Penny C. Sansevieri If you’ve ever thought that the publishing industry is tough to figure out, you’re not alone. In fact, I once had an author tell me that getting into publishing is sort of like building a house without any plans. There’s a lot of information out there, but it can be overwhelming or […]

Susan Spann “Option clauses” or “options,” are a provision in a publishing deal that gives the publishing house a “right of first refusal” on the author’s next work. While this initially sounds like a great idea – most authors want to continue being published – traditional option clauses often contain some traps that authors should […]

Someone I know is going through a personal tragedy that has rocked my insides to the point I can't think about it without bursting into tears. The idea of dealing with something like this paralyzes me. I was talking to a writer friend about it and her response was typically writerish - "Oh my god, […]

Becca Puglisi As authors, we all know the importance of engaging our audience within a book’s first few pages. It’s called grabbing the reader: captivating them in a way that makes them want to stick with the story to its end. Michael Hauge prefers the term seducing: “Everybody likes to be seduced; it’s a gradual, […]

Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy When I sat down to write this post I intended to write about writing. It's what I love doing, and why folks tend to invite me to guest post on their blogs (which I appreciate). But this came at a time when I'm feeling reflective and optimistically hopeful about the new year […]