By: Melissa Parks

If I wasn’t speeding down the expressway already late for my appointment, I would have jotted down this scene from a podcast I was listening to. 
 
It would make for a great detail in...

Most authors want to publish their book. And to share their story with the world they have to publicize it. But publicity is murky. Sometimes difficult to navigate. You might find yourself asking, ...

“Do I need to build a platform?”

The short answer: yes. Publishers and agents want you to have a platform so that you can sell your book. But what exactly is a platform?

Platform is a fancy word ...

 “What do you look for in a manuscript?”

It’s a question every literary agent hears hundreds of times throughout their careers. And it’s the golden question writers want an answer to.

But answers...

"Why do I need to build a platform?”

From literary agents who want to know about your platform activity in the query letter, to publishers who want to see your book marketing plan, building a plat...

“Four hundred vertical feet above, where the summit was still washed in bright sunlight under an immaculate cobalt sky, my compadres dallied to memorialize their arrival at the apex of the planet, unf...

What is a query letter? And what should you include in a query letter?

A query letter convinces a literary agent to read your work. Think of it as a sales piece. It’s your first (and sometimes you...

How do you start your memoir?

Some people just start telling stories from their life.

That’s one way. But it’s shortsighted.

A memoir, like all books, requires a strong idea—a thesis—that gover...

“How do I know if my manuscript is ready for submission?”

You might never know fully. But careful review of your manuscript can get it closer to being publishing-ready.

Reviewing your manuscript...

“Is traditional publishing for me?”

It’s a question all writers ask at some point in their journey. And the answer depends on each individual. We interviewed Jamie Weiner, author of The Quest for ...

“Is my idea any good?” “Is this idea good enough for a book?”

At the heart of the creative journey is a good idea. And we all want to know if our idea is good enough for a book. But we have a fear...

“Life isn’t a support-system for art. It’s the other way around” (King, 101).

Stephen King’s On Writing chronicles King’s life from adolescence to his late fifties. This memoir provides insight to hi...