A media tie-in book can take a few forms: a companion book to a television show or film, the companion to a group of films or shows, or a history of certain shows and films. Writer, producer, and TV host Herbie J Pilato says there are three things to...

Join literary agent Amy Levenson as she provides an overview of the ins and outs of the traditional publishing world. Learn who the major publishers are, how they operate, and what it means to be a traditionally published author. This “Traditional...

Author, comedy writer, and columnist James Breakwell started writing long before he became an internet sensation through his @XplodingUnicorn Twitter handle. In high school, he shared his humorous stories with classmates and then wrote for his college...

James Breakwell has learned that internet fame is quite different from traditional fame or celebrity. When the comedy writer's Twitter account ( @XplodingUnicorn ) went viral due to a Buzzfeed article in 2016, Breakwell already had a solid writing...

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...

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...

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...

It is often said that now is the best time to be an author, but it may also be the most confusing. That’s because historically, there was only one path to get published. Now there are four distinct paths to get your book into the hands of readers. These...