Category: Writing/Publishing

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 →

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? →

What if It Happens to You? | A Portrait of a Querying Writer

YOU'RE READY. You believe this is the book. Your synopsis is just right. Your query letter could hook a person who doesn't even read. You've generated a list of agents who represent your genre, a balance of high-profile presidents of the agency to senior agents to associate agents. You send out a batch of queries. … Continue reading What if It Happens to You? | A Portrait of a Querying Writer →

My Favorite Twitter Poet | Book Recommendation

I'VE BEEN reading John R. Hinton's poetry ever since I joined the Writing Community on Twitter. You might have read some, too, because this guy TWEETS IN POETRY ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY. Now he's released his first collection, BLACKBIRD SONGS. It's a refreshing thing to come across in the endless sea of writer's lifts, What's Your Character's … Continue reading My Favorite Twitter Poet | Book Recommendation →