Since my last column a lot has shifted. In the US massive protests are demanding justice for Black people who have been killed by police, and the calls for justice are rippling outward to related issues. Racism is a factor in the publishing industry as well, and now is the time to talk about it. … Read more »
The world is a mess right now. The United States is a mess right now. And we cannot pretend like what has been happening and what’s continuing to happen isn’t happening. And I just wanted to name that here before going any further. Everyone has the right to engage in social justice in different ways,… Read more »
Beating writer’s block can seem impossible when you’re lost in the weeds. It’s frustrating to feel like you’re completely stuck and all the good ideas you had have just checked out. In fact, some authors even feel anxious when they sit down in front of their computers to write. But getting past the writer’s block… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Henry Clark. Henry is the author of What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World as well as The Book That Proves Time Travel Happens. He has contributed articles to MAD magazine and published fiction in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction… Read more »
It’s probably fair to say that the number of us actually living our 2020 plan is vanishingly small. It was to have been my year of geographical expansion – a self-organized book tour to signings and festivals around the country. What’s happened instead is a geographical contraction to the four walls of my house and… Read more »
Hi, writers! In my last post, I wrote about how to create a book cover that not only accurately reflects your brand but also attracts your ideal readers. While an amazing cover can persuade readers to click on your book (or to pull it off the shelf in a physical book store), it’s your book’s… Read more »
Over the past ten years, historical fiction has become more relevant to readers. As authors, we want to write fiction that helps readers understand their own lives, here and now. Perhaps we also would like to offer readers a visit to another time, a visit that can show how the past has shaped our present… Read more »
Indie publishing offers a lifetime of lessons to learn, and fortunately, the self-publishing community also offers myriad colleagues and gurus willing to share their knowledge with you. But working in indie publishing is a lot like that transition from college to real life: you can do all the reading and take all the courses, but… Read more »
A little over a week ago, I wrote this email sharing initial steps that my team and I are taking to amplify black voices and also make DIY MFA more inclusive of diverse voices. I realize that I have been fairly quiet on the subject since, but that by no means indicates that this subject… Read more »
I once asked on a social media site why people read romance novels. I received two primary answers: a guaranteed happy ending, and the way the books make them feel. As a romance reader myself, I couldn’t agree more. I turn to that genre when I want to feel deeply, and experience love through the… Read more »
