Special Feature

How to Write a Hook That Captures Attention

by Wendy S. Delmater Readers are dealing with a constant barrage of television, radio, internet, other written things, and real life: all are vying for their interest. Why should they read your story? To overcome that initial resistance, there’s a tool writers use. It’s called a hook. Hooks are something—sometimes more than one thing–in the…
Issue Two Hundred Forty Four Issue Two Hundred Sixty Three Special Feature

A Tale of Two Book Launches

By Susan Sundwall A few years ago, I realized a lifetime dream with the launch of my first mystery novel. I took the traditional route and partnered with a beloved local bookstore, one of the last in our area. Everything was handled by the owners and I was beyond pleased when almost sixty of my…
Issue Two Hundred Thirty Eight Special Feature Uncategorized

The Surprising Ways Writing Groups Open Doors

By Tina Jenkins Bell After I graduated from college, I had aspirations of becoming a published writer but had no idea of how to get there. I needed guidance beyond writers’ magazines, books, and annual conferences. I needed accomplished kindred souls who didn’t mind sharing their knowledge and resources. I found these souls collectively in…
Issue Two Hundred Thirty Six Special Feature

5 Things That Happen When You Start Calling Yourself a Writer

By Elaine Mead There can be very set ‘wrong’ and ‘right’ ways of being a writer – or so we’re led to believe. Historically, you’d need to have a publishing agent, an editor, published works, and books on shelves before you might dare to use the word ‘writer’ to describe what you do. And that’s…
Issue Two Hundred Sixty Three Issue Two Hundred Thirty Four Special Feature

18 Awards for Children’s Books

By Anne E. Johnson When you’re trying to sell copies of your book or sell your own merits as a writer, it doesn’t hurt if you can describe yourself as an “award-winning author.” One way to earn that label is to snag a prize for a book you’ve already had published. There are plenty of…
Issue Two Hundred Thirty Three Special Feature

10 Habits of Prolific Writers Worth Imitating

By T.N. Wesley  Have you ever wanted to double or triple your daily word output? Do you dream of producing a novel every year? Other prolific writers have done it, and so can you. By imitating their daily habits, you can increase your productivity. Below are ten habits of prolific writers which, if put to practice, will…
Issue Two Hundred Thirty One Special Feature

Book Signing Events: Do They Really Work?

By Kia Carrington-Russell With the increase of book signing events in recent years for Indie authors, newcomers to the industry often wonder if it’s worth the expense. The main thingto consider when looking into booking a table at an author signing event is: expense vs exposure. I went to my first signing in 2014 locally…
Issue Two Hundred Thirty Special Feature

BetaBooks: A New Tool for Organizing Beta Reading

By Kelli Fitzpatrick Beta readers are essential to the writing process. They voluntarily read your completed work to give feedback before you submit a manuscript for publication. While these people are awesome, the process of collecting feedback from multiple beta readers and keeping it organized and accessible has long been a hassle for authors, especially…
Issue Two Hundred Twenty Eight Special Feature

Seven Books Every Writer Should Read

There are hundreds of books on writing that are out there. In fact as a young writer I received many of these as birthday gifts; some were extremely helpful,  others were just frustrating, and many are still sitting on a shelf in my parents’ house, unread. However, whether you are a poet, a fiction writer,…
Issue Two Hundred Twenty Seven Special Feature

Top Conference Follow-Up Tips

by Devon Ellington  Meeting agents and editors at conferences gives a stronger sense of whether your work is the right match. You also meet other authors, who provide mutual support on the publishing journey. Conferences are both exhilarating and exhausting. How often have you returned from a conference, dumped your bag in the corner and…
Issue Two Hundred Thirty Two Special Feature

How to Future-Proof Your Writing

By James Aitchison When books come back from the dead, who gets the money? Or doesn’t it matter? As a working author, I think it matters greatly. As history has often proved, you never know when something you’ve written will be rediscovered and dusted off long after your death. A case in point is Maigret,…
Issue Two Hundred Twenty Five Special Feature

The Basic Structure for a Story

By Matthew Meyer Ever since I picked up my first Goosebumps book back in third grade (I can’t remember what the name of it was exactly), I’ve wanted to do what R.L. Stine was doing. Not necessarily horror books, but the way he structured his writing intrigued me, making me think, “hey! This is neat!…
Issue Two Hundred Twenty Four Special Feature

Why You Should Start Submitting This September

“I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged… I had poems which were re-written so many times I suspect it was just a way of avoiding sending them out.” Erica Jong Starting to submit your work to literary journals is a hard task.  Before you…
Issue One Hundred Twenty Three Issue Seventy-Five Issue Two Hundred Twenty Four Publishing Guides Special Feature

3 Steps to Take After Sending Your Book Query to Agents Or Publishers

Congratulations, you’ve reached that ever-so-exciting spot in the writing process where you have a draft that has been polished enough to seek out an agent or a publisher and you’re now in the querying trenches. From the anxious moment you hit send on your first query letter to the first form rejection letter, querying time…
Issue Two Hundred Twenty Three Special Feature

10 Calls for Poetry Submissions

S. Kalekar This is a list of ten places poets and translators can submit to. There are a couple of themed submission calls, and a poetry competition for young poets in the UK. Some magazines pay for work. While all of these calls are for poetry, all have widely different tones and styles. Art UK:…
Issue Two Hundred Twenty Two Special Feature

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