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Publishing

The Writer's Poison

Joelle Fraser | Posted 05.22.2013 | Books
Joelle Fraser

I shared the disillusionment that comes from watching your Amazon sales rank ebb and flow, then ebb again. I'd also tasted the same bittersweetness of the mixed review.

A Conference Organizer's Advice to Writers: Write Better

Karen Dionne | Posted 05.21.2013 | Books
Karen Dionne

I'm not talking here about the mechanics of writing, though craftsmanship is important. Like a clock, a novel has many moving parts--pace, momentum, tension, plot, characterization, story arc, character arcs--and they all need to work perfectly together.

When You Finish Your Novel, What Then?

Holly Robinson | Posted 05.20.2013 | Books
Holly Robinson

What is it like to finish a novel? The first time you do it, you feel utter euphoria, and you should. Unfortunately, what follows isn't always instant acceptance by an agent, an editor, or even your beta readers and friends.

What Is It About a Bookstore?

Kimberlie I. Leon | Posted 05.17.2013 | Books
Kimberlie I. Leon

Where are book lovers gathering these days with less and less bookstores around? And where will they gather in years to come as technology continues to change the way we live?

How to Handle Rejection With Grace and Aplomb

Linda Howard Urbach | Posted 05.15.2013 | Comedy
Linda Howard Urbach

Dear Big Chance Book Awards: My question is, why didn't I even make the semi-final list of over 8,0000 aspiring writers? Are you kidding me? I want my entry fee refunded or I'll report you to the Attorney General. Yours, sincerely, etc. etc.

Virginia Pye, First Time Novelist, on Writing, Writers Conferences, and How to Get Your Book Published

David Henry Sterry | Posted 05.07.2013 | Books
David Henry Sterry

When we first met Virginia Pye three years ago, she'd been writing and rewriting a novel for a very long time.

The Gender Coverup

Maureen Johnson | Posted 05.07.2013 | Books
Maureen Johnson

If you are a female author, you are much more likely to get a package that suggests the book is of a lower perceived quality. We're the high fructose corn syrup of literature, even when our products are the same.

An Author's Guide to Publishing

Brenda Peterson | Posted 05.03.2013 | Books
Brenda Peterson

After publishing 17 books traditionally -- from Knopf to Penguin to W.W. Norton -- I decided to explore what my New York literary agent calls "the great experiment" of indie publication. Even for a technophile, indie publishing was a high learning curve.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Founder Chris Baty on Writing, Writers, Doing & Dreaming

David Henry Sterry | Posted 04.29.2013 | Books
David Henry Sterry

We watched as he built this strange, beautiful community of lunatics and dreamers who, every November, write a 50,000 word book in 30 days. NaNoWriMo, as it's called, now has hundreds of thousands of participants all over the world, writing writing writing.

Fifty Shades of Grey: The New Publishing Paradigm

Bethany Sales | Posted 04.18.2013 | Books
Bethany Sales

Post-Fifty Shades, the new publishing paradigm is clear: do it well yourself, and then have a traditional publisher do it better.

6 Steps to Achieving a Writer's Dreams

Terri Giuliano Long | Posted 04.18.2013 | Books
Terri Giuliano Long

These six steps will help you to crystalize your needs, your hopes, and your dreams, and give you the tools to help you achieve them.

To (All) the Publishers That Rejected Me or on Behalf of All My Unpublished Writer Friends, When the Chapbook Isn't Enough

Michele Serros | Posted 04.17.2013 | Comedy
Michele Serros

To those of you shocked that I take for granted the wonderful gifts I have been afforded as a latina from a working-class background with years of rejection slips and not privy to an ounce of nepotism, I say shhhh -- Girls is on.

Why Is Barnes & Noble Still Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight?

Michael_Levin | Posted 04.13.2013 | Books
Michael_Levin

Barnes & Noble is fighting the good fight, but it looks like it may be going down big time.

5 Seconds to Better Looking Documents: Get Un-centered

Spencer Critchley | Posted 03.28.2013 | Business
Spencer Critchley

In five seconds, you will be creating better-looking documents: Five, four, three, two -- Stop centering your text! -- One. There, now your documen...

A Letter to the Author You're About to Become

Wendy Francis | Posted 04.11.2013 | Books
Wendy Francis

You're thinking of taking that leap, where you can sit calmly with your cup of tea, look out your writer's window, and craft one beautiful sentence after another. Well, here are some things to bear in mind before you do.

Why Does Slate Hate Cat Lovers (at Least the Female Ones)?

Gwen Cooper | Posted 04.09.2013 | Books
Gwen Cooper

"The Curious Incidence of Dogs in Publishing" draws a series of conclusions ranging from the speculative and unsupported to the downright sexist -- although I will give credit for having found new and inventive ways of hammering the old "women with cats haz the sads!" canard.

Women's History Month Spotlight: Advice From the 19th Century, on Loneliness and Doubt, Horses, Vacuum Cleaners and the Nature of Time

Carole DeSanti | Posted 03.28.2013 | Books
Carole DeSanti

In honor of women's history month and to celebrate the paperback publication of The Unruly Passions of EugƩnie R., I arranged an interview with EugƩnie R. herself (heretofore known only as my fictional character) to find out how this 19th century woman feels about our 21st century world.

Respectful Love

Lawrence D. Elliott | Posted 03.27.2013 | Impact
Lawrence D. Elliott

If you ever saw her on the street, the words glamour, class, and style would immediately come to mind. Her sunny smile would brighten up the most cloudy and gloomy day.

Simon & Schuster vs. Barnes & Noble

Terence Clarke | Posted 03.25.2013 | Books
Terence Clarke

The current dispute between the book retailer Barnes & Noble and the publisher Simon & Schuster has caused much handwringing and worry. But the dispute is one that has visited all changing industries fighting a rear-guard action against newer, more visionary competition.

A Brief History of Book Vending Machines

John Geoghegan | Posted 03.25.2013 | Books
John Geoghegan

2013-03-25-Screenshot20130325at2.50.21PM.jpgAlthough vending machines have long been considered acceptable for newspapers, they've never really caught on where books are concerned.

Are You Ignoring The Signs In Your Life?

Judith Natelli McLaughlin | Posted 05.19.2013 | Fifty
Judith Natelli McLaughlin

Pay attention to the signs. Both the physical ones that keep you out of the motor vehicle line meant for folks who have seven forms of identification when you only have two, and the subtle ones that help you remember your loved ones, tell you to slow down or beg you to follow your dreams.

Caroline Leavitt, Best-selling Author, On Overcoming Nasty Writing Teachers, How to Write a Bestseller and Never Giving Up

David Henry Sterry | Posted 05.18.2013 | Books
David Henry Sterry

We first met Caroline Leavitt at the Miami Book Festival. Not only is she an incredibly accomplished novelist, she's also a crackerjack human being. So we decided to take a little peek into her world and see what makes Caroline Leavitt tick.

Ayana Mathis, Author of the Bestselling Novel The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, on How She Reacted When Oprah Winfrey Called

Brad Listi | Posted 05.18.2013 | Books
Brad Listi

Here's an excerpt from Episode 157, my conversation with Ayana Mathis, author of the bestselling novel The Twelve Tribes of Hattie. It was hand-selected by Oprah Winfrey as an official pick of Oprah's Book Club 2.0.

Los Angeles Times Backtracks on Removing TV Listings: Sometimes Making Media Noise Has an Effect

Michael Russnow | Posted 05.18.2013 | Los Angeles
Michael Russnow

It was pretty evident that at the end of that time frame we would have to pay to have the convenience of a TV schedule at our fingertips, rather than running to our computer to see what was on the tube.

Lenore Zion, Novelist and Sex Therapist, on How a Wild Night in High School Helped to Inspire Her New Book, Stupid Children

Brad Listi | Posted 05.11.2013 | Books
Brad Listi

Here's an excerpt from Episode 155, my conversation with Lenore Zion, an author who also works as a sex therapist.