Are Publishers Plagued By a Public Perception Problem?
Updated: 2012-02-29 15:10:00
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW , a middle grade novel about three kids who blast off into space , break the universe , and have to find their way back home , which was published by Dial Books for Young Readers in May 2011. He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . but is now a publishing civilian working in the tech industry . He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good
As writers we are often concerned with creating characters: characters that seem realistic, characters that are likeable or that readers can at least relate to and understand their motivations. But creating characters … Read more
Is your manuscript stuck? Take a break from completing your fiction project and diagnose it. Here's how to take your manuscript into its next phase: completion. Read more
After 40 years at the same job, you are finally ready to retire. Your coworkers throw you a party with cake and ice cream. Everything is going well until the end of the celebration when they ask you to speak. Instead of using this opportunity to thank everyone, you reveal a deep, dark secret about your boss that leads to a massive food fight. Read more
Thanks to everyone who participated in my recent post and who shared the best novel writing advice you had ever received. So many great nuggets to help us navigate our way through the difficult terrain of our shared passion—writing. Here are the winners ... Read more
: WritersDigest.com Skip to content Home Writing Articles By Writing Genre Literary Fiction Young Adult Childrens Science Fiction Fantasy Short Story Essay Articles Freelance Memoir Nonfiction Mystery Thriller Romance Horror Spiritual Humor Poetry Script Writing By Writing Goal Get Published Sell Your Work Complete 1st Chapter Complete 1st Draft Build a Platform Start Blogging How to Improve Writing Skills How to Write an Article Overcoming Writer’s Block Business Legal Matters Promoting Your Work By Writing Level Haven’t Written Anything Yet At Work on First Draft Completed Multiple Manuscripts Published Author Community Forum About StoryFriday Daily Writing Prompts The WD Community Writing Groups Editor Blogs Guide to Literary Agents The Writer’s Dig There Are No Rules Questions
: , WritersDigest.com Skip to content Home Writing Articles By Writing Genre Literary Fiction Young Adult Childrens Science Fiction Fantasy Short Story Essay Articles Freelance Memoir Nonfiction Mystery Thriller Romance Horror Spiritual Humor Poetry Script Writing By Writing Goal Get Published Sell Your Work Complete 1st Chapter Complete 1st Draft Build a Platform Start Blogging How to Improve Writing Skills How to Write an Article Overcoming Writer’s Block Business Legal Matters Promoting Your Work By Writing Level Haven’t Written Anything Yet At Work on First Draft Completed Multiple Manuscripts Published Author Community Forum About StoryFriday Daily Writing Prompts The WD Community Writing Groups Editor Blogs Guide to Literary Agents The Writer’s Dig There Are No Rules Questions
We’re always excited when a new issue of Writer’s Digest hits newsstands—especially when it’s delivering something our readers have specifically been asking for. So we’re especially jazzed about this week’s release of … Read more
, , home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW , a middle grade novel about three kids who blast off into space , break the universe , and have to find their way back home , which was published by Dial Books for Young Readers in May 2011. He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . but is now a publishing civilian working in the tech industry . He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good
The Renegade Writer About Us Free Query Packet E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments Pay What You Want for the April 9 Write for Magazines E-course Ready to kick-start your freelance writing career or take it to the next level My next Write for Magazines 8-week e-course starts on Monday , April 9. The February 27 session is now closed Last session , I experimented with a Pay What You Want” pricing structure for the Basic version of the e-course with no e-mail support , with a minimum of 30. I usually charge 120, so this is a 75 discount off the usual price . I couldn’t believe what happened : Instead of having just a few people sign up for this version as usual , several dozen writers jumped on . board Several of
WritersDigest.com Skip to content Home Writing Articles By Writing Genre Literary Fiction Young Adult Childrens Science Fiction Fantasy Short Story Essay Articles Freelance Memoir Nonfiction Mystery Thriller Romance Horror Spiritual Humor Poetry Script Writing By Writing Goal Get Published Sell Your Work Complete 1st Chapter Complete 1st Draft Build a Platform Start Blogging How to Improve Writing Skills How to Write an Article Overcoming Writer’s Block Business Legal Matters Promoting Your Work By Writing Level Haven’t Written Anything Yet At Work on First Draft Completed Multiple Manuscripts Published Author Community Forum About StoryFriday Daily Writing Prompts The WD Community Writing Groups Editor Blogs Guide to Literary Agents The Writer’s Dig There Are No Rules Questions Quandaries
I know this blog is mostly about agents and book stuff, but one area of writing I’ve always been active in is article writing. If you’ve never tried to sell articles or columns, you should. It’s a great way to make money, get publication credits, and build your platform. That’s why WD Managing Editor Zachary Petit and I are teaching the awesome webinar, "Sell Freelance Articles," on Thursday, March 1, 2012. Read more
: Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Sunday , February 26, 2012 Great interactive fiction on Youtube So this is what Lord Fear's been doing since Knightmare . ended Hi all I've made a vlog which offers a small sample of the interactive videos that you can find on Youtube . I'd like to thank Sam Richards of Tweet RPG fame for introducing me to The Dark Room by comedian John Robertson This led me on a hunt for other interactive Youtube videos . I found a few and you can hear all about my searches from my vlog found below . Have a good week everybody Posted by Stuart Lloyd at 12:01 AM Email This BlogThis Share to Twitter Share to Facebook 0 comments : Post a Comment Older Post Home Subscribe to : Post
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW , a middle grade novel about three kids who blast off into space , break the universe , and have to find their way back home , which was published by Dial Books for Young Readers in May 2011. He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . but is now a publishing civilian working in the tech industry . He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good
: : , . Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Friday , February 24, 2012 Yes I've finally sold out or : It used to be all about the music , man . I've made some changes to the blog today I've added a poll , an email subscription link and my April A to Z picture . I intend to do it again as it was a great way to look at lots of new blogs . I was blog 714 to sign up so there's a lot to look . at I've also added an ad . Yes , I'm monetizing . I didn't want to for a while as I just wanted to sell gamebooks but , in my endless quest to listen to every podcast ever made , I stumbled across Pat Flynn's blog and podcast called Smart Passive Income His podcast and blog have given me some great ideas and tips for
Every week, I spelunk into the Writer’s Digest archives to find the wisest, funniest, or downright strangest moments from our 92 years of publication. Today, from August 1967, are highlights of a love letter to … Read more
I was completely incensed to read Yahoo’s categorization of technical writing as the #1 laid-back career. In 5 Low-Stress Career Options, the writer makes the ridiculous claim that technical writing isn’t just a low-stress job, but is apparently the #1 lowest-stress job of any career in America! Laid-back Career #1: Technical Writer Technical writers often write articles, manuals, and instruction booklets on a variety of topics, including ... more »
The Renegade Writer About Us Free Query Packet E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments 7 Excuses to Stay in Touch with Editors and Clients A mentoring client recently told me she was going on vacation and was wondering if being unavailable for a month would hurt her . career Au contraire I think a vacation is a great excuse to keep in touch with your editors . Whenever I go away , I e-mail all my editors beforehand even ones I haven’t worked with in a while , or editors who I’ve built a relationship with but haven’t written for yet to tell them I’ll be away and unavailable for assignments between dates X and . Y Then , when I get back , I e-mail them all again to let them know I’m back and ready for more work if
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW , a middle grade novel about three kids who blast off into space , break the universe , and have to find their way back home , which was published by Dial Books for Young Readers in May 2011. He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . but is now a publishing civilian working in the tech industry . He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good
We've all received writing advice at some point in our lives. Whether it was a high school English teacher who suggested we cut back on using passive voice, a conference presenter who recommended abandoning our prologue, or a roommate who told us to never give up (and to, perhaps, get a second job in order to help pay the rent). The best pieces of writing advice stick with us and make us better writers, so it's important we share that with others—after all, writers need to stick together. Read more
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW , a middle grade novel about three kids who blast off into space , break the universe , and have to find their way back home , which was published by Dial Books for Young Readers in May 2011. He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . but is now a publishing civilian working in the tech industry . He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good
For this week’s prompt, write a risk poem. That is, write a poem in which either the narrator, a character, or whatever takes a risk, or in which risk is involved. For … Read more
I just got back from a 4 mile jog up and down the night sidewalks of my city. I’m not much of a jogger, but after a day of sledding, parenting, traveling, cooking, and changing baby diapers, I needed to get out for an hour on my own. It’s relatively cold in Utah at night. About 34 degrees right now, so I wear a balaclava ... more »
To create a marketable product—in this case, a salable manuscript—you need to follow these five steps. Although they may seem obvious, many writers ignore them. Read more
The Renegade Writer About Us Free Query Packet E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments Are You Making This Idea Generation Mistake That’s Costing You Assignments In my Write for Magazines e-course I once had a student who was in a wheelchair , and one of the ideas she generated was about how people should treat the disabled : the common mistakes people make , why they shouldn’t make them , and what to do . instead Her second idea was about the subway commuter who saved an epileptic man a few years ago by hauling him off a subway track in front of an oncoming train . Her premise was that this man shouldn’t be treated as a hero because he didn’t know how to help someone with epilepsy and stuck his wallet in the man’s
About Kat: Kat Salazar joined Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents in February 2011 as an intern for the agency working directly for agency co-founder Elizabeth Pomada. Previously she worked for University of Washington Press as a Marketing Assistant and held internships at University of California Press, HarperOne of Harper Collins, and Wales Literary Agency.
She is seeking: Kat is actively looking for young adult, middle grade, and children's picture books. For adult audiences, she is interested in literary fiction and urban fantasy. Read more
I just got back from the 2012 San Francisco Writers Conference over Presidents' Day Weekend, and the event was fantastic. The SFWC, which is co-sponsored by WD, is famous for its number of agents, editors and authors who attend. The San Fran area is rich with writing talent, and the SFWC brings in a lot of area speakers. If you live anywhere in the area, I seriously recommend checking out the event for 2013. Read more
A while ago I tweeted about how poor I am with email. I’ve tried various methods. I tried automatically filtering all the non-essential email into subfolders, but as some commenters pointed out, I soon never checked these subfolders. I tried unsubscribing from everything, but this seemed an impossible task. Then Will Sansbury recommended that I try The Email Game, and I actually love it. The Email Game ... more »
A week ago, I explained the quatern. It’s a fun form that includes a refrain but not too many rules beyond that. (Click here to learn more about the quatern.) Anyway, I … Read more
Wonder how to get a literary agent? Read onto learn from publishers and editors who share how to land a literary agent, and secrets about the publishing process. Read more
Are "since" and "because" interchangeable or is there a difference between them? This quick explanation will help you put this hot-button issue to rest once and for all. Read more
: : Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Sunday , February 19, 2012 My experiences of the Fool God or : Why I didn't finish writing a book when I'd finished the writing I was very glad to have finally published a gamebook . Temple of the Fool God contained a lot of firsts for me first use of the Tunnels and Trolls system , first gamebook with art and my first gamebook that I published on RPGNow It was also the first book where I realised that once the writing is over , there is still a lot more of stuff to do with a book . Stuff I used to consider to be less fun than the writing but still needs to be done as it is very important such as proof reading , formatting , playtesting , inserting hyperlinks and
A couple of weeks ago I gave an STC webinar called Designing Quick Reference Guides. This was a general STC webinar, and usually I am not allowed to repost the recording, but due to some audio difficulties, I had to re-record it, and the STC gave me permission to post the re-recording. Here are the files to watch or download the webinar: Webinar recording | ... more »
I recently gave a presentation to the Southwestern Ontario STC chapter called Organizing Help Content: Breaking Out of Topic-Based Hierarchies. Here’s a recording of the presentation: Webinar recording Slides only Audio only
, WritersDigest.com Skip to content Home Writing Articles By Writing Genre Literary Fiction Young Adult Childrens Science Fiction Fantasy Short Story Essay Articles Freelance Memoir Nonfiction Mystery Thriller Romance Horror Spiritual Humor Poetry Script Writing By Writing Goal Get Published Sell Your Work Complete 1st Chapter Complete 1st Draft Build a Platform Start Blogging How to Improve Writing Skills How to Write an Article Overcoming Writer’s Block Business Legal Matters Promoting Your Work By Writing Level Haven’t Written Anything Yet At Work on First Draft Completed Multiple Manuscripts Published Author Community Forum About StoryFriday Daily Writing Prompts The WD Community Writing Groups Editor Blogs Guide to Literary Agents The Writer’s Dig There Are No Rules Questions
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW , a middle grade novel about three kids who blast off into space , break the universe , and have to find their way back home , which was published by Dial Books for Young Readers in May 2011. He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . but is now a publishing civilian working in the tech industry . He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good
: The Renegade Writer About Us Free Query Packet E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments Query That Rocked for Women’s Health : Worried Sick” This is a query I wrote for Women’s Health . I called it Re-Tox Your Life , 8221 and the editor changed it to the much better Worried Sick . 8221 I had written for Women’s Health a few times before but not for this editor , so I included a credentials paragraph that mentioned my WH articles plus a few other relevant publications I’ve written . for Notice how I used my personal experience to spin off a reported essay idea . Is there something that’s bugging you Did you recently go through a harrowing interesting exciting experience If so , turn it into an article idea The
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW , a middle grade novel about three kids who blast off into space , break the universe , and have to find their way back home , which was published by Dial Books for Young Readers in May 2011. He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . but is now a publishing civilian working in the tech industry . He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW , a middle grade novel about three kids who blast off into space , break the universe , and have to find their way back home , which was published by Dial Books for Young Readers in May 2011. He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . but is now a publishing civilian working in the tech industry . He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good
The Renegade Writer About Us Free Query Packet E-Courses E-Books Phone Mentoring Query Critiques Free Teleclasses Guest Posting Contact Us Tweet Jump to Comments 8 Ways to Find Accountability as a Freelance Writer This is a guest post by Steph . Auteri How many of you are wearing slippers right now Let me get a show of hands . How many of you rolled out of bed at 9 a.m . or later How many of you are nursing your first cup of coffee , torn between writing that blog post , playing Spider Solitaire , or seeing what’s on the DVR queue Me . When I first started freelancing full-time , I struggled with my motivation levels . I wore fuzzy , Cookie Monster pajama pants 24 7. I watched all-day America’s Next Top Model marathons and , when it came to a decision between Spider Solitaire and work ,
: Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Sunday , February 12, 2012 Trickster races in RPGs and gamebooks Kender Is defeating evil going to be fun , Fizban The Kender are a race of short humanoids in the Dragonlance series of novels . They are all basically kleptomaniac , hyperactive children and they are seen as little more than a nuisance . However , these qualities can still help a kender become a great hero as Tasslehoff Burrfoot has shown . His lack of fear , insatiable curiosity and ability to borrow' things made him pivotal in saving Krynn from all kinds of dark fates from Evil Wizards to Gods Elvins Elvins are mischevious and vicious little creatures which you may come across while trying to
For someone who has the job of “technical writer,” I spend very little time writing. It amazes me how quickly the day fills up with non-writing tasks. Meetings, reports, issues — they seem to surface again and again at work, requiring my attention. I sometimes try timing myself and find that if I can get in three hours of writing during the day, that’s good. ... more »
Last year I worked on a news article that showcased certain technologies at my work. The news article was an assignment, the kickoff of a series of articles. I worked especially hard on it, as it was the first one to introduce the series. I came up with a sensible structure, gathered interesting facts and information, and then meticulously crafted the content. I structured the information ... more »
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW , a middle grade novel about three kids who blast off into space , break the universe , and have to find their way back home , which was published by Dial Books for Young Readers in May 2011. He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . but is now a publishing civilian working in the tech industry . He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good
, home Blog About Forums Nathan Bransford San Francisco , CA United States Nathan Bransford is the author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW , a middle grade novel about three kids who blast off into space , break the universe , and have to find their way back home , which was published by Dial Books for Young Readers in May 2011. He was formerly a literary agent with Curtis Brown Ltd . but is now a publishing civilian working in the tech industry . He lives in San Francisco . View my Complete Profile Contact Me Blog Directory Directory of All Posts Publishing Essentials How to Write a Novel How to Edit a Novel How the Publishing Process Works What Do Literary Agents Do How to Find a Literary Agent How to Write a Query Letter The Basic Query Letter Formula Examples of Good
: Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Thursday , February 2, 2012 More online gamebooky goodness Good evening to you all I hope you are well . Well this will make things even better . Here's the first good thing . In case you didn't know , the Chronicles of Arborell website runs a gamebook competition every year where people get to enter short gamebooks to be judged . I always enjoy reading the excellent entries . This year , I especially enjoyed Peledgathol , the Last Fortress , written by Ashton Saylor who also wrote The Gates of Heaven and Hell in the previous year . Well , Ashton has put his gamebooks on his blog and , in addition to his Windhammer entries , there are two more , as yet unseen
: Lloyd of Gamebooks A blog about writing gamebooks . My musings on how to write a gamebook and what makes a good . gamebook Wednesday , February 1, 2012 My rules for Tunnels and Trolls solos I enjoyed writing my first Tunnels and Trolls solo very much and I would like to write another one . However , I also want to incorporate as many of the game rules as possible into my solo . for example , it is very hard to accommodate both wizards and warriors in a solo . These rules below are my attempt to incorporate more options into TnT solo adventures . Please comment on . them Stuart Lloyd’s house rules when playing a TnT solo Talents Below is a list of talents that may be used in TnT solo adventures written by me . nbsp You may add the bonus of any talent you have when making a saving throw if