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My books are published with a small press with three imprints under their umbrella. They are recognized by the major writers’ organizations as a very credible press, with the one most important to me being the Mystery Writers of America. And before you ask who, just know that they are not taking on new authors […]

Literary agents have an important role to play, but the agent route is not for every writer. As I look back on over a decade of work as a lone writer and journalist, there’s a fair amount of advice about how I’ve managed without one. Here’s how to steer your literary career forward (without an […]

I know, I know. How many times do we see this in blog posts? I usually delete them as if they carried COVID, but between Jane Friedman’s post in The Hot Sheet (subscription only ) and Penny Sansevieri’s in A Marketing Expert, I figured it time to say something about the direction the publishing industry is leaning. I […]

Most writers want to know if there is a magic formula to getting published in any capacity, and most published writers will tell you that there isn’t one. The only way to get published is to continuously send your work out there. The trick is to figure out the “continuous” part. As a working writer, […]

Most authors and writers, we’re talking both in this piece, think that pitching is a 12-month, year-round activity when it is not. Whether talking contests, book publishers, or magazines, there is a bit of a science in the process, and if you want to improve your odds in this profession known for its high odds, […]

While a journalistic interview seems like a chummy experience at first glance, it can often be a complicated dance. The interviewer has to build rapport and keep the subject engaged in conversation while also keeping in mind that the person you are talking to isn’t your customer or boss. As someone who has worked most […]

Tomorrow is my birthday. I’m in my sixth decade, and as I sit here at the computer wondering how to define this point in my life, I realize I’m okay with it all. First of all, I have family. My heart goes out to those missing theirs, and I see on Facebook several of my […]

We aren’t at the point—and I don’t want to reach it—where “miracle” AI software writes our stories for us, and we passively absorb them. Sure, AI can output all sorts of text from prompts and prodding, but the human touch remains essential in story shaping. But some writing software performs brawny labors to structure book-length […]

Call them bad guys or villains or antagonists, you need them in just about every genre that exists if you want an interesting story. Even nonfiction merits an opposition. For a story to capture readers, it needs adversity. And the bad side has to be every bit as devoted to winning as the good side, […]

At some point, every writer loses an important file. If you’re lucky, it will be only one file. However, if your computer dies, gets hacked, or falls from a great height, you want to make sure you don’t lose your life’s work. The first time I had a computer die on me, the computer repair […]

I received this email from a new FundsforWriters reader. I have paraphrased it a little bit to avoid showing her history. <<First, I love your site. I can’t wait to continue exploring all of the valuable information that you have. I am a new writer not yet published. I have read so much material (books, […]

“You should write about your experiences growing up in a haunted house.” Those were my sister’s words. “You experienced the paranormal more than the rest of us.” She never believed I’d seen the ghost, yet, she saw the value in the story. While I pondered her words, I continued writing my other creative nonfiction – […]