Susan Spann As a publishing lawyer, I often hear from authors hoping to terminate old (or unfortunate) publishing contracts and obtain a reversion of rights to their works. Rights reversion is tricky, especially when the contract doesn’t give the author the right to terminate without the publisher’s agreement or approval. However, it’s important for authors […]

Angela Ackerman Taking the time to choose the right setting for each scene is one of the best ways to ensure our writing has impact. Why? Because the setting touches everything. It can characterize the story’s cast, evoke mood, generate conflict, shape the plot, and even use symbols and emotional triggers to show readers what […]

Janice Hardy When I was first learning how to write a novel, I read tons of how-to books and tried every piece of writing advice I came across. Some of it helped, some of it didn't, and some of it did more harm than good. Luckily, I survived the experience and maintained not only my […]

What do your characters do when faced with adversity or an imminent threat? How do they recover from one of life's knock-out punches? Conflict powers our stories and our character's personal growth arcs, so we throw a lot at our beloved protagonists. How they "catch" what we toss at them defines not only their essential […]

Penny Sansevieri As “marketers,” it’s a big part of our job to get more readers, but as you probably have discovered, that’s often a challenge. With so many books and so many titles competing for the same attention, setting yours apart from the pack can be hard. On the flip side, what if you have […]