real Characters

Katie Lawrence In Bring Your Fiction To Life, Karen S. Wiesner writes about a way to craft your story in a logical and comprehensive way. Writing, from her perspective, is divided into the categories of setting, plot, and, arguably the most important, character. Creating characters something every fiction writer that ever was and ever will…

Issue Three Hundred Twenty Eight Special Feature

9 Free Writing Contests

Natalia Bulat The following 9 fee free writing contests are divided into two categories, fiction and non-fiction. All contests offer cash prizes. Fiction 1. Drue Heinz Literature Prize. They consider unpublished manuscripts of short stories, two or more novellas (length of a novella is up to 130 pages) or a combination of a novella (novellas)…

Issue Three Hundred Thirteen Special Feature

How to Network with Other Authors

Kia Carrington-Russell It can be daunting to meet and network with fellow writers and authors. Especially, when you are new to the community. With these few tips, you will realize it’s not as scary as it initially seems, and you’ll be in a supportive group and network in no time. The easiest and most immediate…

Issue Three Hundred Twelve Special Feature

How to use LinkedIn to Build Your Profile as a Creative Writer

— Ben Graff Writing is identity. Whether we write novels, short stories, poetry or something else entirely, every piece of work is precious. Yet it is all too easy to become so absorbed by our work that we miss opportunities to tell the most important story of all. Namely, that of who we are as…

Issue Three Hundred Eleven Special Feature

Zoetrope: An Excellent Source of Feedback for Your Writing

by Silver Damsen One of the axioms of being a writer is that one has to write. I agree; writing is the most important aspect of being a writer. If one doesn’t write, one isn’t a writer. The second most important is to publish. Unfortunately, the distance between writing and publishing can seem daunting. The…

Issue Three Hundred Ten Special Feature

How To Write (And Edit) Nonfiction That People Want To Read

Katie Lawrence Many a writer has sat down, written a fairly decent piece, and was left without a clue of what to do next. This occurs particularly often in the realm and genre of narrative nonfiction. Naturally, we have our applications set up to check for grammar mistakes, and we ensure that our message has…

Issue Three Hundred Eight Special Feature

Amazon and Authors: A Symbiotic or Parasitic Relationship?

By Antaeus When it comes to books, Amazon is king. It is the place where authors go to publish their books, and where readers go to browse and buy. Without Amazon, authors would be hard-pressed to publish their work. Without authors, Amazon would not be what it is today. I’ve been self-publishing on Amazon for…

Issue Three Hundred Seven Special Feature

Sociable Media: Face-to-Face vs Facebook

By Bill Arnott Something happened when I hit middle age. A knock at the door, someone holding a clipboard, explaining I was required to start using social media, Facebook being a necessity along with nighttime peeing and early suppers. Not that a clipboard-toting person actually came to call, but I did have a friend strong-arm…

Issue Three Hundred Six Special Feature

Non-Monetary Ways to Track Success

By Nicky Bond Everyone will tell you that J.K. Rowling stacked up the rejections, or that E.L. James wasn’t traditionally published at first. Megabucks could happen for you too, is their implication. Yet no amount of Cinderella stories can avoid the harsh truth. You won’t be rolling in cash after self-publishing one book. Financial success…

Issue Three Hundred Five Special Feature

Articles by A Guest Author