Ideas for a novel can come from anywhere. As the former editor for Caribbean Travel & Life magazine, Bob Morris had the privilege of traveling to and writing about beautiful, exotic places. It was while walking the beach in the Bahamas that Morris...

Accomplished writer and author Bob Morris admits that he was very green when he wrote his first novel. He didn't consider if there was an audience for his work or think about a marketing strategy. All he cared about with the first book in his Zack...

Self-editing is the practice of editing your own manuscript to the best of your ability, prior to submitting it to a freelance editor, agent, or publisher. Every author approaches self-editing differently depending on skill level, but any self-editing...

For many authors, their first completed manuscript isn't always the one that gets the first book deal. This was the case for middle-grade author Laura Martin. Her critically acclaimed Edge of Extinction book series was her second book project but was...

One savvy author skill is the ability to deliver your book’s elevator pitch . Every author needs to be able to showcase their book in about 30 to 60 seconds, which is the traditional length of an elevator ride. The elevator pitch is part hook and part...

The opening pages of a book or screenplay are a critical part of the story. Whether or not your audience (studio executive, literary agent, or reader) will continue turning the pages depends on your opening scene. So how do you write a beginning that...

The rapidly evolving publishing industry has changed how books are written, marketed, and published. The change has also altered how they’re edited. There are some universal manuscript needs, and authors need to know what those are before they hire...

Many writers believe that self-editing their manuscript or having a friend or family member review it is enough prior to publication. It’s usually not. Without professional editing, your manuscript will likely contain several grammatical errors and maybe...

Middle-grade author Laura Martin didn't set out to write a book series about dinosaurs. After a visit to a dinosaur exhibit at a museum she was left wondering, "What would happen if we brought dinosaurs out of extinction?" She didn't immediately begin...

What is chick lit? What kinds of stories are included in this genre? Agent Jill Marsal explains this genre and reviews chick lit trends. She says that the term chick lit describes a kind of book that was generating a lot of buzz about five to ten years...