Perspective, guidance, and success stories to help writers of all genres break into print and successfully publish your first book.

PATHS TO PUBLISHING: A Decision Guide on Traditional and Independent Publishing Options for 2024

[by Ross Browne and John Robert Marlow]

Publishing has changed a lot in the 43 years since The Editorial Department opened its doors—and not necessarily for the better, in the eyes of many. But it’s nonetheless an exciting time to be a writer, in large part because when it comes to getting published, you have more […]

By |2024-02-12T17:44:54+00:00January 1st, 2024|Industry Insights|Comments Off on PATHS TO PUBLISHING: A Decision Guide on Traditional and Independent Publishing Options for 2024

EDITOR’S EAVESDROP: Award-Winning Bestselling Author Joe Ide Dishes Truth on Getting Traditionally Published (And making a living as a novelist!)

[by Ross Browne]

Joe Ide is a brilliant, critically acclaimed author. He also turns out to be a refreshingly straight shooter on what aspiring writers need to know about the business of publishing and how to maximize their chances of making a successful career out […]

By |2024-01-06T22:51:11+00:00|Getting Published|Comments Off on EDITOR’S EAVESDROP: Award-Winning Bestselling Author Joe Ide Dishes Truth on Getting Traditionally Published (And making a living as a novelist!)

SO WHO’S IT WRITTEN FOR? Distinguishing the Differences Between Young Adult and Middle Grade

[by Sean Fletcher]

It happens more often than you think. A budding (or seasoned) writer approaches me for an edit on what they believe to be a work of middle grade, only for me to tell them that their 100,000-word fantasy about a 17-year-old discovering their identity among a totalitarian regime would fit better as a young […]

By |2024-01-06T22:47:01+00:00February 18th, 2022|Industry Insights|Comments Off on SO WHO’S IT WRITTEN FOR? Distinguishing the Differences Between Young Adult and Middle Grade

Considering The Lessons of Eight Bestselling Series in Crime Fiction What authors can learn from John Sandford, Lee Child, CJ Box, and others about how to cultivate a loyal readership

[by Ross Browne]

One piece of advice authors who write popular fiction often hear is that your odds of landing an agent and a traditional publishing deal can improve considerably when your novel is conceived as (or has the potential to work as) a series. This should come as no surprise to anyone who enjoys settling down […]

By |2024-01-20T17:37:19+00:00|Getting Published|Comments Off on Considering The Lessons of Eight Bestselling Series in Crime Fiction What authors can learn from John Sandford, Lee Child, CJ Box, and others about how to cultivate a loyal readership

Evaluating Nonfiction: A Nonfiction Editor Shares His Perspective What can set your nonfiction manuscript up for success ... or doom it to the reject pile

[by Peter Gelfan]

Fiction lives or dies by the author’s storytelling and writing skills (and perseverance and some luck). For nonfiction, then, one might assume that likewise, an interesting topic well elucidated will do the job. However, the publishing industry and readers regard nonfiction a bit differently.

One reason to hire a nonfiction editor is to make sure […]

By |2024-01-23T19:19:56+00:00|The Editor’s Craft and Process|Comments Off on Evaluating Nonfiction: A Nonfiction Editor Shares His Perspective What can set your nonfiction manuscript up for success ... or doom it to the reject pile

Query Do, Query Don’t No need to ask. Here are ten tips literary agent Kate Johnson wants you to remember.

I’ve recently worked through a post-holiday backlog of submissions, and stumbled on some recurring themes and – naturally – some recurring pet peeves. Agents are as diverse in their taste for query letters as they are in their tastes for reading material, so please know my advice comes from personal preference. But I hope these rules will […]

By |2024-02-09T17:03:42+00:00|Ask an Agent|Comments Off on Query Do, Query Don’t No need to ask. Here are ten tips literary agent Kate Johnson wants you to remember.
Go to Top