May/June2013 Issue
May/June Issue
Writer's Digest Magazine
Preview the Issue
Buy It Here
Give a Gift SubscriptionSave 58%!
Website of the Week
Business Legal Matters
Discover what you need to know about business and legal matters. You’ll find tips for working with agents and editors, learn the truth about advances, foreign rights and what to expect with the sale your first book, and much more.
How to See Your Work Through an Agent or Publisher’s Eyes
Query letter writing is no doubt one of the hardest forms of writing to master. Here’s what agents and publishers need to see from you when you pitch your work. Read more
How to Sell Your Manuscript Without an Agent
First-time author Diane Kelly offers 4 strategies to connect with editors and sell your manuscript—without an agent. Read more
Do You Need a Publisher Anymore? Hachette and J.A. Konrath Duke It Out
In his obituary to the year-long Domino Project, Seth Godin wrote that publishing companies and other traditional players that do not adapt to new modes of doing business will go extinct. Others have suggested the same.
Meanwhile, some authors like J.A. Konrath and David Gaughran have eschewed traditional relationships with publishers to create and distribute their work on their own. In the aftermath to the Book Country self-publishing tool launch from Penguin, some outspoken critics took the announcement as an opportunity to question publishers’ relevance.
Writer’s Workout Exclusive
Download a free motivational poster to keep you moving as your build your writing career. Read an Excerpt! Learn how to cultivate clarity, inventory ideas, write richly, and serve up words. About … Read more
Writer’s Workout Excerpt
Excerpt from The Writer’s Workout by Christina Katz CULTIVATE CLARITY When you write something needlessly prolix and convoluted, there’s a reason for it, and that reason is usually a lack of clarity … Read more
Writer’s Workout
The Writer’s Workout: 366 Tips, Tasks, & Techniques from Your Writing Career Coach by Christina Katz Writer’s Digest Books, 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-59963-179-0 ISBN-10: 1-59963-179-2 $19.99 paperback, 384 pages Buy the Book! Read … Read more
Get the Inside Track to Agents
Learn more about what Hot List agents Rachelle Gardner, Chris Richman, Suzie Townsend and Ted Weinstein are seeking by reading these in-depth Q&As.
Read more
Author Q&A: Dinty W. Moore
Author Dinty W. Moore discusses not taking shortcuts, perseverance and why you need to love writing to be a writer.
Read more
Publishing 101: What You Need to Know
Here’s your step-by-step guide to the publishing process–how it works, why you need to know and how you can play an influential role in your book’s success.
by Jerry D. Simmons
Read more
The Anatomy of a Writer’s Website
Whether you build it yourself or hire a designer, your website can do more than bring you into the 21st century—it can be an invaluable part of your marketing arsenal.
by Linda Formichelli Read more
The Four Commandments of Writing Good Sentences
If you want to write a good sentence, don’t pay any attention to your grammar. I don’t mean “a sentence this like OK is.” I mean don’t automatically think you’ve written a good sentence just because it’s grammatically correct. Lots of bad sentences are grammatically correct. Some of these bad sentences might even be yours.
by Bonnie Trenga Read more
Challenging the Limits of Memory
In this excerpt from Writing Life Stories, Bill Roorbach teaches you how to pay attention to and translate your memories and how to overcome your resistance to remembered places and events. Read more
Back Up Your Work for Free
Just because a natural disaster or computer virus wipes out your hard drive doesn’t mean you have to lose all your work.
by G. Kyle White Read more
Face Time
Thanks to e-mail, you never need to make eye contact with editors you write for. But maybe you should. The payoff is more than you might imagine. Read more
The 2005 WD Guide to Writing Software
Looking to streamline your writing process? We’ve rounded up the latest and greatest software programs designed to help, and never hinder, your writing. Read more
Getting the Coin: Dealing with Slow-Paying Clients
Choosing a good publication from a potentially delinquent one is key when it comes to receiving payment for your work. Read more
Do You Need Liability Insurance?
Find out if you need individual liability insurance, and learn how to protect yourself from libel or invasion of privacy claims. Read more
The Core of a Good Editor-Writer Relationship
Michael Korda is both editor and writer — Another Life is his latest memoir. Speaking with interviewer Marsha Marks, he provides perspective from both sides of the editor’s desk. Read more
What You Can Do About Aggregators
What You Can Do About Aggregators Read more
Publishing Your Passion
Do you have a burning desire to publish your own magazine? Ignite that passion and distribute it for all to see. Read more
Agent Etiquette Dos and Don”ts
Excerpted from The Insider”s Guide to Getting an Agent, Lori Perkins gives her dos and don”ts when working with an agent. Read more
Earn More, Do Less
More money is right around the corner for freelance writers. Follow these tips to double your writing rates painlessly. Read more
Get Your Facts Straight
Endear yourself to editors by making your articles ruthlessly accurate. Here’s an insider’s guide to blazing through the fact-checking process. Read more
Is Electronic Publishing for You?
E-books haven’t set the world on fire yet, but they’re carving out a nice little niche. Read more
Reality Bites
Use real people, places and things in your writing without getting into trouble. Read more
