Te idea of how people choose the books they read, and what role word of mouth (in whatever form) plays in that has been on my mind. And that got me thinking: what does word of mouth mean, really? And, more importantly, how does it work?

When I cringe at another's (or my own) urges towards me-me-me, I try to remember to allocate a bit of kindness towards writers (like me) trying to dance as fast as we can.

Ask any group of authors what inspired them to write their novels, and you'll get a collection of answers as different as the books themselves.

Judging from how much the order for my new novel, The Comfort of Lies, was reduced, I am firmly in the "lesser known" camp of writers in the standoff between Barnes & Noble and Simon & Schuster.

We saw that while there were tons of great books on publicity, marketing, 'how to's' on everything from getting an agent to publishing without one, there was a missing piece: what to do when you actually catch the gold ring of a publishing contract?

Upon hearing about Atria Book's plan for a multi-author twelve-city bus tour, I could only be grateful that it wasn't me who'd be stuck in a bus for u...

"How did you get published? Do you have an MFA?" a reader asked last week. I struggled for the right answer -- how to tell her that, no, I don't have ...

In the wild world of publishing (both indie and traditional), the Holy Grail has always been finding an audience (or conversely, having an audience find you).

The problem is this: except for the most ego-driven or ego-protected among us, it's an unnatural position for most writers. We like working in pajamas. We don't like shaking our booties. But to sell, we must.

In 1998 I self-published online in order to get a traditional deal. I found it was something people expected me to be ashamed of. Now self-publishers are being lauded as heroes.