A developmental editor can help a writer find ways to add greater depth and stronger identity to characters in a story. One approach combines two characters into one more complex and diverse individual, or instead, may split apart one character into two separate individuals, each … [Read more...]
The blog for writers
The Book Deal
Secrets of writing good dialogue
Writers I work with occasionally forget about dialogue entirely, summarizing the action in a stilted “told to” style, while others write quote after quote, in a voice that sounds all the same, often coincidentally like the author’s own. I have a few tips for all such folks: Read out loud and … [Read more...]
Hidden agendas: primary sources & writing biography
I was interviewed last week for yet another book about the early days of Rolling Stone Magazine. This marks the latest of nearly a dozen long interviews over the years as a primary source for writers on the founding and initial development of what was then a startup with grandiose ambitions, … [Read more...]
Build your author platform: 10 tips from a pro
As an acquiring editor, one of the first things I look for in an author's proposal is the "platform", that is, the writer's reputation and public visibility – and the ability, willingness, and experience to promote themselves in the marketplace. What we publishers all hope for when opening a … [Read more...]
Print-on-demand book boom: up astounding 514%
W ho says print is dead? The book industry reported a colossal 514 percent surge last year in print-on-demand titles, giving a much needed boost to traditional publishing which was flat overall in numbers of books produced in 2007. Print on demand (POD) is a digital technology and business model … [Read more...]
Emerging novelist a Starbucks hit: Q&A with the author
Garth Stein's new book The Art of Racing in the Rain posted extraordinary sales of 15,215 copies the first week out. Of these, 3,515 flew out the door of retail bookstores, 2,217 were ordered on Amazon, and a whopping 9,483 sold at Starbucks stores throughout the country. The relatively unknown … [Read more...]
Book Launch 2.0 video goes viral
Don’t miss this laugh-out-loud piece of brilliant parody. Author Dennis Cass has created exactly what every publisher dreams of: a self-produced video that’s approaching 20,000 hits on YouTube. Hope it kick-starts a long-lasting spike of flow-through cash register sales on Nielson’s BookScan for … [Read more...]
How to cover an election
Has there ever been a better time to read about Presidential politics or more to demand our attention every day? It’s a constant roller coaster, with minute-by-minute reports 24/7: “Hillary’s up; Obama’s down… Hillary’s down; Obama’s up… McCain is getting a free ride; McCain is putting his foot in … [Read more...]
Guts Ball: Editing Hunter Thompson, part one
Hunter S. Thompson The first time I met Hunter Thompson he handed me a quiver of four-foot roman candles and said “Hold this.” I did and he lit them. We were in Palm Springs, standing poolside at an ultra private estate, there for a Rolling Stone Magazine board meeting. Hunter had just secretly … [Read more...]
Wait! Before you start writing that novel…
B efore you go off and waste months and even years on 400 pages that took a bad turn and went down the wrong path, first make an outline. That's right, make an outline! I usually hear a lot of grumbling when I suggest this to aspiring writers. "Are you joking? What about inspiration, free … [Read more...]