Querying Agents: How Many Times Should You Try?
If you’re thinking about querying agents about your book, or if you’re in the middle of that process, then you’ll quickly find that the most efficient way to go about it is to send off...
Writing Markets Are Polarized (and That’s Bad)
In a previous blog post, I lamented the fact that genre labels can be limiting for writers, both creatively and when it comes to publishing. But as I’ve thought more about the issue, I’ve also realized...
Adult Books Should Have Pictures, Too. Here’s Why
The progression is a familiar one: As you move up in years, the number of pictures in your books goes down. Right?! This is the way it is, but maybe it shouldn't be. Reading as...
How Sunk Cost Keeps You Reading (and Writing) Bad Books
It often doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to stop a job or task once you start. You can't recover what you've invested, so you feel obligated to keep going to avoid taking a...
Why I Hated ‘Bridgerton’ on Netflix
Image via Canva During the pandemic, like so many others who are trying to navigate life with lockdown restrictions, I turned to Netflix. And because I have an affinity for period books and films (minus...
Pantsing or Outlining: Which Is Better?
Pop quiz: Is pantsing or outlining better when writing? Pantsing is great because... Initially, I fell into the winging-it or pantsing camp. That approach allowed me to write freely with very little constraint whenever I...
Where New Writers Should Write for Free
Writers long have operated under the belief that they might need to write for free for a while to establish some credibility and earn bylines. But is this still the case? Should you, in fact,...
Why Classifying Books By Genre Needs to Die
If you go to agent or publisher websites, a common call is for writers to create something entirely fresh, something that doesn’t fit the usual molds. But even with those statements, I’m not at all...
