Authors used to argue about whether creative nonfiction could even exist. If you were creative, then how could you call it nonfiction. The facts steer the story, they’d argue. An award-winning screenwriter says there’s more than the facts to consider while storytelling. The truth is more important than the facts. Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed […]

Whenever you finish a draft, you’ve owe yourself the right to ask for outside eyes on the writing. Your beta readers or your evaluation editor is likely to get you an evaluation memo, or a page of notes. When the notes cover 80,000 words of a book, from several reviewers, then revising can feel overwhelming. […]

It's time to have a genteel discussion about pricing, especially as established by small presses. Too few of them seem to recognize that buying a book is a price-sensitive transaction. I would not want to be the author trying to sell my book on my limited platform for 30 percent more than a bestseller's novel. […]

 A dream delayed is better than a dream denied. It's a natural element of being human to look into the future, a skill that the community of HP 3000 computer owners polished over the first decade of the 21st century. Across the same period, working as an editor of a monthly newsletter, I did polishing […]

"Is the book a strong commercial prospect for success?" That’s the question an agent or publisher asks. A debut author at a Big Five house — that’s a rare thing. The coveted slots often go to writers who have something of a profile already in writing, but the exceptions can prove that rule. Yes, you'll […]

You may have returned from a writing conference this summer. There were three big ones in a row. Conferences in Austin, San Francisco, and New York all unfolded within 30 days of each other. Chalk up that close timing to the pandemic, which delayed San Francisco from its usual February weekend. A big prize from […]

You worked hard through your revisions, your edits, your cover designs and interior page layout. You got proofing. The book's ready. Now your fine book deserves the work of discovery. These tasks will go beyond the release date of the book. They should be an every-month effort. • Send out a reminder to your network […]

We are told that the way to peace and contentment is to release our expectations. This is good advice for creativity, an engine to move through projects step by step. Take action, then release the outcome: it's a principle of Zen life. We can allow for exceptions to our expectation-releasing. Keeping things simple can make […]

Once your book has arrived at proofreading, it’s time to be pitching it for discovery. You use a selling sheet, something that turns the crank on your pitches for promotion and review. Think of it as a kind of press release. It’s got a block for book description copy (your summary that you created) plus […]

Here’s your rundown on the review hunt. I’m keen for these; I spent more than $1,400 on reviews for my memoir Stealing Home. Lots of authors take another view: why pay for a review? Jane Friedman, who’s an expert on publishing, thinks paid reviews don’t make much difference for many books. She considers them a […]