Writing a book is like jumping off a cliff. But fear not. As Ray Bradbury says, grow wings on the way down. For authors, a safe landing transforms a manuscript into a printed book. If you’re adventurous, I’m here to tell you that you can land your book by self-publishing. If you have the time, instead of paying an online “full-service book publisher,” hire several freelancers. Through networking with other authors, you can find an experienced editor, a book designer, … Read More »

A frequent question we get here at FWA is: Where can I find an agent/publisher for my book? There is an awesome *free* tool to help you not only find agents and editors, but learn the specifics of what they like and how to query them. This magical gadget is called Manuscript Wish List, and yes, it is completely free. No subscription required. Manuscript Wish List, or MSWL, acts as a search engine for agents and editors. Your quest has … Read More »

Market research is an essential step of the book creation process no matter how you publish. It is basically seeing what is already out there in the market and how your book will (or will not) fit in. Luckily for us, we live in the age of Amazon so you don’t have to spend hours at a book store picking through different titles. If you are working to be published traditionally, you will often have to list what are called … Read More »

Print on demand (POD) is a wonderful new technology that allows authors to have their books printed quickly with little upfront cost. Plus, books integrate with online retailers without any effort from the author. Woohoo! And if you thought that was great, POD also handles all the logistics for customer orders so you don’t have to go to the post office and ship books. Double woohoo! It’s never been easier to be an indie author. There are many companies that … Read More »

I’m a writer. I write about a lot of things, but my primary genre’ is middle-grade. I recently finished the first novel in what will be a series of three. It’s been proofed, edited, and it’s all shined up and ready to go. So how do I know if the time is right, if the current publishing trends are in my favor? As part of my process, I religiously search the sites listed in my Guide to Literary Agents. They … Read More »

Back in high school, I aced my writing class…and balanced it by failing art class. Years later, when wielding a pencil, I’m still at the “stick figure” level, but fortunately, the advent of technology makes beautiful art somewhat attainable. More importantly, as published authors, it’s sometimes necessary to develop marketing materials or even book covers. I’d like to share three of my favorite (and FREE) art programs with you. We’ll start with one of the most accessible: MICROSOFT POWERPOINT Say … Read More »