by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn I’m on a deadline y’all, so this is going to be brief. This deadline is for, Lord willing, my fifth published novel. I’ve been churning out words for weeks, months, okay a couple of years now, and I’ve made a few, let’s call them “observations,” regarding…

By W. Terry Whalin @terrywhalin Rejection is a reality of the writing life that no one likes. As a writer, my pitches are rejected or answered with silence. Like other writers, I also get ghosted. Besides having written many books and articles for publication, I’m working at my third publishing house…

by Maggie Wallem Rowe Last month in this space, we talked about the problem of platform – will a publisher be interested in your work without a big one? (For a refresher, click here.) But before you even begin to build a platform, you need to establish your identity as…

By W. Terry Whalin @terrywhalin Several years ago, I met a writer who had written a romance manuscript. I asked this author, “Do you read romance?” He instantly said, “No. I just write romance.” I understood his reason for writing since romance is the largest fiction genre but if you are…

by Katherine Hutchinson-Hayes, Ed.D. @khutch0767 A few months ago, I was contacted by a local disc jockey. I’d known him as a casual acquaintance through Andrew, my brother, but I was surprised when he invited me to speak at a fund-raising banquet. As we worked through the engagement’s details, I asked…

by Ane Mulligan  @AneMulligan When you are submitting a proposal to a publisher in hopes of a contract, one thing you need is two or three comparable books (more if possible). It’s a daunting task; for one thing, there won’t be another book exactly like yours. But with this list,…