July/August 2013 Issue
July/August Issue
Writer's Digest Magazine
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There Are No Rules Blog by the Editors of Writer’s Digest
Get on the cutting edge of today’s publishing trends and how authors can succeed in a world of fast-paced technological change, guided by the editors of Writer’s Digest. You’ll get an inside look at the work, play, and passion of the publishing business and find practical tools for success.
7 Free-to-Enter National Writing Competitions That Impact Your Career
Writing contests have always been extremely popular (at least as long as I’ve been around the writing community), but entry fees can really add up if you’re frequently or widely entering competitions. … Read more
Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 9/17/10)
I watch Twitter, so you don’t have to. Visit each Sunday for the week’s best Tweets. If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Want to know about the … Read more
Should You Hire Someone to Design Your Website?
In publishing, we often say how critical it is to hire a professional editor if you plan to self-publish. Or we say how valuable a professional publicist or PR person can be. … Read more
Before You Write a Single Word: Develop a Reader Profile
Today’s guest post is from Shennandoah Diaz, the Business Development Assistant at Greenleaf Book Group, a publisher and distributor supporting independent authors and small presses. – You can easily find yourself living … Read more
Hearing Voices: 6 Steps I Used for Creating an Anthology
1. Find A Unique Theme
After two positive experiences of contributing to anthologies about education, I was ready to work on my own. But what voice needed to be heard and hadn’t been heard before? A life-changing experience answered these questions when my son was deployed to war. The seldom-heard voices of mothers sending their sons and daughters to war needed to be heard. This Chorus would narrate their stories telling of the sacrifice our children make every day.
2. Set Goals For Your Anthology
My son made it home, defying death several times. I could breathe again. I wanted this to be a book where military mothers could all breathe a little easier, narrating our stories and sharing our burdens. Read more
The Evolution of the Literary Agent
The October 2010 issue of Writer’s Digest features the annual round-up of agents looking for new writers. Chuck Sambuchino does an excellent job as usual in curating this hot list. Just as … Read more
Back to Basics: A Writer's 101 Guide to Blogging
On Thursday at 1p EDT, I’m presenting a live, online class, “Build Your Author Platform Through Blogging.” In preparation for that, I’m gathering my favorite resources and 101 articles that are helpful … Read more
A Time of Immense Change—For You, For Me, For Everyone
Today was my first full day of orientation as a professor teaching e-media at the University of Cincinnati-CCM. (The CCM Village is pictured above—at a very early hour!) Overwhelming doesn’t quite begin … Read more
Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 9/10/10)
I watch Twitter, so you don’t have to. Visit each Sunday for the week’s best Tweets. If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Want to know about the … Read more
Hurricane Season
Today’s guest post is by the kind and generous Darrelyn Saloom, who is working on a memoir with boxer champion Deirdre Gogarty. Follow Darrelyn on Twitter, or read her previous guest posts. … Read more
How to Score a Traditional Deal After Self-Publishing
Today’s Q&A is with authors Anne Milford and Jennifer Gauvain, who originally self-published their book, How Not to Marry the Wrong Guy, in May 2009. They marketed and promoted like madwomen and … Read more
How to Write a Travel Memoir
A travel memoir is a travel writing genre all its own. It is not a guidebook, trip diary or marketing piece for the Sunday paper. Rather, it is a delicate mixture of recollection and reflection that reveals how a journey, or a series of journeys, transformed the writer.
Guest column by Susan Pohlman, author of the travel memoir Halfway to Each Other: How a Year In Italy Brought Our Family Home. Good Housekeeping called the book “a remarkable story.” Read more
Newest Opportunities to Hear Me Speak
Lots of cool things happening to update you about (pictured above: a candid shot of me speaking at Midwest Writers in July 2010!). Last week I was a guest speaker on a … Read more
Building an Enthusiastic Fan Base as a Self-Published Author
Today’s Q&A is with novelist and 20-year Silicon Valley wage slave John Sundman. I first met John when his novel, Acts of the Apostles, won 1st place in the genre fiction category … Read more
Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 9/3/10)
I watch Twitter, so you don’t have to. Visit each Sunday for the week’s best Tweets. If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Want to know about the … Read more
The Evolving Role of Literary Agents
Today I’m a guest interviewee over at Jungle Red Writers, on the evolving role of agents. The incredible Hallie Ephron interviews me. Here’s a snippet: Hallie: Is the agent’s traditional role as … Read more
The Digital Age Has Only Helped Storytellers
Today’s Q&A is with author Eric Rickstad, a novelist and screenwriter living in Vermont. His unnerving novels, stories, and scripts strip back the bucolic veneer of rural America and root around in … Read more
Self-Published Authors Should Band Together
Today’s Q&A is with longtime author and publisher Eric Hammel, who started his own publishing company in the 1980s alongside his traditional author career. Given his 30+ years of experience as an … Read more
Your Self-Help Book Should Not Be a Thinly Disguised Memoir
If you’re writing a memoir, and it’s your very first attempt at writing (or writing seriously for publication), odds are good that you won’t yet be skillful enough to pass muster with … Read more
Make the Most of Your Memory: 10 Tips for Writing About Your Life
Today’s guest post is by Stacey Dubois, a graduate student at Tufts University, as well as an aspiring children’s/YA novelist. For more on the psychology of the creative process, visit her blog.– … Read more
Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 8/27/10)
I watch Twitter, so you don’t have to. Visit each Sunday for the week’s best Tweets. If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Want to know about the … Read more
Don't Annoy People on Facebook
I have a wide range of friends of Facebook—including many writers who are using the site to market their work. While this isn’t wrong in and of itself, some approach the site … Read more
Writers & Publishers Need to Act More Like the Art World
Today’s Q&A is with Dan Holloway, who I first met on Twitter as agnieszkasshoes. Dan is a founder-member of Year Zero Writers, and curator of eight cuts gallery and eight cuts gallery … Read more
Q&A: My Thoughts on Book Publishing Today
Many writers ask me about changes in the publishing industry, how to make sense of the transformation, and what it really means for them. I try to tackle that, in part, in … Read more
You Can Learn As Much From Writing Friends as Writing Experts
Today’s guest post is by writer David B. Schlosser, who attended the 5th annual Killer Nashville literary conference. My thanks to him for summarizing for us the best information he heard. Follow … Read more
