Writing Scams Are Reaching a Whole New Level of Awful
A writer thought he was emailing with a legit literary agent. An impersonator built trust over weeks, then steered him toward an outside “specialist.”
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Why the AI Detection Scandals Will End—Probably Quite Soon
Why AI-use allegations against authors may fade: 2026’s scandals stem from books acquired before the growing use of detection tools like Pangram.
Don’t Trust a Writer’s Origin Story
Writers aren’t born fully formed. Talent exists, but good writing rests on wide reading, learning the rules, and steady practice.
To Read a Little or To Read a Lot? Are You Kidding? Read a LOT!
The philosopher Seneca advised studying few writers rather than skimming through many, but authors must read broadly to develop their craft.
How to Research a Historical Novel Inspired by Family History
When turning real life into historical fiction, being clear about the story you want to tell will help inform how to go about your research.
What Many Novelists Get Wrong About Preparation
Some see “plotter or pantser” as an identity, but it’s really just a method applied after ample preparation either in your head or on the page.
The Myth of the Gifted Writer, and What Sylvester Stallone Shows Us About Being a Storyteller
Sylvester Stallone offers a masterclass in something we don’t talk about often enough: writing is a learned skill.
How to Fix a Memoir That Drags or Rushes
Like a Slinky, a good memoir has moments of expansion and contraction as it reaches its goal, slowing down or speeding up when necessary.
How Writing Flash Fiction Can Strengthen Your Novel
Writing short pieces based in your novel’s world can spark ideas that might add depth and nuance to your main story’s characters.
Working with Small Publishers and Large Publishers: Q&A with Victoria Zackheim
Career author Victoria Zackheim discusses her mystery series, finishing Anne Perry’s final book, and publishing as an eighty-something.
What Should Authors Do When Their Literary Agent Is Terminated From Their Agency?
If your agent is suddenly fired, what happens next depends on your agent contract. Learn what steps to take and which resources, including the AALA and Authors Guild, can help.
Ditch the Itinerary in Your Travel Memoir
What makes a travel memoir unique isn’t the places you’ve been but what you’re wrestling with inside that the journey illuminates.
The More Specific Your Characters, The More Universal They Become
Specific context about your characters helps readers understand them within the backdrop of their lives, bringing your stories fully to life.
3 Structural Components of Essay: Form, Voice, and Outcome
The essay is like any other literary genre: There are guidelines worth following, and style choice dictates different points of view and structures.
Find Your Memoir Voice Before AI Flattens It
A standout writing voice is a mixture of your natural style and sentence-level decisions that bring who you are to life.
My Untraditional Path to Traditional Publishing
A debut nonfiction author examines the path by which an initial idea was honed through beta readers and proposal writing into a contracted book.
Writing Conferences Shouldn’t Ignore AI in Their Programming
Conference attendees have many questions about AI, and organizers best serve their audience by engaging with intent and clarity.
AI Detection, Disclosure, and Proof of Authorship: What Writers Ask Me Most
Jane answers writers’ questions about AI detection, disclosure, proof of authorship, and publishers’ AI use, identifying where real risks lie, though firm answers remain elusive.
How to Partner with a Bookstore for a Preorder Campaign
It can be scary to approach a bookstore for a partnership—especially if it’s your only local store. Here’s how to do it with confidence.
I Knew My Reader. I Didn’t Know My Customer
One children’s author reflects on the chain of adults whose trust, money, and permission stood between her book and its young target reader.
Yes, Write About Your Trauma, But Not for the Reasons You Might Think
Whether or not your memoir is published, it’s important to get it off your chest before the rest of your life’s work can come through.
Beyond Story: How to Use Case Studies in Your Nonfiction Book
An effective case study allows your reader to connect with what works and what’s possible for them, and most importantly, keeps them turning pages.
Being Told to “Pick a Lane” as an Author? Read This
Being told to “pick a lane” for your story and revise to fit a genre? Maybe the manuscript doesn’t need to change, but your language for selling it does.
When and How to Nudge Agents
If you haven’t heard back from an agent, you might consider sending the agent a nudge. Here’s how.
After Editing Two AI-Assisted Manuscripts, I Rewrote My Client Agreement
Inexperienced authors may believe generative AI use improves their manuscript, but there’s a cost—extra fees charged by freelance editors.
Why Your Book Description Feels Flat—and How to Fix It
Even though promotional copy for your novel or memoir is necessarily brief, effective ones take readers on an emotional journey.
How a Debut Self-Published Novel Earned Five Figures in 10 Weeks Without Kindle Unlimited
With no platform and no publisher behind her, Ashli O’Connell built a six-month pre-launch plan around a single question she’d been asking marketing clients for 25 years: what is your goal?
Choosing the Right Voice for Your Audiobook
Choosing your audiobook’s narrator has a bigger impact than you might think. Here are casting tips from a veteran narrator and producer.
Your Premise Is Not Your Plot
A premise is the seed of a story, not its structure. Learn how to turn a what-if into a plot.
Why You Should Focus on Local Book Publicity First
People take pride in supporting someone from their community, and readers are far more likely to buy a book if they feel a personal connection to the author, even a small one.
AALA’s New Canon of Ethics Lets Agents Earn Beyond Book Sales—and Raises Questions for Authors
When the new AALA Canon of Ethics goes into effect, authors must be more diligent and sharp in evaluating who they partner with.
How I Sold 1,000 Copies of My Self-Published Memoir in Five Months
This debut memoirist kept asking one question: What’s the next thing I can do that puts this book in front of readers?
Don’t Leave Your Reader Searching for Meaning: The Importance of Protagonist Context
Any element of a story has the potential to be positive or negative, helpful or harmful. Your character’s context provides the frame of reference.
How to Center Your Story When Writing About the People in Your Life
When writing about a significant relationship, here are some tips to make sure you don’t end up a supporting player in your own story.
Working With Contributors: The Power of Many in Anthology Promotion
When editors provide resources for contributors to support anthologies, they can help increase engagement and market visibility in ways that matter.
How to Sell a Book About Your Favorite TV Show in 2026
The TV-book subgenre has grown harder to break into as rewatch podcasts and celebrity memoirs crowd out journalists. Here are practical tips for choosing a show and pitching a proposal today.
Why Your Story Feels Choppy (Even When the Plot Is Solid)
Transitioning from one scene to another may seem trivial, but it’s crucial to help orient readers and conduct them smoothly through the story.
How to Turn an Anecdote Into a Story
For an anecdote (“You won’t believe what I saw!”) to grow into an impactful story, a surprise element isn’t enough—real change needs to occur.
Why Artists Owe the Work and Not the World
The artist’s responsibility is not to repeat what’s been done, but to become fully themselves by following wherever the work leads.
Should You Use Substack for Your Email Newsletter? Or Something Else?
Should authors use Substack for their newsletter? It depends on your purpose—strengthening ties with existing readers, or reaching new ones.
Podcast Publicity for Authors and Publishers: What’s Working
Podcasts drive book sales like never before. Industry experts share pitching strategies: start early, target niche shows, research hosts, build relationships first, and prepare authors thoroughly.
How Stillness Can Help Us Write Powerful Scenes
Sitting still with minor physical discomforts builds mental strength that, applied to your writing, helps you write emotionally difficult scenes.
Your Creative Team Wants You to Stop Formatting and Just Write the Darn Book
Learn how to prepare clean Word manuscripts and mark PDFs for book production—avoiding unnecessary formatting and using styles correctly to save time.
Finding Your Voice as a Writer in the Age of AI
Life experiences are what create your voice, brand you as an author, and make your writing worth reading.
Start With the End: A Simple Bookend Structure for Novelists
Before writing your novel, imagining the first and last scenes can help clarify the story’s point and the reader’s emotional journey.
From Online Fandoms to Blockbuster Films and TV Shows: What Books Get Optioned Now
At the 2026 U.S. Book Show, Hollywood scouts and studio execs revealed what makes books adaptable—including why sales don’t always matter, BookTok rules, and YA isn’t really YA.
How Scene Writing Helps You Lose Control (and Find Your Memoir’s Story)
Pay close attention to any surprising details or patterns in your memoir’s scenes—they often point to the story that really wants to be told.
I Wouldn’t Blame Libraries for Declining Author Income
A recent Authors Guild study on book-buying and book-reading behavior lacks a historical baseline for comparison and overstates library borrowing’s role in declining author incomes.
The Value of Legacy: Encouraging the Heirloom Picture Book Author
If you’re writing for an audience of one, not thousands, creating a picture book for the child in your life is a goal within reach.
Resolution Isn’t the Only Payoff: What Short Stories Teach Us About Endings
With other essential elements in place, short story writers can consider leaving an ending ambiguous, with room for the reader to ruminate.