Why do book editors reject manuscripts? As a fiction-writing coach, I'm asked that question a lot. Most authors are baffled by the vague correspondence that book editors send. For example: "Thank you for the opportunity to read (Title of…

Sure, every author wants to receive glowing book reviews. But do book reviews help sales? That's the million dollar question. As an Indie author, I've had my mind blown. In the old days, when I was published in paperback by Bantam and Avon,…

What considerations should go into choosing a book excerpt for a blog tour or a post on social media? First and foremost, you must understand that an excerpt is a sales tool. If you keep that in mind, you’re already leagues ahead of most…

Want to keep your Cozy Mystery reader turning pages? Then read on! Today's guest columnist is Nancy J. Cohen, sleuth writer extraordinaire. Nancy is the author of the writer's guidebook, Writing the Cozy Mystery, and she comes bearing gifts!…

One of my favorite literary mottoes comes from Alexander Dumas’s The Three Musketeers:  “All for One, and One for All!”  I’ve often thought that any kind of critique – whether it be of a fiction manuscript or a friend’s hair…

If you're writing commercial fiction, you can jumpstart your career by judging writing contests. Many aspiring authors already know the benefits of entering writing contests. These days, even the larger regional contests have celebrity judges. …

As a book writing coach, I often get “True Confessions” emails from my students.  These messages – which are full of angst and guilt – start with, “I haven’t forgotten about my writing assignment…” then spew forth every…

Recently, I overcame a bout of writer’s block by challenging myself.  Since April is Poetry Month, I entered a poetry contest. Entering that contest while I was doubting my fiction-writing skills wasn’t an easy choice.  I had to overcome…

Sometimes your first book shouldn't be published. Long before I was writing novels that sell, my first published mentor took me under her wing.  After reading my manuscript for the first time, she sat me down in a public restaurant to teach…

I asked some popular authors to help me explain why Alpha Romance Heroes have become such perennial favorites among readers – including me!  And while we’re on the topic of True Confessions:  I can trace my fascination with high-handed,…

Written By Prince Rael the Magnificent (Transcribed by Adrienne deWolfe, aka “Minion”) Greetings, Humans! It is I, Prince Rael the Magnificent, writing on a subject that is near and dear to every (self-respecting) reader’s heart: …

Are you making progress toward your writing goals today?  Or have you fallen victim to one of these 10 nefarious Gremlins from the shadowy realm of Writer's Block? 1. Mind Muncher This warty, pug-nosed menace chews up good inspiration…

One day, after I became a bestselling author, I dragged out the first Romance manuscript I'd ever finished. Secretly, I had always believed that novel was the most wonderful story in the world. In my not-so-humble opinion, every New York editor…

[Note:  This guest post was written by Beth Ann Kozlowski.] If you're like me, then you probably have noticed the large amount of bullying happening lately.  I don't know about you, but I find it very discouraging and disheartening. Don't…

The conversation went something like this: Aspiring Author:  I’ve signed up for another writing workshop.  Big name teacher.  Spent a lot of money.   I’m going to meet all these really cool best-selling authors.  Ya-dah. Ya-dah.  …

How to Write a Novel as a Collaborative Team Put one or two fiction writers in the same room, and ultimately, somebody poses the question:  "Wouldn’t it be great if we could collaborate as a writing team?" But how exactly does a “team”…

If you’re still learning your way around Facebook, you may not be aware that you can add some nifty author apps to your Fan Page -- apps that can help you market your books. These apps are super-easy to install. The vast majority require…

Have you ever wondered how bestselling authors can get away with writing the same hero over and over again? I’m not talking about carrying an original character into a spin-off  novel or sequel (like Ian Fleming did with James Bond.) I’m…

New York Times bestselling author, Sabrina York, is back with the third installment in her 3-part series on Street Teams. Today's installment is about effective management: the down side to running your volunteer organization. If you like this…

Last Friday's post by New York Times bestselling author, Sabrina York, talked about creating Street Teams for book marketing and promotion purposes. You may have wondered, “What can I assign my loyal army of fans to DO?” Great question!…

Whether you want to make money writing Romance, Mystery, Fantasy, or some other genre, you'll find the writing tips in today's guest post invaluable!   Please help me welcome award-winning author, Lois Winston, whose heroine-sleuth was dubbed…

Want a loyal army of fans to promote your book for you? Then keep reading for tips! New York Times bestselling author, Sabrina York, is our guest columnist. She's so enthusiastic about sharing her book marketing help for Romance authors, that…

If you’re writing for the ebook market, the ability to write short is a definite advantage: Ebook readers prefer to download an entire series in one fell swoop.  The shorter you write, the more books you can out-put. More published…

Welcome to USA Today bestselling Contemporary Romance Author, Barbara Bretton.  Her 40+ books have more than 10 million copies in print. Barbara graciously agreed to dash off her best advice to authors who want to build their careers over the…

Picture Yours Truly indulging in a rare pleasure these days:  taking time to open a new book, published by a small electronic press. The cover of the book I’m browsing looks good. The author has been published before by this small press. …

Picture this:  Your book is finally published.  (Whoop! Congratulations!) You’ve worked months – maybe years – for the moment when you can proudly point to  the byline on your cover and say:  “Yep! That’s me!  I really wrote…

As an author who has toured, and as a blog owner who has hosted tours, I can speak with authority about both sides of the virtual book tour experience. My motivation for this post is to save budget-conscious authors from wasting their money…

Editor's Note: Please welcome Helen Carey, who has worked as a professional reader for two book publishers and a literary agent. Helen has agreed to share her “insider secrets” about the real, behind the scenes power that a professional…

Welcome back, Twitter Ninjas! In our last (thrilling) installment of Twitter Tips: 20 Tweeting Secrets for Novel Writers, I regaled you with ideas for getting your novel noticed in the Twitterverse. (Thanks for your patience, by the way.…

In my never-ending quest to bring you useful book marketing strategies, it occurred to me that I may not be alone in my befuddlement over Twitter. No, I’m not referring to my FREAK OUT DAY, when all my Tweets inexplicably disappeared from…

  I recently had a pleasant wake-up call about Pinterest. In my supreme ignorance, I thought that this popular social media site was the haven for dessert recipes, cute animals, and crochet patterns.  Imagine my surprise when I stumbled…

Howdy, fellow Procrastinators! Yes, I am writing blog posts instead of my novel. ::Eh-hem:: Thought you might enjoy these words of wit and wisdom from famous authors. And then...go put your butt in your chair and compose the next scene! Norman…

I don’t know why fiction writers seem so eager to express angst.  It seems like the lion’s share of wit and wisdom expressed by authors, who are writing about their profession, focuses on one primary theme:  that writing novels is HARD. For…

Writers on Writing: Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain As a child, I was familiar with Tom Sawyer, but I didn't fall in love with Mark Twain until my high school Language Arts class. We were studying The Adventures of Huck Finn, which begins with…

Writers on Writing: Advice from Ernest Hemingway If you’re going to listen to writing advice, you might as well listen to the most acclaimed authors in the world, right?  That’s why I’m featuring this series of posts based on fiction-writing…

Every Mage needs an apprentice, every writer needs a Muse . . .  And every character needs a name. So what writing resources do I use to create zany names for my fantasy fiction? (What, you don’t think “Queen Hoodoo,” better known…

Welcome back guest columnist, Carrie Slager, who reviews books for The Mad Reviewer blog. This is Part II in Carrie's series. You'll find more  tips in Part I of her series, Tips for Dealing with Book Reviewers.] Last week I touched…

Have you ever wondered how somebody gets to hang their shingle as a "book reviewer?"  Would you like to know how to make "nice" with a reviewer for your own book?  Carrie Slager's guest columns have the answers. This post is part one of a…

For you new authors, who are dreading your first, official book signing, take heart.  There’s always book signing #2. Okay, okay.  I’m kidding.  (Sort of.) Earlier this year, I wrote one of my more popular posts,  Humor for…

Today, I have Texas on the brain.  And not just ‘cause I live here.  I'm writing dialogue for a Texas protagonist. I gotta confess:  as a born-and-raised Yankee (Pittsburgh), I didn’t have a clue how to write authentic, Texas dialect…

Writers are such creative geniuses, that they often psych themselves out.  They procrastinate until they're freaked out and desperate to meet a deadline.  (At which point, they become neurotic, trapped in the throes of writer's block.)   Fess…

Struggling with writer's block? Want to finish a novel? Then you’re in good company!  Thousands of writers around the world are gearing up to write 1 whole bonafide novel over the next 30 days as they participate in National Novel Writing…

Networking is a form of word-of-mouth marketing. At a writing conference, you must learn to market your book in ways that make you memorable – but for all the right reasons.  This article is Part 2 in a 2-part series that shares networking…

If you have ever talked to a friend, passing on a job lead, news of a great sale, or praise for a wonderful novel, then you have “networked.”  In essence, networking is word-of-mouth marketing. At a writing conference, you must learn…

Want to give — and receive – electronic autographs for your favorite books?  Then you’ll adore the free web service, Authorgraph. Gone are the days when an author’s autograph could only be obtained during a live book signing. Authorgraph…

If you're an author with a backlist of previously published paperback novels, then I encourage you to consider formatting those novels as e-books.  Not only are you likely to increase your passive income, you will gain far more control over…

“Is there some deep, dark secret to getting published? Why won’t an editor buy my book?” As a book writing coach and multi-published author, I’m asked that question a lot. Believe me, I can empathize with the pain of aspiring…

I read a marketing statistic recently that said that 50,000 new Kindles are purchased every month by readers around the world. That’s mind-boggling! To give you some perspective, in the old days (as recently as 2000,) a midlist paperback…

Ever since the third grade, I wanted to become a published novelist. By the time I reached the age of 30, my passion for writing novels had grown so strong, that I was willing to ignore an IRS report that said the average writer earns 7 cents…

As a college freshman, I was excited to make the cut in my first Creative Writing course. I was the youngest student in a class full of juniors and seniors. My goal, even then, was to write commercial book-length fiction – particularly Romance…

Whether you are planning to write your personal story as a memoir, or to write a commercial novel based upon your life’s experience, you must find ways to connect with the emotions of your reader if you want your story to be remembered. New…

Please welcome Young Adult Fantasy Fiction author, Lizzy Ford, who has graciously written this guest post for WritingNovelsThatSell.com.  In this column, Lizzy is sharing her Top 10 Tips for Writing What's Hot in Young Adult Fantasy Fiction.…

When fiction writers are starting their careers, they need training.  They don’t know how to discern between writing advice that advances their publication goals, and writing advice that is useless – or even detrimental. In their eagerness…

Writing heroes (or protagonists) is one of the first challenges that writers have to tackle when developing genre fiction novels.   Since I’m re-inventing several of my protagonists for my YA Fantasy series, Guardians of Aeld, I thought…

(Part 3 in the 3-part series, Crime Fiction:  How Mystery Writers Pen a Chilling Read) While Mystery writers are the undisputed masters of the literary device known as suspense, writers of other popular fiction genres (Romance, Fantasy,…

(Part 2 in the 3-part series, Crime Fiction:  How Mystery Writers Pen a Chilling Read) Even if you aren’t writing Crime Fiction, you can learn how to write an edge-of-your-seat read by studying how Mystery writers incorporate suspense…

Book Promotion Strategy for Indie and Midlist Authors (Part 4 in the 4-part Series, Book Marketing Strategy) Although book promotion may be an expensive proposition, a well-planned book marketing strategy can benefit fiction writers who…

Book promotion can be expensive for fiction writers.  You're a one-man / one-woman company, chasing after national -- even international -- sales.  Yet how many Indie Fiction Authors and Midlist Authors of genre fiction have $290,000 to invest…

Crime fiction is wildly popular.  Writing novels with spine-tingling action requires Mystery writers to study the literary device known as suspense.  Even if you aren't writing novels for the Crime Fiction market, your Romance, Fantasy,…

Before planning your book marketing strategy, you must first determine if the time and cost of book promotion will benefit your sales and career goals. In Part I of this 4-part series on Book Marketing Strategy, I discussed, in detail, the…

Book marketing strategy abounds.  The bigger question is:  what's the pay-off if I decide to invest the time and money in book promotion? Only after you're armed with the knowledge to make an educated decision about book promotion will…

Planning a book signing?  Then you're in luck!  In this thrilling post (filled with dubious advice,) we explore the topic of hand-selling so you can make the cash registers ring. Forget writing chase scenes, folks.  The real excitement…

Deadline stress can lead to writer's block, paralyzing fiction writers -- and I'm not just speaking figuratively.  Who would've thought that writing novels could be so hazardous to your health? I'm just one of many fiction writers who has…

Enjoy these humorous writing quotes from famous authors as they confide how they feel about literary critics in the video, below. Assembling these quips about literary critics really put the whole book review process into perspective for me.…

"That's it," my novel writing student said. (We'll call her Katie.) "I quit. No more red herrings. No more convoluted plot twists. Cozies are too hard to write. I'm going to write a Romantic Suspense." Uh-oh, I thought. Katie was struggling…

When you do book research, hitting the trail to interview sources will open your eyes and inspire your writing much more than surfing the Internet. Yes, my friends, I can now say with authority that steers are much larger than they appear…

Is writers block causing procrastination and making you too stuck to write the next word?  Take heart.  You’re not the Lone Ranger.  Even bestsellers get the Cursor-Blinking Blues.  The trick to overcoming writer's block is to discover…

Enjoy these inspirational writing quotes from famous authors as they give advice to writers in the video, below. I stumbled upon these inspirational writing quotes from famous authors while I was researching ideas for a speech that I've been…