I recently completed an eight-part series answering the question “How does one go about getting a book published?” Some of my writer...

(Eighth and final in a series) Having gotten a workable idea, done the necessary research, outlined the manuscript, written the first...

(Seventh in a series) Once you’ve found several potential publishers for your book, it’s time to “pitch” it to them. By “pitch,” I mean...

(Sixth in a series) In the preceding five installments of this series, I’ve been answering the question of how one goes about getting a...

[The fifth in a series.] Congratulations! You’ve finished writing your rough draft. Now what? Ship (or e-mail) it to a publisher? Whoa!...

[The fourth in a series.] At some point in our research for our book idea, we must decided that we have gathered enough (or, more likely,...

[The second in a series.] Once an idea comes, it must be developed before it can have any prospect of becoming, by and by, a book. This...

[The first in a series.] The first step in the publication of my books was to come up with an idea in which I had a sustained interest,...

In this initial installment, I want simply to reveal the individual steps I took in the publication of my books. (Bear in mind that I am...

But there’s a different way of looking at that adage that, if followed, can actually help us accomplish more and avoid many of the...

Recently, during one of the brief lulls between ten straight days of rain showers when the sun was making a brief appearance, I was...

Signing a contract with a publisher for a new book fills an author with both exhilaration and apprehension. That’s precisely my mixed...

Ironically, I’m a doubter, especially about myself and my own abilities, so I have to constantly remind myself of the attitude expressed...

One of the most-often stated maxims of writing instruction is “Show, don’t tell.” For example, instead of telling me that a particular...

10 RULES FOR GETTING AND KEEPING READERS’ ATTENTION HAVE A MESSAGE.  “To get attention, the first golden rule is, always say something...

Happy New Year to all the readers and followers of this blog. A new year is also an opportunity to evaluate what was done in the past and...

As 2018 winds down to a close and the new year fast approaches, I’ve been doing some reflecting. Some of the reflections have been...

One of the key ingredients of both good fiction and creative nonfiction is realistic dialogue. Readers certainly know that fact. Writers...

Things notoriously often move slowly in the publishing world. Quite some time ago, I queried an editor with an article idea I had. I was...

The best writers, writing teachers often say, are avid readers, and high on their reading lists are great writers, those who stand as...