Query Letter 101
A query letter is a formal letter that a writer sends to literary agents or publishers to introduce themselves and their work with the...
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- Jul 20
- 2 min
Elements of a successful book: metadata
Metadata feels like a nebulous term, and for many writers, it’s components seem hard to pin down. However, it’s vital that your book has...
- Jul 6
- 5 min
Elements of a successful book: the back cover blurb
You’ve written your book and edited the heck out of it, and you don’t want to deal with it anymore. Sounds about right? But then you...
- Jun 9
- 6 min
Elements of a successful book: cover design
If you think no one is judging books by their covers, then you’d be wrong about this oft-underutilized aspect of book marketing. The book...
- May 25
- 5 min
Elements of a successful book: content
Dive in with me as I explore the commonalities between successful books no matter how they were published, what genre they are, or...
- May 11
- 5 min
Dealing with the grammar police
(And why they have nothing to do with editing.) Whether you’re a writer or an editor, putting yourself and your writing in front of...
- Apr 27
- 3 min
Formatting dialogue in fiction
A grammar miniblog Most writers are familiar with the basics of formatting dialogue in fiction such as in the following examples: “I...
- Apr 15
- 5 min
US copyright and permissions
What every writer should know Confusion about intellectual property, copyright, and permissions abound in the self-publishing world. It...
- Mar 17
- 5 min
Keeping readers engaged: the first ten pages of your novel
Ask anyone and they’ll likely say that writing a book is a hard job. Ask a writer and they’ll likely say that starting to write a book is...
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