By Nalini Akolekar For those of you who don’t know me, I started my publishing career back in the Stone Age as an editorial assistant at Silhouette Books.  I loved my job and was strongly encouraged to stay in the field, but life and children intervened and I wound up taking a hiatus from the business […]

By Travis Erwin Defining voice is a bit like nailing Jell-O to the wall. The harder you try, the messier things get, but let’s pick up that hammer and give it a whack anyway. Voice is a writing style. It is both a particular book's, and its author’s personality—right there on the page. In acting […]

By Sharla Rae All writers have things about thAll writers have things about the writing business we fear. One that comes to mind is submitting our work to an agent or editor for the first time. Well maybe the second and even the third time, too. But there's another fear that isn't discussed much. Switching […]

by Susan Squires Whether you’re just starting out or under contract, being productive isn’t easy. There isn’t enough time. Or enough space. Or enough quiet. Or enough organized thinking. There isn’t enough something, always. How many times have you heard writers say, “I sure wish I had more_______. Then I could write.” If wishes were […]

By Orly Konig-Lopez Querying authors know the feeling: Your email pings with an incoming message. It's from one of the agents who requested your manuscript. Your heart beats in your ears, you close one eye, tilt your head to a 35 degree angle and squint at the words. Maybe this is "the one." "Thank you […]