Children’s Book Christmas Gift Recommendation | THE DREAMER by Micah Chaim Thomas

If you're looking for a children's book to gift to a little one for Christmas, I recommend The Dreamer by Micah Chaim Thomas. With beautiful illustrations to accompany its poem, The Dreamer will take your child on a sleepy adventure through a dream that evolves from page to page as they imagine being a frog, … Continue reading Children’s Book Christmas Gift Recommendation | THE DREAMER by Micah Chaim Thomas

PitMad Tips and Strategies | Twitter Pitch Events

With the last PitMad of 2020 coming up on December 3rd, I thought I’d share my latest tips, tricks, strategies, magic spells, and general thoughts on how to get results for this and other Twitter pitch events--and things you can take away from PitMad even if you don’t get that coveted agent like. [Want to … Continue reading PitMad Tips and Strategies | Twitter Pitch Events

A Penguin Eats a Boy Named Simon | Also, Free Stuff

Well, it looks like the Big Five might soon be the Big Four. I woke up to the not-so-awesome news that I’m sure you’ve heard about already: Penguin Random House is slated to acquire Simon & Schuster. Rather, its parent company Bertelsmann, which bought S&S for $2.2 billion. As far as I know, there's no … Continue reading A Penguin Eats a Boy Named Simon | Also, Free Stuff

2021 Market Trends in Book Publishing | My Unqualified Speculation

IT GOES without saying that this has been a tumultuous, tragic, and terrifying year, and to writers hoping for a publishing contract, or book lovers looking for their ravenous thirst to be quenched, it begs the question: What will publishing trends look like in 2021? Will it be a year of rom-coms, slapstick comedy, and … Continue reading 2021 Market Trends in Book Publishing | My Unqualified Speculation

Casting Paperback Comedian | Guest Post by E.C. Flickinger

Who should play the lead in the movie version of Paperback Comedian? You’ve probably thought about casting the perfect person for your favorite book, maybe even for something you’ve written. Yeah, it’s a bit daunting. THE BEST at their craft have a special presence, a gravity. We admire them instinctually. We choose to orbit their … Continue reading Casting Paperback Comedian | Guest Post by E.C. Flickinger

How We Accidentally Wrote a Book for Our Times | JJ Blacklocke

HOW WE ACCIDENTALLY WROTE A BOOK FOR OUR TIMES by JJ Blacklocke AN ADVENTURE In 2016, two best friends traveled to New York City for a pair of adventures: to see HAMILTON on Broadway and to sit down together and plot out a science fiction series. Four and a half years later, we can watch … Continue reading How We Accidentally Wrote a Book for Our Times | JJ Blacklocke

Inciting Incident vs. Call to Adventure | A Clarification

I WANT to talk about the difference between the inciting incident and the call to adventure in a novel. Recently there’s been a lot of discussion on ye olde Twitter about whether or not you should start your story in the midst of action and how long you should hold off before introducing the inciting … Continue reading Inciting Incident vs. Call to Adventure | A Clarification

The Secret to Self-Publishing Success?

FOR THE past six months, I’ve been searching for the secret to self-publishing success. I’ve listened to hours and hours of podcast interviews with full-time self-publishers, watched webinars hosted by authors who sell coaching services, and read several How To books on the topic. I started noticing a pattern early on, and now I want … Continue reading The Secret to Self-Publishing Success?