Agents and editors will often ask for your manuscript to be formatted to certain style standards. There are a few reasons for this ranging from professionalism to simply making their/our jobs easier. While it may look boring to some, standard formatting is familiar...
My former writing colleague Pam recently attended the Baltimore Book Festival, which brought together indie authors, local book sellers, live readings, and panel discussions. Pam passed along her notes about one panel in particular, Secrets of Self Publishing, which...
When looking for comps, stop seeking exact matches and look instead for books that relate to your themes, plot, style and voice, characters, and the general structure of the journey or tale you’re telling. Let’s back up: What’s a comp? Comparison (“comp”) titles...
If you’re planning to query, don’t do so with your first or second draft—and especially not with that rough draft you’re hoping to finish (or have finished) as part of this month’s writers’ contest. (Given the recent issues that have arisen, I won’t be naming it but...
Writers want their book babies to be handled and cared for by folks who are truly invested in them and their work. But whether you’re hoping to publish traditionally or to self-publish, there are literary agent scams and vanity presses eager to take advantage....
There’s a hard truth when it comes to self-publishing: the cost falls on the shoulders of the writer, and—when publishing is done right—that cost can be high! If you’re struggling with the costs associated with self-publishing, such as professional editing, cover...
