Susan Spann In the publishing world, an "elevator pitch" is a one-sentence (under one minute) pitch an author gives an agent, editor, or reader in order to prompt interest in a manuscript or book. I've heard a lot of these over the years, and I help authors write (or revise) them in conference settings. In fact, […]

Ella Joy Olsen (The Psychology Behind Books Sold Cheap) I started thinking about the pricing of books about four months before my debut novel was due to be published. It started with a conversation at a party when my friend’s father cornered me, so he could speak without others overhearing. Him (in a conspiratorial whisper): […]

James Preston Once upon a time my wife and I were sitting up late at night, reading. She had a romance novel, I probably had something by Heinlein or Asimov or Andre Norton. Suddenly, she yelled, “Arrrrrgh!” Or maybe it was “Gaaaah!” And she threw the paperback across the room, bouncing it off the wall, scaring the cat, […]

Jamie Raintree Have you ever heard the phrase “act as if”? I heard it for the first time when I was a teenager from a friend who was into personal growth before I even knew what personal growth was. He used to throw it around haphazardly, like it was the answer to everything, and he […]

Laurie Schnebly Campbell What does braiding a book mean? Off the top of my head, that seems like an easy question. Since a braid has three parts, a braided book has -- hmm. Goal / motivation / conflict. A hero / heroine / villain. Emotions / actions / thoughts. Description / dialogue / narrative. A […]