Five Ways NOT to Attract an Editor’s Attention
© 2013 W. Terry Whalin Will Rogers is credited with saying, “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” As an acquisitions editor, I read book…
Creating a Quality e-Product
© 2013 Susan K. Stewart Publisher’s Weekly reported that e-book sales rose by 117% in 2011 while print sales fell. That trend seems to be leveling off now. So for most…
From Soup to Nuts
© 2013 Tracy Crump One mistake authors make in trying to write for Chicken Soup for the Soul and other anthologies is covering too much ground. Chicken Soup wants short stories, not…
Writing Devotions
© 2013 Dianne Neal Matthews I attended my first writers’ conference with my only two samples of writing: an article for the manuscript evaluation and a short piece about a…
Using Food to Create an Appetite for Your Novel
© 2012 Alice J. Wisler "One cannot think well, live well, sleep well, if one has not dined well," wrote Virginia Woolf. That quote grabbed me, and I used it…
Why Journal?
© 2012 Shirley Corder When I was a child, my mother gave me a diary every Christmas. As an adult, I bought myself one almost every year. I really don't…
Writing for Specialty Markets
© 2012 Lin Johnson Most writers focus on two types of manuscripts: books and magazine articles. But there are other possibilities to minister to thousands of people and put money…
Bread-and-Butter Writing
© 2011 Leslie Rowe Convert your skills to cash by writing for the marketplace The electric bill spiked and your pantry looks paltry. When writing is your passion but eating…
Source of Endless Story Ideas
© 2011 Marilyn H. Collins Family stories provide a wealth of original plot ideas. Settings are familiar, characters come complete with emotions or conflicts, and protagonists/antagonists are ready made. Our…
I’m a Ghostwriter
© 2011 Cecil Murphey "You understand people," an editor told me after I had published ten books, "And you know how to get into their heads." His words shocked me…