I enjoyed having lunch with a new writer friend. As we progressed in the lunch, I asked her what her goals for her writing were, especially since she quit her job to freelance full time. She had some goals, but I […]

I’ve told this story before, but not in the context that I’ll tell it today. What do you do when you’ve received a harsh critique? Give up? Take it to heart? Weigh it? Figure it out? Keep plugging away? Here’ […]

Each month, we feature a member of the NAIWE Board of Experts on a topic that is designed to help you grow in your field. Our experts are successful full-time publishing professionals, and they impart a lot of […]

The baggage I’ll write about today isn’t that negative psychological baggage we all carry with us: regrets, guilt, shame, and the like. I’m referring to the things we actually need to lug with us if we are to su […]

I’m an expert. I have six books under my writerly belt and can throw my marketing girth out there for all to see and admire. Why can I say this? Because I received my first royalty check—that I promptly spent on […]

In the land of fairy times, in the anon time before I understood the publishing biz, I held this cherished belief that publishers knew everything, were perfectly consistent, and had universal opinions about each […]

Like the nerd I am, today I read through my latest issue of The Costco Connection. On page 11, I found this quote from Brian Tracy, the chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a training and personal […]

Poynter has a regularly updated post up about newsroom layoffs, furloughs and closures. To me, it’s hard to watch all the publications and professionals being impacted by the pandemic. I wonder how the pan […]

Hello, everyone. I took off from blogging on Independence Day weekend. I apologize for not announcing this in advance.

I have had my editing business for two and a half years now (it will be three years in […]

I have all the answers you seek, young Padawan. (Advanced apologies for those of you who don’t like Star Wars.)

Platform:

Speak to as many people as you can (The clone wars come to mind. . . . Millions is p […]

Yes and no, but here’s the real judge and jury

“I just want to know if my writing is any good,” my authors often say. I am a nonfiction book editor.

Aha. The fear factor.

Author Anne Lamott and other […]

Seasoned and nubile writers scribble notes while the lecturer shares her publishing expertise. Both a magazine editor and a creative writing professor, Sandra Glahn teaches the workshop “The View from the E […]

May this piece be a blessing to those of you who want to deepen your stories.

While I prefer to have a life like a maple tree in spring — full of promise, growth, and branches that reach for the sky in g […]

I’ll never forget the day I interviewed Patrick Dempsey. I’ve always been a fan of his, and seeing him soar to fandom thanks to Grey’s Anatomy was the icing on the cake. I couldn’t believe I was going to speak t […]

NAIWE’s Grammar Expert John E. McIntyre has not gone around the bend. Let me explain.

Usually someone talking about “correct” English imagines that one form of English, the dialect we identify as standard Engli […]

We wanted to get to know Brian Schwartz (NAIWE’s Self-Publishing Expert) better, so last month we sat down with him. Here are some thoughts he shared with us.

What makes a good review?

A good review helps […]

Marketing Schmarketing! It’s the portion of my writing life that I estimate will take a little bit of time, when in reality, it takes quite a bit.

When my friends were raising support, they heard an i […]

On Sunday, I listened to some amazing podcasts about the music industry and how it had to morph and change in light of Napster and the digital sharing age.

I tend to gravitate toward the idea of tribes, of […]

Recently I received an email from a long-lost acquaintance who decided it was time to write a book. He asked me if I could give him contacts in the publishing industry, including my agent. In his letter, he proved […]