I have clients who get $20,000 as a book advance but make $30,000 per speech and do seventy speeches a year. Do the math. Of course, not everyone can be that kind of speaker, but even at more modest levels, an advance from a publisher isn’t the only...

All right, the book is done! It’s been proofread (several times). It’s been edited (several times). Before you hire your freelance illustrator, check out their previous work. A stylistic match between you and your illustrator is half the battle. Perhaps...

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...

Urgency is not unique to thrillers and not always a function of a fast pace. Urgency drives all fiction and a slow-moving passage can have you at the edge of your seat. Urgency may sit deep inside the subtext of a scene, manifest in a character’s motivation...

Readership today is broader than it has ever been, with readers eager to consume a variety of content. The competitive book market can make it challenging for readers to find your work, so it’s important to make yourself discoverable. One way to create...

There is a burgeoning demand for short memoir and personal essays in literary magazines and anthologies. These publications range from nonpaying to significant compensation. In this webinar, award-winning author Jeanne Lyet Gassman examines the differences...

If you want to write a memoir, there are a few things that are really important to keep in mind. The first is that editors always ask, “What about this memoir is going to make somebody who doesn’t know the author willing to spend twenty-five dollars...

Where do you find professional and effective feedback? There are many places from which to seek feedback. Some are free and some are costly. Some are time consuming while others are not. The good news is there is an avenue of feedback for every writer...