Publishing

Beginnings & Endings | Characters | Children's Books | Dialogue | Scenes | Self-Publishing | Setting | Structure | Traditional Publishing | Wordcraft | Young Adult Books

New Book: Writing Young Adult Fiction
Bysteve February 22, 2018February 6, 2026

After two years of editing(!) Dani’s and my new book, Writing Young Adult Fiction, is about to be published. As one of our fans, I’d like to extend this special pre-publication offer to you: get the Kindle book for just $2.99, or get it for free when you purchase the paperback. My favorite part of the book…

Read More New Book: Writing Young Adult Fiction
Audiobooks | Self-Publishing

Audiobooks are another great way to sell your work
Bysteve February 8, 2018February 6, 2026

Every month I receive a statement showing my latest audiobook sales, and it always amazes me. When I first decided to turn several of my books into audiobooks, I did it as much for fun as in hopes of making big sales. But month after month and year after year the income keeps coming. Now…

Read More Audiobooks are another great way to sell your work
Marketing | Traditional Publishing

What Genres Do Literary Agents Want?
Bysteve November 16, 2017February 6, 2026

Since agents work on commission, they are looking for books they can sell and make money from. Those don’t necessarily match what books are the best sellers. Some very popular categories don’t sell for high contract prices, meaning less commission to the agent. Agents are looking for the high dollar contracts. If you want to…

Read More What Genres Do Literary Agents Want?
Self-Publishing

Translating Your Self-Published Book
Bysteve September 2, 2017February 6, 2026

One of the advantages of self-publishing is that you don’t have to wait for your publisher to translate your book. You can do it yourself! Translation can help open your book up to more markets, but keep in mind that your translated book will need to be promoted – just like the original. Read more:…

Read More Translating Your Self-Published Book
Publishing

Proofreading tips
Bysteve April 20, 2017February 6, 2026

Proofreading tips to help professional writers, students, or anyone that writes as part of their work day. Error free writing and typing is possible! The skill of proofreading is necessary whether you are a student, a professional writer, or someone who creates lots of office memos. No matter the context in which you are writing,…

Read More Proofreading tips
Marketing | Publishing | Self-Publishing | Traditional Publishing

A New Publisher Who Promotes Your Book
Bysteve March 28, 2017February 6, 2026

When JK Rowling first wrote Harry Potter, she couldn’t land a publishing deal. That’s right, the greatest money making book of our time was passed over repeatedly. However, it was finally accepted…not because an editor actually read it, but because one of them gave the first chapter to his eight-year-old daughter and said, “Here, you…

Read More A New Publisher Who Promotes Your Book
Classes | Publishing | Self-Publishing | Writing Tips | Young Adult Books

NaNoWriMo: Creating a Novel in 30 Days
Bysteve October 13, 2016February 6, 2026

November is National Novel Writing Month, when authors can sign up at http://nanowrimo.org and receive encouragement as they work to create a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Hundreds of my students have successfully used NaNoWriMo to complete their first draft, so it’s a valuable tool. It sounds like a lot of work, but you…

Read More NaNoWriMo: Creating a Novel in 30 Days
Children's Books | Marketing | Mysteries | Publishing | Romance | Traditional Publishing | Young Adult Books

Publishers Who Accept Unsolicited Manuscripts
Bysteve September 23, 2016February 6, 2026

I’ll try to keep this list updated. Please let me know of any good or bad experiences with these by dropping me a note at [email protected] Books for Adult Readers Baen Books Baen Books is a science fiction and fantasy publisher. It accepts unsolicited manuscripts for all books and prefers electronic submissions through its manuscript-submission…

Read More Publishers Who Accept Unsolicited Manuscripts
Publishing | Traditional Publishing | Young Adult Books

Literary Agents Representing Young Adult Fiction
Bysteve November 3, 2015February 6, 2026

Are you writing a Young Adult novel? Have you finished a Young Adult novel, and are now looking for an agent to secure a book deal and get that manuscript on to shelves? Webook.com’s AgentInbox has agents that specialize in Young Adult/Juvenile fiction. Go here to see the full list of the agents on AgentInbox. Here are a few of…

Read More Literary Agents Representing Young Adult Fiction
Marketing | Publishing | Traditional Publishing

How to Write a One-Page Synopsis
Bysteve November 3, 2015February 6, 2026

An important selling tool is the synopsis. For novels these can sometimes run many pages, but it’s also useful to have a shorter, one-page version, and it’s the primary selling tool if you are writing a screenplay. Try to aim for about 500 words. A good rule of thumb is to only name three characters…

Read More How to Write a One-Page Synopsis
Marketing | Publishing | Traditional Publishing

Query Letters and Literary Agents
Bysteve November 3, 2015February 6, 2026

This is a quick description of the query process for beginning authors. Why write a query letter? Unless you already know a literary agent, book publisher, famous author, or are extremely lucky, a query letter is your best chance to get your foot into the publishing business. What is a query letter? A query letter…

Read More Query Letters and Literary Agents
Publishing | Self-Publishing | Traditional Publishing

Print on Demand: Opportunites and Cautions
Bysteve November 3, 2015February 6, 2026

Since the original publication of this article in the early 2000s, traditional publishing has declined due to the loss of bookstores and the surge in ebooks. Print on Demand and ebooks are no longer stigmatized as they once were, and there are excellent cost-free Print on Demand services such as Amazon’s KDP. Nevertheless, caution is…

Read More Print on Demand: Opportunites and Cautions

Stay Connected