"When contemplating other ways to grow my audience and my leadership consulting business, I decided to give in-person networking a try. ... I like making local, in-person connections. But deep down I’ve been wondering. Is it also avoidance?" @blairglaser.bsky.social discusses the struggle.

For nonfiction writers: Five primary strategies help move people toward transformation. Implementing one or more of these strategies as you write your book increases your readers’ likelihood of achieving transformation (and thus recommending your book!). Insight from @ninaamir.bsky.social.

The following is a roundup of new publishers and agents announced in 2025—free to all. Want to be notified every week of new publishers and agents? Sign up for my newsletter The Bottom Line (free version works as well as the paid version for this purpose). See comments for sign-up link.

For authors focused on building their platform this year: You'll want to browse this trend forecast so you're better prepared for potential changes. Insight from Lacy Phillips, social media coordinator for P.S. Literary Agency: janefriedman.com/watch-for-th...

Your book and your target market are not fixed. Just as startups “pivot,” your book will change as you write it, and your market will come into focus as you discover what’s out there. Insight from @petemillspaugh.com.

What I will remember most about 2025: the Anthropic settlement, the growth of AI narration, the closure of 8th Note Press, and what seems like widespread acceptance or acknowledgment that book criticism/reviews/mainstream coverage has forever changed.

Think of scene building like creating a storyboard: frame by frame, you decide what the reader must see, feel, and understand. Instead of letting the scene meander, you build toward the decisive high moment and character change one “segment” at a time. Insight from C.S. Lakin.

No two human reactions look the same, and none of them resemble the neat “adrenaline surge” we often see in fiction. Learn about the four major stress responses—fight, flight, freeze, fawn—to reveal your character’s emotional architecture. Insight from nurse and editor Sarah Brinley.

Writing advice often consists of principles like: keep up the forward momentum, make your point efficiently, get in and get out of a scene. Yes, and...don't forget your characters experience happiness, too, which helps with story richness and believability. Insight from @lesleykrueger.bsky.social.

Published authors: Like me, I bet you receive daily emails and direct messages from supposed reviewers, book clubs, TV producers, and popular authors, that offer you some amazing marketing and promotion opportunity, for a price. 🤑 @tericase.bsky.social explains these scams and how to spot them.

I'll be at AWP next year as both panelist and exhibitor. 🤓

In your memoir, you are working with scenes and transitions. Each of these components relies on very different principles. If you use either component in the wrong way, your book will not work. Author Wendy Dale advises.

When writing memoir, the person depicted on the page can’t be the person writing the book. Because if the memoir is any good, if your life has changed enough to write about and share with others, you aren’t that person anymore. Insight from @allisonkwilliams.bsky.social.

Ever since I’ve been in the business, there have been pay-to-play book awards. They make up the majority of book awards, in fact. Some of these awards do little harm, others are genuinely useful, but most don't make a difference at all. Learn more from @marygarden.bsky.social.

Over-writing is often a symptom of creative self-doubt. You don’t trust yourself or your reader to pick up clues, read between the lines, or to suspend disbelief as the tale unfolds—unless you cram in every single detail you can think of. Insight from Amy Bernstein.

A longtime agent, Richard Curtis, who founded one of the first commercial ebook publishers, discusses why print remains steadfast as a format.

The problems that afflict the first draft of a screenplay also plague the first draft of a novel. Learn why (and how to fix) from screenwriter & author @lesleykrueger.bsky.social.

In crime fiction, the most powerful moments often aren’t about car chases or shootouts—they’re about impossible choices. Learn more from the authors of The Night Police novels.

You don’t need to be writing a “workplace novel” for work to be integral to your protagonist’s life. But using it as more than a backdrop can supercharge conflict and character development, says Jennifer Landau.

"When I would get interviewed and then rejected, it was annoying. When I received a form rejection, it was annoying. When I received no response, it was annoying. But nothing stalled me for one minute." —Libby James

I was a writer-in-residence at Good Contrivance Farm this year, and it's one of the most generous and quality organizations I've worked with.

"I used to think memoir was navel gazing, the writing equivalent of pouting and blaming others. I may have decided this because of how I was raised, thinking that I was supposed to be strong at all times." —@ronitplank.bsky.social Even writers themselves have misconceptions about memoir.

"I had heard of book awards, but I wasn’t confident in two things: the contest fees and the idea of competing against other books. I felt I didn’t stand a chance." @chitalmehta.bsky.social did, in fact, stand a chance.

Emotion isn’t just about characters laughing or crying. What truly defines a character’s emotional depth is not just what they feel, but how they express it. Much to consider here from Jordan Rosenfeld.

Learn how to find anthology opportunities, plus red flags to watch for before you sign a contract, from @markleslie.bsky.social and @mattydalrymple.bsky.social.

An author with no significant platform lands a book deal for a nonfiction book, then fears that it will be taken away when publishing professionals realize they've made a huge mistake. But there's much more to the story than that, from Dr. Kerry Makin-Byrd.

"In knitting’s rhythmic nature, fluffy yarns, and a pair of smooth nickel-plated needles, I found comfort, something all writers need at one time or another because the profession is hard and makes no promises, not even the reward of effort." —@rlmaizes.bsky.social

Been warned against using a prologue? I often issue that warning. But prologues do have a place in some stories, if they're done well. Several different types of prologues are reviewed here, along with examples of effective ones, from @marykabiaggio.bsky.social.

What's the difference between vanity publishing and hybrid publishing? How can you find a "good" hybrid publisher? These questions are not straightforward to answer. If you're considering any kind of paid publishing arrangement, hybrid or otherwise, I encourage you to read this Q&A with David Wilk

People seek out life coaches for many reasons, but one theme is ever-present: people strive to achieve a goal but are trapped in a cage of their own patterns, until they gain an insight that sets them free. Learn how to use the toolkit of a life coach for fiction character building.

Recently I taught a class that discussed hybrid publishing, and it made me realize that some writers believe paying a hybrid will relieve them of marketing and promoting their book. Unhappy wake-up call: it doesn't matter how you publish. You still have to market and promote if you want sales.

One of my favorite things is when a piece I write takes on a new life in someone else’s hands. Tiffany Graham Charkosky read my 2022 article describing the types of memoirists who land book deals & found a new way to look at her journey. Her memoir releases today: janefriedman.com/all-others-t...

Your book is about more than your book. It’s about transformation—the shift you want your readers to experience after engaging with your work. Insight from @chadrallen.bsky.social.

A practical look at how authors and illustrators can avoid burnout and bad contracts in publishing, by @mandacomisari.bsky.social.

This author found a publisher for his memoir, but ultimately realized it was the wrong publisher after the book released. So he took the book off the market and re-published it himself. Learn about that, plus the Netflix adaptation releasing this week, courtesy of @sarahchauncey.com.

When I graduated with my writing degree in the late 1990s, it was still feasible to earn a living freelancing for newspapers, magazines, and other publications. That path has all but dried up, but every once in a while, you'll find someone who is still muscling through—like @nberlat.bsky.social.

Authors, you can now search an official database to see if your books are part of the Anthropic settlement. My book is in there, and I just filed my claim. 💸 Search here: secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup

What if your life experiences do not necessarily translate into “good” writing? Christina Larocco describes how her writing is circular, referential, fragmented—all qualities typically identified as weaknesses.

Any writers out there who also knit? How do you handle messing things up? You'll enjoy this from @nitacollinswriter.bsky.social.

Absolutely delighted to be in conversation with @grammargirl.bsky.social on the topic of AI this week, for her show AI Sidequest. With AI, there is always *so* much to talk about. We cover AI scams, AI note taking, AI website builders, and more.

For writers, voice matters—enormously—for a story's success. But it's an elusive thing to teach someone. What makes it powerful or intriguing or distinct? And if it’s too strong or distinctive, might it not draw attention to itself? @tiffanyyatesmartin.bsky.social advises.

Many 19th-century novels have fallen by the wayside, while Jane Austen continues to draw new readers and admirers every year. Much of her appeal may be understood in the way she built her plots. Dissect the plot of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE with Robin Henry.

“I’m just bad at marketing.” But why? It bears examination, says Colleen M. Story.

"Publishers have some great in-house teams, but I tell every author I work with: you are not the only author your publisher is doing publicity for." Publicist Shanetta McDonald discusses what she wishes authors knew about book launches.

What kind of food do your story's characters reach for when in distress? Do they have a culinary weakness or a food allergy that someone might take advantage of? There are different ways storytellers can use food to bring their characters to life, says Karmen H. Špiljak.

Earlier today I got into a Bluesky convo about how publishers & authors will split proceeds in the Anthropic settlement. Thanks to @publisherslunch.bsky.social, I offer this reminder: the Anthropic settlement is for piracy/copyright infringement and not AI training.

If every publisher doesn't do this, I would not be surprised to see come kind of collective action, depending on how many authors are affected.

Ever pop open your manuscript file and feel … nothing? Not dread, not excitement—just a dull emptiness. Author and book coach Anne F. Haag suggests what you might do next.

In honor of the 10-year anniversary of my newsletter, I wrote about what I think has most meaningfully changed in book publishing since 2015. Spoiler alert: I don't think the last 10 years were as transformational as the 10 years before that.

How do anthologies come together? What do you need to know if you're thinking of editing one? Here's advice from folks in the trenches, collected by @lisatimpf.bsky.social.