The Glimmers You Find While Chasing the Whale
While in pursuit of our writing goals, the serendipitous experiences along the way might be just as meaningful as landing the big fish.
Free
How NOT to Confuse Your Readers
A successful story unfurls in a way that both keeps readers grounded and keeps them guessing—so withhold information, but not context.
Auction: Publishing for Minnesota
A group of authors, illustrators, agents, and editors have organized an auction to raise funds for those in urgent need.
Writing at the Intersection of Fear, Politics and Responsibility
Writing is an act of exposure, especially when it’s about something personal, political, and dangerous. But we write anyway.
What Improv Comedy Taught Me About Writing Novels
Improv is about being in the moment, and showed one author how to let go, listen better, take risks, and move on when something doesn’t work.
The Art of Connective Tissue: What Raymond Carver Teaches Us About Building Character and Showing
Small bits of action—descending the stairs, cleaning off the car—might not be insignificant if they tell something about a character’s world.
The Pros and Cons of Launching a Book Without a Publicist
A publicist can be an invaluable part of your launch team when your book is published, but it’s also possible to do it on your own.
When Women Ignore Their Instincts (and Why I Wrote a Novel About It)
One writer explores how women will rationalize away feelings of unease for the sake of pleasing others, and how we express that on the page.
Writers and Artists Need a Way to Label AI Use: Here’s What That Could Look Like
To encourage transparency among creators and audience, one writer suggests a simple, two-category system for labeling AI use in works of art.
Writing Memoir? The Life You Change the Most Is Yours
A memoirist who began writing with the goal of helping others was surprised by how the process healed old wounds and reframed her self-image.
When You Publish a Career-Changing Book: Q&A with Elinor Florence
The author’s historical novel, Finding Flora, was an instant number-one bestseller in Canada which led to rerelease of two previous novels.
The Crucial Ingredient Your Story May Be Missing
If you’re hearing that your story lacks structure or impact, you might be missing the interconnected cohesion of plot, stakes, and character.
The Struggle Is Reel: Marketing Without Social Media
Needing to build audience for a new book, one author examines her avoidance of creating video content in favor of face-to-face connections.
How to Move Your Reader Toward Transformation
This excerpt from Nina Amir’s Change the World One Book at a Time examines how nonfiction authors can best effect change in readers.
New Publishers and Agents in 2025
A roundup of new publishers, imprints, and agents announced in 2025, as covered in The Bottom Line.
Watch for These 2026 Social Media Trends
A social media manager shares her observations on how current trends might impact authors and publishers in 2026.
Write Your Book Like You’d Run a Startup
Sharing his work-in-progress has helped one writer build confidence and conviction about who his readers are and what they’re interested in.
Crafting Cinematic Action by Scene Segmenting
By thinking like a filmmaker—planning your beats, deciding your shots—you create a vivid experience that pulls readers into the story.
Comps Can Clinch Your Query
When pitching to agents or editors, the right comp titles help you articulate where you position yourself within a very competitive market.
2025 Year in Review
The year’s biggest stories in publishing, from the Anthropic settlement to the demise of NaNoWriMo and more.
Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn: Use Stress Responses to Strengthen Your Scenes
Understanding stress responses as learned survival strategies can help you turn every high-stakes scene into character development on the page.
Please Allow Your Characters Moments of Happiness
When a story barrels from one conflict to the next, hitting pause for a well-placed glimmer of light can benefit both characters and readers.
No, Colleen Hoover Did Not Email Me: Current Scams Targeting Authors
If you receive solicitous emails from book clubs or famous authors, follow these simple steps before replying or clicking on any links.
Why Your Memoir Feels Like Rambling (and How to Fix It)
Having analyzed over 1000 memoir manuscripts in a 15 year span, Wendy Dale found two linked components of powerful, plot-driven storytelling.
It’s Not About You: Your Memoir Is Someone Else’s Story
The person on the page can’t be the person writing the book. Because if your life has changed enough to write about, you aren’t that person anymore.
My Brush with a Pay-to-Play Book Award
The majority of book awards are pay-to-play deals. Some do little harm, others are genuinely useful, but most make no difference to your career or sales.
In memoriam: Porter Anderson
We remember the late Porter Anderson, who in 2015 co-founded (with Jane) The Hot Sheet email newsletter known today as The Bottom Line.
The Case for Shrinking Your Novel
Even experienced novelists overwrite. Here are five insights about ruthlessly cutting a manuscript—and why that’s a good thing.
Why Print Never Died
This excerpt from the new book Digital Inc. by Richard Curtis examines why ebooks failed to supplant print as many tech pioneers expected.
Edit Your Book As If It’s a Screenplay
A writer’s script-editing experience helped fix her novel’s problems with pacing, flat characters, and scenes that didn’t propel the story.
Crafting Ethical and Moral Dilemmas in Crime Fiction
In crime fiction, the most powerful moments often aren’t about car chases or shootouts—they’re about impossible choices.
Using the Workplace to Add Depth to Your Novel
Using the workplace as more than a backdrop can supercharge the stakes, conflict, and character development of your fiction.
How a 100 Rejections Challenge Prepared Me for Life’s Biggest Rejection
A slew of literary rejections helped one writer develop the perseverance needed when a failed marriage left her urgently seeking a new job.
What I Got Wrong About Memoir and What I Now Understand About the Genre
An author reconsiders her biases, finding the best memoir writing to be courageous, complex, and capable of transforming others and ourselves.
If you encounter ClaimsHero, I suggest you ignore them
The Arizona law firm has no connection to the Anthropic case, but is trying to skim off authors in the class who may be unhappy about the current settlement.
How Revising My Novel While Querying Helped Me Win a Book Award
When agents suggest further revision, we might need time and distance to see our MS through their eyes—but doing the work can pay dividends.
What Makes Character Voice Memorable: Emotion
This excerpt from a new craft book by Jordan Rosenfeld explores the many ways our fictional characters manifest their internal emotions.
Before You Say Yes: What Writers Need to Know About Anthology Offers
Learn how to find and assess anthology opportunities, which offer short fiction authors income and visibility by sharing audiences across contributors.
Indie Author Day event is Nov. 14, free to everyone
Indie Author Day is part of the Indie Author Project, a library-backed initiative that recognizes self-published authors.
How I Secured a Big Five Publishing Deal with Almost No Social Media Platform
Learn how one author’s publishing “fairy tale” hides years of struggle, with practical lessons to unlock your own resilience.
Make Good Knots: How Learning to Knit Saved My Novel
Learning to knit renewed one author’s confidence, allowing her to take a risk revising a manuscript that was already out on submission.
Prologues That Work and Why
Prologues get a bad rap as backstory or info dumps but, done well, they can intrigue readers and ignite interest in the story to come.
The Current State of Hybrid Publishing: Q&A with David Wilk
An in-depth discussion of hybrid publishing today: what has driven its growth, and what should you know before investing?
Coach Your Characters: A Life Coach’s Toolkit Offers a New Lens
Life coaches help clients gain insights about how we shape our own life stories, and the same tools can be used to create richer characters.
“All Others”: The Memoir Writers Who Keep Going
Jane’s reporting has shown that unknown authors still land memoir deals, a fact which gave one writer the will to persevere—and succeed.
Why Your Book Isn’t Enough (and Why That’s Good News)
If we view platform-building as part of a mission to transform lives, not just sell books, the possibilities for engagement are endless.
Good Intentions Aren’t Enough in Publishing Deals: How Creators Can Protect Themselves
What every creator should know before signing a contract—protect your work, your time, and your well-being.
How a Memoir Became Netflix’s Boots
The author of The Pink Marine discusses his publishing path, writing for books versus screen, what development execs look for, and more.
Get your questions answered about the Anthropic settlement on Oct. 16
The Authors Guild is holding a free webinar for all authors (you don’t have to be a member) on Thursday, October 16, at 6 p.m. ET.
How Do Freelancers Survive Today? An Interview with a 20-Year Veteran
The landscape is very different today: publications have folded, arts coverage has dried up, and most opinion writing is on Substack.