Questions for Prospective Agents

You want to have a long relationship with your literary agent, so ask these questions up front.

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2014/02/questions-to-ask-your-prospective.html

Bad Query Advice

It's helpful to know what not to do when you query.

http://bookendsliterary.com/index.php/2015/10/28/the-worst-query-advice-youve-gotten/

Very Young Audiences

How do you keep preschoolers interested in your author presentation?

https://laurasassitales.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/twelve-tips-to-engage-very-young-audiences-at-picture-book-author-events/

Author Bios

Whether it's for your query letter or promoting your book, you want to have a good author bio.

http://buildbookbuzz.com/author-bio-mistakes/

Aspiring Writers

Here's some advice as you set out on your journey to publication.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/12/ten-things-debut-author-kim-savage.html#.VmIUmHarRlY

Not All Books Sell

No matter how good your manuscript is, it might never find a home with a publisher.

https://andyrossagency.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/my-stern-lecture-to-a-client/

Overused Words

There are some words that many of us overuse and often should be deleted.

https://writelarawrite.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/words-to-delete/#wordlist

Before You Submit

Make sure you follow these important steps before hitting "send."

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2015/11/important-steps-before-submitting-to.html

Writing Tips from Stephen King

Learn from the master himself.

http://thewhynot100.blogspot.com/2014/04/36-killer-writing-tips-from-stephen-king.html?m=1

Writing Conferences

If you need encouragement to attend a writing conference, here's a list of reasons to go.

http://www.nikkiwoodsmedia.com/8-reasons-attend-writing-conferences/

Underwriting

Writing too little can be as bad as writing too much.

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2015/11/the-fatal-flaw-of-underwriting/

Pinterest

Is Pinterest a good way to promote your book?

http://www.darcypattison.com/marketing/pinterest-for-authors/

Revision Letters

Congratulations on receiving a revision letter. Now what?

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2015/11/what-to-do-with-revision-letters.html

Picture Book Advice

Here are some suggestions for beginning picture book writers.

http://www.laurajoyrennert.com/writers-checklist-picturebooks.php

Literary Agents and Diverse Books

Some agents are actively looking for more diverse titles.

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/literary-agents-seeking-diverse-books-for-children-and-teens

Book Promotion

Here are some dos and don'ts for getting the word out about your book.

https://henryherz.wordpress.com/2015/10/29/mea-culpa-some-dos-donts-of-promoting-books/

Author Notes

Though more common in nonfiction, backmatter is sometimes appropriate for fiction.

http://kidlit.com/2015/10/25/author-notes-and-backmatter/

Magical Realism

What is magical realism and should you be writing it?

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/10/magical-realism-in-ya-and-why-youll.html#.VmIQgHarRlY

Copyright

Do you need to copyright your manuscript and will that prevent book piracy?

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2015/10/do-you-need-to-copyright-your.html

Cover Design

Do authors have any input over the cover design of their books?

http://literaticat.tumblr.com/post/129949968155/how-much-input-does-the-author-have-in-cover-art

Forgettable Picture Books

Make sure your picture book is one kids will remember and want to read over and over again.  

http://www.rebeccajgomez.com/2015/09/7-warning-signs-that-your-picture-book.html?m=1

Time to Publish

Publication takes a long time because there are many steps from initial manuscript to a book on the shelf.

http://authorchristinenorris.tumblr.com/post/130889235828/why-does-publishing-take-so-long

Fractured Fairy Tales

Kids love fractured fairy tales, so learn how to make yours the best it can be.

https://taralazar.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/howtowritefracturedfairytales.pdf

Twitter for Authors

How to get started with Twitter and move beyond the basics.

http://451words.tumblr.com/post/116224433355/twitter-for-authors-part-2-beyond-the-basics-a 
http://451words.tumblr.com/post/114856818615/twitter-for-authors-part-1-getting-started-a

Query Resources

When your manuscript is ready to query, consult these websites before submitting.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/10/5-indispensable-resources-you-need-when.html#.ViK8oflVhBc

Writing Tips from Ursula LeGuin

Here are eight of LeGuin's best writing tips.

http://www.nownovel.com/blog/writing-a-novel-ursula-le-guin/

Publisher Bankruptcy

It's never good news to hear your publisher is declaring bankruptcy, but it's important what you should do if that happens.

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/09/help-my-publisher-is-declaring.html

Scene List

Creating a scene list can change, for the better, the way you write your novel.

http://thewritepractice.com/scene-list/

Negative Critiques

A negative critique, as hard as it is to hear, will help you improve your manuscript.

http://ingridsundberg.com/2015/08/24/what-to-do-when-you-get-a-negative-critique-of-your-writing/

Pre-Release Marketing

Here are twelve months of preparation for the launch of your book.

http://www.livewritethrive.com/2015/09/28/a-12-month-strategic-plan-for-marketing-your-book-before-release/

Leaving Your Agent

Sometimes the best of matches doesn't work out, and it becomes time to divorce your agent.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-dionne/inside-traditional-publis_5_b_8240370.html

Mistakes on the Road to Publication

Learn from a debut author what mistakes to avoid on your way to being published.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/09/7-mistakes-i-made-on-the-way-to-a-publishing-contract/

Email Subject Line

If you're querying by email, you should make sure your subject line gives the necessary information.

http://christaheschke.blogspot.com/2014/06/querying-tip-subject-line.html

First School Visit

Your first school visit can be nerve-wracking, but a little preparation goes a long way.

http://project-middle-grade-mayhem.blogspot.com/2015/06/author-school-visits-preparing-for-your.html

Facebook Author Page

Is it worthwhile to have a Facebook author page as part of your social media campaign?

http://blog.reedsy.com/facebook-author-page-still-worth-it

Inventing a Language

When you create a language for your fantasy novel, you want it to sound as if it were real.

http://mythicscribes.com/world-building/crafting-a-language/

Picture Book Dummies

Even if you're not an illustrator, you should make a dummy for all your picture books, and here's how.

http://www.darcypattison.com/picture-books/how-to-mock-up-a-picture-book/

Fair Use

Before you use copyrighted material, you need to understand the idea of fair use.

https://janefriedman.com/the-fair-use-doctrine/

Pinterest for Writers

How can you best use Pinterest to market your book?

http://groggorg.blogspot.kr/2015/04/pinterest-for-writers-part-1-by-tina-cho.html
http://groggorg.blogspot.kr/2015/04/pinterest-for-writers-part-2-by-tina-cho.html

Word Counts

Here are some standard word counts for each children's book genre along with specific book examples.

http://literaticat.blogspot.com/2011/05/wordcount-dracula.html

Book Trailers

Essential tips for creating your own book trailer.

https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2015/08/13/trailer-reveal-for-hamster-princess-harriet-the-invincible-8-essential-tips-for-creating-your-own-book-trailer/

Self-Editing Basics

You need to be the first editor of your manuscript, and here are some basics to know.

http://thewritelife.com/self-editing-basics/#.zn7j5u:sAb7

Internal Dialogue

Internal thoughts, when used correctly, are necessary for your story.

https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/5-reasons-internal-dialogue-is-essential-in-fiction-and-how-to-use-it-in-your-story/

Getting Feedback

Critiques of your manuscript are not always easy to hear, but they're a necessary part of the writing process.

http://writerscircle.com/how-to-take-feedback-and-trust-it-too/

Swag

Which swag do people keep and which do they toss?

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/10/some-thoughts-on-swag.html

Introverts and Conferences

There's still a place for you at writing conferences, even if you're an introvert.

http://www.rachellegardner.com/introverts-guide-conferences/

Publishing Jobs

There are many more jobs in publishing than that of editor or agent.

http://literaticat.tumblr.com/post/130625030545/hi-i-was-wondering-what-kinds-of-jobs-there-were

When You Haven't Heard Back

What is appropriate to do when you've waited and waited and haven't heard back from an editor or agent?

https://elizabeth-law.squarespace.com/blog/2014/9/30/the-art-of-following-up-5-things-to-do-when-you-havent-heard-back-from-an-editor-or-agent

Proofreading

It's not easy to find errors in your own manuscript, but these proofreading tips will help.

http://grammar.about.com/od/improveyourwriting/a/tipsproofreading.htm

Words to Cut

Eliminate these filler words to make your manuscript tighter.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/10/fabulous-list-of-43-words-to-kill.html#.ViKzevlVhBc

Starting Your Novel

Here are some hints about how to and how not to begin your novel.

https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2015/09/30/starting-your-novel-nine-dos-and-donts/

Cover Art

As an author, do you have any say in the cover art of your book?

http://literaticat.tumblr.com/post/129949968155/how-much-input-does-the-author-have-in-cover-art

Historical Fiction

If you write historical fiction, you'd better enjoy doing research.

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/8-rules-of-writing-historical-fiction-research

Booksellers

Booksellers are an author's best friends, and you should know how to talk to them.

http://ingridsundberg.com/2015/09/21/managing-your-finances-as-a-freelance-writer/

Finances

If you're a freelance writer, you need to know how to manage your finances.

http://ingridsundberg.com/2015/09/21/managing-your-finances-as-a-freelance-writer/

Exclusive Requests

What does it mean when an agent asks for an exclusive and how does it work.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/09/exclusive-requests-from-literary-agents-what-are-they-and-how-do-they-work/

School Visit Fees

Find out what other people charge, on average, to do a school visit.

http://schoolvisitexperts.com/?p=1125

Writing Humorous Picture Books

Here are some techniques to add humor to your picture book text.

https://lje1.wordpress.com/2015/08/27/writing-humorous-picture-books/

Developmental Editor

A developmental editor looks at the big picture items in your story.

http://thisiswriting.com/what-is-a-developmental-editor/

Organizing Your Plot

These four steps can help you turn your plot ideas into a plot.

http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/4-steps-for-organizing-plot-ideas-into.html

Tag Crowd

Make a tag cloud from your text to see what words you're overusing.

http://tagcrowd.com/

Manuscript Wish List

Find out what specific types of manuscripts individual editors and agents are looking for.

http://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/

Pinterest for Writers

You can use Pinterest as part of your book's marketing strategy.

https://janefriedman.com/pinterest-market-childrens-books/ 

Want to Win a Newbery?

What makes a turns a good book into a Newbery-level one?

http://www.hbook.com/2011/07/choosing-books/horn-book-magazine/what-makes-a-good-newbery-novel/#_

Author Platform

What constitutes and author platform and how do you build one?

http://snip.ly/DKBm#http://bit.ly/1DnGmoM

Middle Grade or Young Adult?

What are the key differences between a novel for 8-12 year olds and one for teens?

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/the-key-differences-between-middle-grade-vs-young-adult

Nonfiction

Is children's nonfiction becoming more popular?

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/67549-is-nonfiction-having-its-moment.html

Do You Have a Good Agent?

Here are some ways to figure out if your agent is doing his or her job.

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2014/04/8-ways-to-know-if-you-have-good-agent.html

Historical Fiction

If you're writing historical fiction, you have to do the research.

http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/8-rules-of-writing-historical-fiction-research

NaNoWriMo

Get ready for National Novel Writing Month.

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2015/10/your-nanowrimo-tuneup.html

Prologues

The pluses and minuses of having a prologue in your book.

https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/to-prologue-or-not-to-prologue-that-is-the-question/

Contracts 101

Here are links to a series of posts about literary contracts.

http://wolflit.com/category/contracts-101/

Book Title

Though the title of your book may change after acquisition, it's still a good idea to choose one that will attract the attention of editors and agents.

http://www.rachellegardner.com/create-a-compelling-book-title/

Improve Your Dialogue

The number one suggestion on this list of how to improve your dialogue is to punctuate correctly.

https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2015/09/10/9-ways-to-improve-your-dialogue/

Book Release Timeline

What should you do to prepare for your book release and when should you do it.

http://www.lisaschroederbooks.com/2010/02/timeline-and-checklist-for-ya-of-mg.html

Facebook for Authors

Here are some tips for authors new to Facebook.

https://janefriedman.com/facebook-for-authors/

Fair Use

Ask yourself these questions before using copyrighted material.

https://janefriedman.com/the-fair-use-doctrine/

Picture Book Dos and Donts

Author Mem Fox shares twenty things picture book writers should (or shouldn't) be doing.

http://memfox.com/for-writers-hints/for-writers-20-dos-and-20-donts/

Goodreads Giveaways

What's the best strategy to use in planning a giveaway on Goodreads.

http://catherineryanhoward.com/2014/08/18/goodreads-giveaways-dont-do-what-youre-told/

Cliches

It's good to use metaphors and similes in your writing, but not if they're cliches.

http://suspense.net/whitefish/cliche.htm

Are School Visits Mandatory?

It's up to you how many and what kind of school visits you feel comfortable doing.

http://schoolvisitexperts.com/?p=1143

Reducing Word Count

Whether you write picture books or novels, cutting out words will tighten your writing.

http://www.susanuhlig.com/2015/08/reducing-word-count.html

Self-Editing

Here are some simple tricks for editing your manuscript.

http://thewritelife.com/self-editing-basics/#.aj6dpc:sAb7

Negotiation

If you don't have an agent, you'll be responsible for negotiating your contracts.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/06/how-to-negotiate-like-a-pro-part-1/
http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/07/negotiate-like-a-pro-part-2/
http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/08/negotiate-like-a-pro-part-3-the-negotiation/

Balancing Dialogue and Description

Your story should contain a good mix of dialogue and description.

http://snip.ly/kN1a

Pinterest

How can you use Pinterest to raise awareness of your book?

http://mandywallace.com/writers-leverage-pinterest/

Critique Group Sandwich

A popular method of critiquing is the sandwich: what you liked about the text, what you think needs more work, and what you liked again.

http://www.childrenswritersguild.com/critique-group-sandwich/

Satisfying Endings

Your ending should wrap up the story in a way that resonates with your readers.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/08/crafting-satisfying-ending-to-your.html#.Vgwy-s9Vikp

What an Agent Looks For

Obviously an agent wants to see good writing, but what else is important?

http://writersrumpus.com/2013/12/06/what-i-learned-in-an-agents-inbox/

Age Level

Make sure your writing is appropriate for the age level of your audience.

http://www.childrenswritersguild.com/are-you-writing-for-the-right-age/

Rejection to Revision

Use the comments you gather from your rejections to make your manuscript better.

http://nerdychicksrule.com/2015/03/12/marcie-colleen-how-rejection-leads-to-stellar-revision/

Book Launch Party

Here's some advice to make your book launch party great.

http://www.notesfromtheslushpile.com/2015/07/how-to-organize-book-launch-party.html

Negotiating

If you don't have an agent, you need to know how to negotiate a contract.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/06/how-to-negotiate-like-a-pro-part-1/
http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/07/negotiate-like-a-pro-part-2/

Novice Writers

Avoid being labeled a newbie by making sure you don't make these mistakes.

http://wordservewatercooler.com/2015/06/16/13-tells-of-a-novice-writer/

Literary Agents

It's reasonable to expect professionalism from your literary agent.

http://thewritelife.com/6-things-expect-literary-agent/

Speaking at Conventions

How can you get invited to speak at teacher conventions?

http://schoolvisitexperts.com/?p=1117

Picture Book Pacing

Even if you're not an illustrator, it's important to make a dummy in order to check the pacing of your picture book.

http://writersrumpus.com/2013/11/22/3-ways-to-pace-your-picture-book/

Show and Tell

We've all heard the advice to "show, don't tell," but there are times when telling is the better choice.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/07/tell-better-show-more/

Character Thoughts

What's the best way to show the reader what your character is thinking?

http://inkandquills.com/2015/07/01/how-to-write-your-characters-thoughts/

Presentations

What is your body saying when you give a presentation?

http://coolschoolvisits.com/2015/06/30/whats-your-body-saying/

Collaborating

There are three components to writing a novel with someone else.

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2015/08/three-components-to-writing-a-successful-collaborative-novel/

Plot Revision Table

Having a detailed chart of your scenes makes it much easier to understand your plot.

http://nerdychickswrite.com/2015/07/29/yvonne-ventresca-plot-revision-table-and-giveaway/

Editing Without an Editor

Harold Underdown gives advice on how to edit your manuscript.

https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2015/07/27/write-revise-and-self-edit/

Meeting Agents

How do you interact with agents when you meet them informally at a conference?

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/07/10-tips-for-encountering-agents-in.html

Book Sales at Events

You need to do more than just show up to sell books at events.

http://www.amarketingexpert.com/12-secrets-selling-books-events-tip-25-52-ways-market-book/

Writing Tips

Top editors giving writing advice to new children's book authors.

http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/jul/09/the-best-writing-advice-for-new-childrens-authors-from-top-editors

Book Profit and Loss

What business decisions go into a publisher's decision to acquire a book?

http://janefriedman.com/2015/07/08/book-pl/

Deep Point of View

Get inside your character's head by writing in a deep point of view.

http://www.shesnovel.com/how-to-write-in-deep-pov/

Query Opening

Use this sentence template to present the most important information about your book first.

https://johnmcusick.wordpress.com/2015/07/01/a-pretty-much-foolproof-never-fail-silver-bullet-query-opening/

Understanding Schools

Avoid problems with your school visits by avoiding miscommunication.

http://schoolvisitexperts.com/?p=1132

We Need Diverse Books

Visit the official site of "we need diverse books" and help make the campaign a reality.

http://weneeddiversebooks.org/

Setting

Three tips to make your setting an important part of your story.

http://smack-dab-in-the-middle.blogspot.com/2015/07/three-tips-for-killer-setting-by-tracy.html

Author Brand

What can you do to create an image for yourself as an author?

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2015/07/steps-to-creating-author-brand.html

First Drafts

It's okay to write a terrible first draft.

http://www.nownovel.com/blog/writing-terrible-first-drafts/

Tension

In order to write a story with punch, you must increase the tension.

https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2015/07/20/tension-with-a-tease-reminder/

Query Letters

Here's a detailed description of everything that should and shouldn't be a part of your query letter.

http://janefriedman.com/2014/04/11/query-letters/

Word Counts

Find out word counts of published books at this site by following these steps: select a user type; click submit; search for the title; and click on the title.

http://www.arbookfind.com/UserType.aspx

Curriculum Guides

Sell more books by creating educational materials for the school and library market.

http://bookmarketingtools.com/blog/create-education-materials-to-sell-more-books/

Dream Sequence

What works and doesn't work when incorporating a dream scene into your novel.

https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/when-dreams-go-bad-dream-sequences-what-works-what-flops/

Library Sales

Do libraries buy books the same way other outlets do?

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/07/industry-question-library-sales.html

Historical Research

Whether you're writing fiction or nonfiction, if your book takes place in the past you need to do your research.

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/5-ways-to-take-your-readers-back-in-time-the-importance-of-historical-research

Character Names

Don't make these mistakes when you're naming your character.

http://scbwi.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-guest-post-on-naming-your-characters.html

Revise and Resubmit

What does it really mean when an agent or editor asks you to revise and resubmit your manuscript?

https://chasingthecrazies.wordpress.com/2015/08/05/behind-the-curtain-the-truth-about-rrs-revise-resubmits/

Leaving Your Agent

How do you know if/when it's time for you and your agent to part ways?

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2015/07/how-to-know-when-to-leave-your-agent.html

Contracts

What the Authors' Guild Fair Contract Initiative has to say about book contracts.

http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/shelftalker/?p=16573&utm_source=Publishers+Weekly

Spidergrams

Find out how to use spidergrams in plotting your book.

http://nerdychickswrite.com/2015/07/28/leeza-hernandez-plotting-with-spidergrams-and-giveaway/

Spidergrams

Find out how to use spidergrams in plotting your book.

http://nerdychickswrite.com/2015/07/28/leeza-hernandez-plotting-with-spidergrams-and-giveaway/

After the Offer

What should you do after receiving an offer of representation?

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2015/07/handling-offer-of-representation.html

Conferences

Why it's worth your while to go to writing conferences.

http://composejournal.com/why-you-should-go-to-a-writers-conference-now/

Writing Contests

Questions you should ask before entering a writing contest.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/07/online-writing-contests-three-questions.html#.VcKdePlVhBc

Filter Words

Filter words distance your reader and weaken your writing.  

http://writeitsideways.com/are-these-filter-words-weakening-your-fiction/

Common Core

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, it's worthwhile understanding the Common Core standards.

http://writersrumpus.com/2015/07/17/common-core-for-writers/

Getting Representation

How can you convince a literary agent to represent you and your work?

http://thewritelife.com/13-ways-to-convince-a-literary-agent-to-represent-you/

Facial Expressions

One-hundred words you can use to describe facial expressions.

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/100-words-for-facial-expressions/

Dead-End Dialogue

Don't let dialogue that goes nowhere kill your pacing.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/07/blah-blah-blah-how-dead-end-dialogue.html#.VcKb3flVhBc

Series

Eight novice mistakes to avoid if you're writing a series.

http://snip.ly/h1nx#http://bit.ly/1LDEY3r

Midlist

What does it mean to you if you have a midlist book?

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-truth-about-midlist.html

Book Publishing

Agents tell some things most people don't know about the publishing industry.

http://thewritelife.com/literary-agent-tells-all-5-things-you-dont-know-about-book-publishing/

Common Grammar Mistakes

Make sure you avoid these mistakes many people make.

https://litreactor.com/columns/20-common-grammar-mistakes-that-almost-everyone-gets-wrong

Overwriting

How to trim your overly long novel down to size.

https://litreactor.com/columns/10-tips-for-trimming-an-overly-long-novel-down-to-size

Before the Launch

Five things to do before your book's release date.

http://blog.leeandlow.com/2015/02/26/book-marketing-101-before-your-book-is-released/

Theme

Theme and plot are not the same thing.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/06/thoughts-on-theme-by-claire-m-caterer.html

Fiction Based on a Real Person

What are the steps you need to take if you've based your novel on a real-life person or event?

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/06/query-question-my-novel-is-based-on.html

Bad Reviews

Your book is going to receive some bad reviews, so you need to learn to deal with it.

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2015/06/critiques-and-reviews-are-not-all.html

Bestseller Lists

How a book gets on a bestseller list is not as straightforward as you might think.

http://www.amarketingexpert.com/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-bestseller-lists/

Rules for Writers

Stephen King shares twenty rules to be a better writer.

http://www.openculture.com/2014/03/stephen-kings-top-20-rules-for-writers.html

Small Publishers

Bigger isn't always better when it comes to the size of your publisher.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/05/paths-to-publication-the-small-publisher/

Villains

A great villain is often the most memorable character in a story.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/06/a-girl-undone-10-tips-for-writing.html

Constructive Criticism

How to give criticism that will help both your fellow writers and their manuscripts.

http://www.nownovel.com/blog/give-constructive-criticism/

Writing Words of Wisdom

Fifteen tips about writing from an author who's been writing fifteen years.

http://daretodreamcoaching.co.uk/2015/06/13/hello-world/

Waiting for a Response

What should you do if you don't hear back from an editor or agent?

http://elizabeth-law.squarespace.com/blog/2014/9/30/the-art-of-following-up-5-things-to-do-when-you-havent-heard-back-from-an-editor-or-agent/

Deep POV

Crawl into your character's head by using deep point of view.

https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/deep-p-o-v-part-one-what-is-it-how-do-we-do-it/

https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2015/06/11/deep-p-o-v-part-two-crawling-inside-your-characters/

Writing YA

Young adult books can be any genre, from romance to science fiction, mystery to mainstream.

http://www.nownovel.com/blog/how-to-write-ya-fiction/

Typos

It's so easy to make a typo in your manuscript and so difficult to find them all.

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/05/tricks-tips-for-catching-all-those.html

Avoiding the Word "Very"

There are many ways to prune all those "very" appearances from your manuscript.

http://writerswrite.co.za/45-ways-to-avoid-using-the-word-very

Book Titles

Though your publisher will likely change it, it's still worthwhile to choose the best title you can.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2015/05/10-tips-for-choosing-right-book-title.html

Illustrations

If you're a picture book writer, how do you handle the illustrations?

http://www.underdown.org/picture-books-illustrations.htm

Permissions

If you quote song lyrics in your manuscript, you might want to rethink that.

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/06/query-question-permission-we-dont-need.html

Book Printing

Here's a fascinating look behind the scenes at how a book is printed and bound.

http://picturebookbuilders.com/2015/06/to-the-printer-we-go/

Common Mistakes

What are common writing mistakes editors see and how do you avoid them?

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/06/interview-with-emma-d-dryden.html

Books in Stores

What to do if your book isn't carried in brick and mortar bookstores.

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/06/marketing-for-savvy-authors-your-book.html

Stimulus and Response

When something happens in a scene (stimulus), your characters need to have a reaction (response).

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/06/stimulus-and-response-finding-your-way.html

Choosing a Publisher

Money isn't the only thing to consider when choosing between publishers.

http://www.booksandsuch.com/blog/choosing-best-publisher/

Manuscript Gotchas

Seven types of things to weed out of your manuscript when you're revising.

http://goteenwriters.blogspot.com/2014/05/editing-in-layers-seven-things-to.html

Chapter Books

What's the difference between chapter books and middle grades?  

https://chapterbookchat.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/difference-between-chapter-books-middle-grade-redux/

Reluctant Readers

With the right book, even reluctant readers can be persuaded to read.

http://bookriot.com/2015/05/26/ultimate-guide-books-reluctant-readers-ages-12-13/

Misused Words

Watch out for these commonly confused words.

http://news.monster.com/a/business/20-misused-words-that-make-smart-people-look-dumb-539327

Exclamation Points

The fewer the better is a good rule of thumb about explanations points.

http://picturebookden.blogspot.com/2015/06/exclamation-mark-rehab-clinic-by-moira.html

Dead Parents

Why is it that so many children's book characters are orphans?

https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2015/06/21/the-orphan-question-by-wendy-mcclure/

Picture Book Characters

The limited word count in picture books doesn't give you a lot of room to create your irresistible character.

http://taralazar.com/2015/06/16/how-to-create-irresistible-picture-book-characters-by-tammi-sauer-plus-a-giveaway-on-her-book-birthday/

Flashbacks

You can play around with time in your story, but be careful not to confuse your reader.

https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2015/06/15/understanding-the-flashback-bending-time-as-a-literary-device/

Submission Checklist

Before you hit "send" or mail the envelope, here are some last minute things to check about your submission.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/07/submission-tip-checklist-double-check-these-16-things-before-sending-your-book-out/

Blog Tours

Setting up and participating in a blog tour is an excellent way to get the word out about your book.

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/01/going-on-tour-just-go-online-with-blog.html

How Long to Write a Picture Book

Even though they don't have many words, writing a picture books takes more time than you might think.

http://www.jenniferkmann.com/jenniferkmanncom/2015/6/9/just-how-long-does-it-take-to-make-a-picture-book

Choosing a POV

You need to choose the point-of-view that works best for your story, not just the one that's currently popular.

https://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/choosing-a-p-o-v-what-is-best-for-your-story-structure-part-9/

Getting Ready for Author Visits

Use the summer break to get ready for next school year's author visits.

http://coolschoolvisits.com/2015/06/17/21-ways-to-spend-your-summer-getting-ready-for-next-years-author-visits/

What Makes a Good Agent?

This series of blog posts details the business expertise and activities you should expect in an agent.

http://nelsonagency.com/category/what-makes-a-good-agent-article-series/

Punctuation and Rhythm

The different punctuation marks can be used to speed up or slow down the pace of your readers, adding rhythm to your story.

http://www.teachingauthors.com/2015/06/for-love-of-comma.html

Critique Groups

How to make being in a critique group a positive experience.

http://www.rachellesadler.com/a-writers-reflections/why-i-love-critique-groups

Backmatter

Five reasons why backmatter is important in nonfiction.

http://groggorg.blogspot.com/2015/06/five-reasons-why-back-matter-matters-in.html?spref=tw&m=1

Free Book Trailers

YouTube has a free video editor you can use to make your book trailer.

http://www.indiesunlimited.com/2015/05/25/authors-can-make-book-trailers-with-youtubes-free-editor/

Picture Book Secrets

Here are some suggestions (no magic secrets, unfortunately) about how to write picture books.

http://www.underdown.org/mf-picture-book-secrets.htm

LGBT in Middle Grade

The world of middle-grade aged children provides many opportunities to introduce an LGBT character.

http://www.leewind.org/2015/05/mary-e-cronins-workshop-on-gay-lgbt.html

When an Editor Wants to See More

When you're asked to submit another manuscript, don't feel like you have to wait a long time before doing so.

https://medium.com/@kelliagodon/submit-like-a-man-how-women-writers-can-become-more-successful-9031ffc6043a

Beware of Reduncancy

Don't fall into the trap of repeating the same idea but using different words.

http://thestorytellersscroll.blogspot.com/2015/05/writing-tip-beware-of-repetitive.html?spref=fb&m=1

Agent Contracts

Things that should be covered in your agency contract.

http://thewritelife.com/sign-with-a-literary-agent-contract/

Editing While Your Write

It's not always easy to turn off your inner editor.

http://www.publicationcoach.com/7-ways-to-stop-editing-while-you-write/

Co-Writing

Here's how one set of co-authors divvies up the work.

http://writersrumpus.com/2015/05/19/adventures-in-co-writing/

Book Tours

Here are some things to know if you're doing a real life, as opposed to blog, book tour.

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2015/05/stuart-horwitz/

Conferences

Tips and goals for new conference attendees.

http://newjersey.scbwi.org/2015/05/12/tips-goals-for-conference-goers/

Top YA Agents

These agents have sold the most young adult books in 2015.

http://www.darcypattison.com/marketing/top-20-ya-agents-2015/

Twitter Lists

Writers share their lists of people whose tweets are useful to writers.

http://thewritelife.com/the-15-best-twitter-lists-for-writers/

Trends in YA

You shouldn't write to a trend, but if you have a manuscript with a currently popular topic, now might be the time to submit it.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/new-titles/childrens-announcements/article/66587-what-to-expect-when-you-re-expecting-ya.html

First Draft

Turn off your inner censor and get something on the paper.

http://writerunboxed.com/2015/05/19/bombing-through-it/

Sympathetic Characters

You can make a character, even an evil one, more sympathetic using these traits.

http://www.darcypattison.com/characters/develop-sympathy-with-character-traits-9/

Meeting Agents

What to do if you meet an agent at a conference.

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/05/interacting-with-agents-in-wild.html

Evilness in Kids' Books

There are many ways to introduce evil characters and situations into a children's book.

http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/may/17/top-10-ways-to-be-evil-in-childrens-books-william-sutcliffe

Novels in Verse

Three authors discuss how a novel in verse is different than one written in prose.

http://www.axonjournal.com.au/issue-4/writing-young-adult-verse-novel

Picture Book Titles

What's the best length for a picture book title?

http://taralazar.com/2015/05/20/long-picture-book-titles-terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad/

Time-Saving Tools

Here are 15 tools that may be helpful in making your writing time more efficient.

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2015/04/bryan-collins/

Publishers and Marketing

Who's responsible for marketing your book--you or your publisher? You both are.

http://www.rachellegardner.com/do-publishers-market-books/

Agent Negotiations

There are many tactics an agent should be using when negotiating a contract.

http://nelsonagency.com/2015/05/article-4-negotiation-tactics-of-good-agents/

Plot Fails

A three-part series on what makes a plot be unsuccessful.

http://tknitewrites.com/the-9-worst-types-of-plot-fails-part1/

http://tknitewrites.com/the-9-worst-types-of-plot-fails-part-2/

http://tknitewrites.com/the-9-worst-types-of-plot-fails-part-3/

Writing Red Flags

What do you need to do to your manuscript to get it past the publishing gatekeepers?

http://www.literaryrambles.com/2015/05/donna-galanti-guest-post-and-joshua-and.html

Top Middle-Grade Agents

Which agents made the most deals for middle-grade books?

http://www.darcypattison.com/marketing/top-20-middle-grade-agents-2015/

Improve Your Dialogue

Six tips to make your dialogue more natural.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/04/six-tips-for-improving-your-dialogue-by.html

Beats

Where do you put the beats, those incidents that change the way the main character pursues his goal, in your novel?

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/04/finding-your-storys-beats-craft-of.html

Improve Your Dialogue

These six tips will help make your dialogue leap off the page.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/04/six-tips-for-improving-your-dialogue-by.html

YA Techniques

How your young adult novel is written is as important as what it is about.

http://writersrumpus.com/2015/05/01/6-stylistic-techniques-in-ya-novels/

Before You Turn in the Manuscript

Even though you think your manuscript is finished, it would be a good idea to do these checks.

https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2015/04/15/ten-tips-before-you-turn-that-manuscript-in-by-phyllis-naylor/

Website Must-Haves

If you want to do school visits, you must have these on your website.

http://coolschoolvisits.com/2015/04/13/four-website-must-haves-to-get-more-author-visit-invitations/

Extensive Revisions

Sometimes you need to take out those scissors and cut, cut, cut.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/04/when-you-need-to-ger-those-scissors-out.html

Author Swag

Promotional items are a way for people to learn about and remember you and your book.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/04/author-swag-and-how-to-swing-it/

Picture Book Quiz

See if your picture book is ready by giving it this quiz.

http://taralazar.com/2015/02/02/7-crucial-questions-to-ask-about-your-manuscript-take-the-picture-book-quiz/

Over-explaining Dialogue

Don't overuse dialogue tags to explain who's talking and his/her emotional state.

http://kidlit.com/2015/04/13/hand-holding-in-dialogue-tags/

Elevator Pitches

You never know when an agent or editor will ask what your book is about.

http://graemeshimmin.com/creating-an-irresistible-elevator-pitch/

Transitions

It's not enough to just leave an extra blank line or have a chapter break to transition between scenes.

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2015/04/transitions-between-chapters-not-just.html

Guaranteed Rejection

Here are some way to almost guarantee that an agent or editor will reject your manuscript.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-to-guarantee-rejection-top-10-ways.html

Author Websites

What information should you include on your author website?

http://blog.leeandlow.com/2015/04/08/book-marketing-101-what-to-put-on-your-author-website/

Dating Your Manuscript

Should you include current technology and pop references to flesh out your story or should you leave them out so your book is timeless?

http://kidlit.com/2010/11/19/references-and-dating-your-manuscript/

Setting and POV

Your setting is filtered through the point of view character's senses.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/04/pov-secret-to-creating-memorable-setting.html

School Visit Packet

Before your school visit, send out a packet containing all the information they will need to make your visit a success.

http://coolschoolvisits.com/2015/03/09/dont-forget-advance-promotional-materials/#more-94

Extra Facts in Picture Books

Remember, in picture books, you can always show those fascinating facts in the illustrations or mention them in the back matter.

http://picturebookbuilders.com/2015/03/those-fascinating-facts-keep-or-cut/

Awards and School Visits

If your book receives awards, will that increase your school visit invitations?

http://coolschoolvisits.com/2015/04/30/will-awards-net-you-more-author-visit-invitations/

Verse Novels

Create an image system for novels in verse to tie together the plot and increase characterization.

http://www.ekristinanderson.com/?p=13068

How Many Queries

How many queries does it take to land an agent?

http://writersrumpus.com/2015/04/24/how-many-queries-does-it-take-to-get-an-agent/

Dialogue Tags

You don't need to use dialogue tags to indicate the speaker.  

http://io9.com/he-said-she-said-is-there-any-cooler-way-to-show-di-1686396684

Money

If you want to earn money as a writer, treat it the same as you would any other job.

http://picturebookden.blogspot.com/2015/04/do-you-want-to-earn-more-money-writing.html

Conference Etiquette

Conference etiquette is the same as regular etiquette--don't be a jerk.

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/04/conference-etiquette-agents-in-wild.html

Pinterest

You can use Pinterest to increase interest in your book.

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2015/04/3-ways-to-use-pinterest-to-promote-your-book/

Inciting Incident

Everyone knows your book needs an inciting incident, but what does that really mean?

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/your-books-inciting-event-its-not-what-you-think-it-is/

Humor in Picture Books

Use more than one type of humor in your picture book to maximize the funny,

http://picturebookden.blogspot.com/2015/03/look-whos-laughing-now-crossover-humour.html

How Not to Be a Spammer

Social media is great for book promotion, but not if you spam people.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-not-to-be-spammer-guide-for-authors.html

Revising

Twenty-one things to look for when revising.

https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2015/03/24/21-things-to-look-for-while-revising/

Sending Updated Material

If you revise your manuscript before hearing back form a query, should you resend it?

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-secret-to-sending-updated-material.html

Writing Nonfiction

Even if you write nonfiction, you can (and should) use many of the same techniques used for writing fiction.

http://www.teachingauthors.com/2015/03/writing-nonfiction-using-fiction.html

Publishers Marketplace

You can't always believe everything you read about book deals.

http://literaticat.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-straight-dope-on-pm.html

Writing Red Flags

If you don't want to be branded a "newbie" writer, avoid these writing mistakes.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2014/09/10-things-that-red-flag-newbie-novelist.html

Multiple Points of View

The first question to ask when writing from multiple points of view--is this the best way to tell the story?

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2015/03/tips-when-writing-multiple-pov-novels/

First Pass Editing

After you've let your first draft sit for a bit, it's time to ask these questions.

https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/16-questions-to-ask-yourself-first-pass-editing/

Authorial Intrusion

You want your characters to sound like themselves, not like you.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/02/margies-rule-8-beware-of-writerly/

After the Offer

Why does it take so long for a book to come out?

http://writersrumpus.com/2015/03/10/why-does-it-take-sooooooo-long-for-a-book-to-come-out/

Pacing

Seven keys to improving the pacing of your novel.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/03/seven-key-elements-of-pacing-your-novel.html

Promotion Tip

A free, easy to implement, promotion tip is to call your book by its name where talking about it.

http://writerunboxed.com/2015/02/09/simple-promo-tip-call-your-book-by-its-name/

Why Was Your Book Rejected?

Manuscripts are rejected for many reasons, often not related to the quality of the writing.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-10-real-reasons-your-book-was.html

Social Media Etiquette

What not to do when using social media.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-10-commandments-of-social-media.html

Bad Agents

Better to have no agent than to have an incompetent, or worse a con artist, one.

http://www.adventuresinagentland.com/2014/12/agent-vs-schmagent.html

Setting Copyright

Unique settings get more copyright protection than historical ones.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/02/susan-spann-copyright-rules-for-settings/

Dialogue

Good dialogue can help flesh out a character and move a story forward.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/03/the-word-on-dialogue-read-if-you-like.html

Picture Book Endings

What makes a satisfying ending to a picture book?

http://picturebookden.blogspot.com/2015/03/endings-that-stay-with-you.html

Writing About Minorities

How do you write about minorities when you are not one yourself?

http://rateyourstory.blogspot.com/2015/03/writing-about-minorities-for-non.html

Money

How much money do you really make when you sell your book?

http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2015/03/so-you-think-youd-like-to-make-some.html

Young Adult Writers

Here's an article about the eight habits of highly successful young adult writers.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/10/the-8-habits-of-highly-successful-young-adult-fiction-authors/280722/

Story Idea Worksheet

How do you boil your great idea down to something that can become a book?

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/02/story-idea-worksheet-nail-and-sell-your.html

Co-Authoring Agreements

If you are writing your book with someone else, you need to have an agreement in writing.

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2015/02/co-authoring-agreements.html

Book Events

Ways to increase your book sales at author events.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/02/7-secrets-to-selling-more-books-at-events/

Author Visits

Get yourself of a list of authors by state who do school visits.

http://authorbystate.blogspot.com/

What Not to Say

When you're reaching out to an agent or an editor, don't say these things.

http://katiemccoach.com/what-not-to-say-to-a-literary-agent-or-editor/

Editor Tools

These tools are used by editors to keep your manuscript on track.

https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2015/02/10/three-editors-tools-for-writers-jody-staton/

Book Promotion Websites

Here's a list of places that you can use to promote your book.

http://www.winchad.com/blog/top-100-websites-for-book-promotion-and-author-promotion

Picture Book Manuscripts

Ask these questions about your picture book manuscript both before and after you write it.

http://taralazar.com/2015/02/02/7-crucial-questions-to-ask-about-your-manuscript-take-the-picture-book-quiz/

Book Events

What you need to do before your next author event.

http://www.nessgraphica.com/5-things-to-do-before-your-next-book-event/

Character Emotion

Ways to add emotional content to the words your character is speaking.

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2015/01/show-dont-tell-revealing-true-emotion-dialogue/

Blurbs

Is it worthwhile to get people to blurb your book?

http://literaticat.blogspot.com/2015/01/logrolling-in-our-time-or-you-cant-take.html

First Lines

Keys to writing the perfect first lines.

http://thewritepractice.com/first-line/

Historical Thesaurus

Pinpoint when and how a word was used throughout history.

http://historicalthesaurus.arts.gla.ac.uk/

Editing Clauses

Protect yourself from unreasonable editing clauses in your contract.

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2015/02/editing-clauses-in-publishing-contracts.html

Telling vs. Showing

Sometimes it's better to break the well-known rule of show don't tell.

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2015/02/art-story-telling-trumps-showing/

Conflict vs. Complications

Up the tension in your story by upping the stakes in a conflict.

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2015/02/conflict-vs-complication-raise-stakes.html

Author Websites

Make sure your website is working for you and not against you.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2013/06/is-your-author-website-working-against.html

Balancing Backstory

Avoid the dreaded infodump by weaving your backstory into the main story.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/01/7-tips-for-balancing-backstory/

Beta Readers

There's an etiquette surrounding asking for or being a beta reader.

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/beta-reader-etiquette/

School and Library Markets

Your nonfiction book might be perfect for the school and library market.

https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/school-and-library-market-tracey-baptiste/

The Submission Pile

Tips to help your manuscript get noticed from the submission pile.

http://writersrumpus.com/2015/02/03/you-can-judge-a-book-by-its-title-and-other-wisdom-from-the-submission-pile/

Editorial Steps

"The Call" is just the first of many steps on your way to a published book.

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2015/01/10-editorial-steps-agent-call-published-book/

Writing Tips

An editor tells what he learned about writing from his editing jobs.

https://www.bookish.com/articles/7-things-being-an-editor-taught-me-about-being-an-author/

Accuracy in Fiction

Even though you're writing fiction, you need to be accurate and realistic with your setting and characters.

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2015/01/accuracy-and-realism-in-fiction.html

Book Blogs

Here's a directory of blogs related to books and reading.

https://bookbloggerdirectory.wordpress.com/

Tax Tips

Can you claim your writing expenses on your taxes?

http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2015/01/tax-tips-for-writers-who-hate-math/

Social Media 101

All you ever wanted to know about using social media for marketing your book.

http://www.pragmaticmom.com/2015/01/marketing-101-for-authors/

Agent Call

What should you ask a prospective agent when you get "the call?"

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2015/01/40-questions-to-ask-when-you-get-call.html

Heart

A picture books has to have heart.

http://picturebookbuilders.com/2015/01/heart-a-picture-books-got-to-have-it/

Scene and Sequel

One way to structure your novel is to alternate scenes and sequels.

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2015/01/writing-patterns-fiction-scene-sequel/

Contacting Literary Agents

There are ways other than query letters to get your work in front of a literary agent.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/01/4-ways-besides-query-letters-you-can-contact-literary-agents/

How Not to Start a Novel

Your book's opening needs to grab your readers and make them want to continue reading.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2011/09/13-ways-not-to-start-novel.html

Non-Bookstore Events

Think outside the box when considering where to have your author events.

http://www.amarketingexpert.com/beyond-bookstore-holding-book-events-non-traditional-venues-tip-37-52-ways-market-book/

Naming Characters

How do you make your character's name match his or her personality and place in the story?

http://www.teachingauthors.com/2015/01/a-rose-by-any-other-name-can-bea.html

Loglines

How can you condense your book into a simple "elevator pitch?"

http://kidlit.com/2014/06/02/secrets-to-a-good-logline/

Picture Book, Chapter Book, or Middle Grade

Now that you have a great idea and a unique character, will these become a picture book, chapter book, or middle-grade novel?

http://taralazar.com/2015/01/08/is-your-idea-a-picture-book-chapter-book-or-middle-grade-novel/

Research Interviews

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you often need to conduct an interview to research your topic.

http://writerunboxed.com/2015/01/11/a-step-by-step-guide-to-conducting-the-research-interview/

SF/F Categories

The genre of science fiction and fantasy has many subcategories.

http://www.fuseliterary.com/sff-subcategories/

Revision Questions

Ten questions to ask about your manuscript when you're revising.

http://www.timwynne-jones.com/pages/tenquestions.html

Bad Advice

On your path to publication, you'll hear a lot of advice you should just ignore.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2014/02/six-more-pieces-of-bad-advice-for.html

Submitting

You're finished and polished your manuscript, so now it's time to submit.

http://www.kidlit411.com/2014/01/kidlit411-submission-how-to.html

Picture Book University

Reading this blog is like attending a mini-workshop on writing picture books.

http://wwwpamcalvert.blogspot.com/p/picture-book-university.html

Websites for Writers

Links to fifty websites that writers should know about.

http://www.wiseinkblog.com/publishing-industry/50-websites-every-author-should-bookmark-in-2014/

Viewpoint Selection

Here's a simple explanation of the pros and cons of each point of view.

https://henryherz.wordpress.com/2014/12/14/the-ten-commandments-of-picture-book-writing/

Picture Book Rules

Ten commandments (or not!) for writing picture books.

https://henryherz.wordpress.com/2014/12/14/the-ten-commandments-of-picture-book-writing/

Book Bloggers

How to approach book bloggers to review your book.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/11/4-tips-for-working-with-book-bloggers/

Writers' Conferences

Are writers' conferences useful, and how do you get the most out of them?

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-go-to-writers-conference-10.html

Editor Submission List

Agents work carefully to create a list of where they will send your book.

http://literaticat.blogspot.com/2011/02/crafting-editor-submission-list.html

Overdone Plots

Your novel needs to be unique to stand out from the rest.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2012/06/hey-james-patterson-stole-my-plot.html

Dream Agents

Don't get your heart set on a single "dream" agent.

http://scribblebabble.blogspot.com/2014/12/writing-wednesdays-on-dream-agents.html

Publishing Secrets

Twenty-five facts about publishing that may be new to you.

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2014/06/16/mike-r-underwood-25-secrets-of-publishing-revealed-or-inside-the-bookish-shatterdome/

Logic Problems

Watch out for these logic problems to prevent your reader from being pulled out of the story.

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/12/four-logic-problems-will-ruin-day-manuscript/

Switching to Outlining

If you're a pantser, here are some tips to switching to being an outliner.

http://writerunboxed.com/2014/11/23/outlining-why-i-made-the-switch-and-tips-for-trying-it/

Deep Point View

By bringing your point of view closer, you can intensify your writing.

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/10/diving-deep-into-deep-point-of-view/

Funny Words

Funny words can make a humorous story even funnier.

http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/improve-my-writing/a-list-of-funny-words-to-help-you-writing-funnier-stories

Types of Picture Books

Picture books are written in many styles and cover a wide range of topics.

http://www.writingpicturebooksforchildren.com/types-of-picture-books.html

Choosing a Workshop

The first step is to identify what you want and need.

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2014/12/guest-post-jean-reidy-on-choosing.html

What Takes So Long?

What has to happen between the time your book is acquired and it appears on the shelf?

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/12/why-do-things-take-so-long-in-publishing.html

Ageism

Here's a blog about promoting positive images of aging in children's literature.

http://www.lindseymcdivitt.com/blog/

Historical Fiction

What's the difference between historical fiction and nonfiction?

http://www.marcieatkins.com/2014/12/19/historical-fiction-and-nonfiction-mentor-texts/

Starting Out

Chronicle Books gives advice for writers new to the children's book business.

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/blog/2014/12/17/so-youve-written-a-childrens-book-now-what/

Bookstore Events

Here are some hints to having a successful bookstore visit.

https://floweringminds.wordpress.com/2014/11/15/scwbi-sfsouth-bookstore-night-at-hicklebees/

Editorial Letter

You've received your single-spaced, multi-page editorial letter. Now what?

http://katiemccoach.com/taking-feedback-what-to-do-with-your-edit-letter/

Tinkering vs. Progress

Realize that not all revising is changing your book for the better--sometimes it's just changing the words.

http://kidlit.com/2014/12/08/tinkering-vs-progress/

Pacing Problems

How can you speed up or slow down the pacing of your book when needed?

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2014/12/craft-of-writing-dealing-with-pacing.html 

New Literary Agents

There are both pros and cons to working with an agent new to the business.

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2013/09/11/should-you-pitch-and-sign-with-a-new-literary-agent-the-pros-and-cons/

Being an Easy Author

How can you show agents and editors you would be an easy author to work with?

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/agent-talk-7-ways-to-make-yourself-an-easy-author-to-work-with/

Outlining Your Novel

Some advantages of creating an outline for your novel before writing.

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/outlining-your-novel/

Adult Characters

Take advantage of having adult characters in your novels to add to the story.

http://katiaraina.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/the-value-of-adults/

Waiting for Your Book's Release

There are many things to consider and tasks to do in the month's leading up to your book's release.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2014/11/preparing-for-release-month-by-kate.html

Facebook for Authors

Some things writers need to know when starting out with Facebook.

http://janefriedman.com/2014/12/08/facebook-for-authors/

First vs. Third

Some things to consider when deciding which point of view to use for your novel.

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/01/me-or-you-choosing-between-first-and.html

Worksheets for Writers

Here are links to worksheets and checklists of use to writers.

http://jamigold.com/for-writers/worksheets-for-writers/

Sound Devices

Use lyrical writing to make your stories sing.

http://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com/2014/08/renee-m-latulippe-sound-bitesmaking_14.html

New Adult

There are key differences between young adult and new adult novels.

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2014/11/guest-post-giveaway-deborah-halverson.html

Prologues

Does your book need a prologue or are you just using one for an infodump?

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/12/to-prologue-or-not.html

Melodrama

There's a fine line between having depth to your story and it being melodramatic.

http://kidlit.com/2014/12/01/the-melodrama-dilemma/

Author Platforms

Does every author need to have a platform, and what is a platform anyway?

https://alaynekaychristian.wordpress.com/2014/12/13/julie-hedlund-busts-myths-about-author-platforms/

Creative Nonfiction

Even though a picture book is nonfiction, it should still have a story arc.

http://picturebookden.blogspot.com/2014/11/true-story-picture-books-or-creative.html

Public Speaking

Here are some hints to help you survive public speaking at an event.

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/11/3-tricks-surviving-public-speaking-event/

On Submission

What actually happens when your agent says your book is "on submission."

http://literaticat.blogspot.com/2014/11/an-epic-post-about-submission-process.html

Legal Music

Don't violate another artist's copyright when you create your book trailer.

http://creativecommons.org/legalmusicforvideos

Avoiding LGBTQ Stereotypes

How to make your young adult LGBTQ characters fully realized instead of being stereotypes.

http://www.malindalo.com/2010/06/avoiding-lgbtq-stereotypes-in-ya-fiction-part-5-resources/

Picture Book Structure

Having an idea for your picture book is just the beginning.

http://www.scbwi-illinois.org/pub/PrairieWind/?p=592

Heroes

Ten reasons why your hero needs flaws.

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2014/12/10-reasons-hero-needs-flaws/

Online Presence

What are editors and agents looking for when they research you online?

http://inkygirl.com/inkygirl-main/2014/12/10/survey-results-what-agents-editors-and-art-directors-look-fo.html

Close Third Person

How far is the psychic distance in your third person novel?

http://tamimoore.com/2010/close-third-person-point-of-view/

Historical Novels

How much history should you put in your book to keep it a novel and not a textbook?

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/12/how-much-history-in-your-historical.html

First Chapter

How can you write the "perfect" first chapter?  

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2014/12/how-to-craft-perfect-first-chapter.html

Guest Blogging

How to be asked to write posts for other people's blogs.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2014/02/guest-blogging-for-authors-10-tips-to.html

Openings

Follow this checklist and make your openings pop. 

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/11/margies-rule-6-make-your-opening-pop/

New Adult

If you write YA, you should learn about the next age up category--new adult. 

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2014/11/guest-post-giveaway-deborah-halverson.html

Author Events

Whether at a bookstore, library, or school, these hints will help make your author visit a success.

https://floweringminds.wordpress.com/2014/11/15/scwbi-sfsouth-bookstore-night-at-hicklebees/

Book Bloggers

How do you work with book bloggers to get them interested in reviewing your book? 

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2014/11/4-tips-for-working-with-book-bloggers/

Ageism in Kidlit

This blog promotes diversity of and respect for character age. 

http://www.lindseymcdivitt.com/blog/

Point of View

Consider these pros and cons when choosing a viewpoint.

http://www.adventuresinyapublishing.com/2014/11/craft-of-writing-viewpoint-selection-by.html

Outlining Your Novel

There are many advantages to outlining your novel before beginning to write. 

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/outlining-your-novel/

Nonfiction Picture Books

True stories that would be perfect for picture books are all around us. 

http://picturebookden.blogspot.com/2014/11/true-story-picture-books-or-creative.html

Debut Book

Everyone's experience is different on the publication of a debut book. 

http://piper.asu.edu/2014/12/dozen-things-debut-authors-taught/

On Submission

What actually happens when your agent says your manuscript is on submission?

http://katiemccoach.com/taking-feedback-what-to-do-with-your-edit-letter/

Editorial Letters

Your editorial letter has finally arrived. What do you do now? 

http://katiemccoach.com/taking-feedback-what-to-do-with-your-edit-letter/