Category: novel
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Manuscript Format Examples: How to Submit Fiction, Picture Books, Poetry, and Nonfiction
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Manuscript format is the standardized way authors are expected to present the text of their book for submission. Some agents and publishers will give very specific instructions about how they’d like your text to be formatted. If they don’t, you can follow these general guidelines.
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Write a Strong Book Hook (With Examples)
The “hook” in your book pitch is the line or two of text that captures attention, declares what’s unique about your book, and tells an agent or editor if your manuscript is something their audience is hungry for.
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How to Write Early Chapter Books: Word Counts, Structure, and Series Tips
Early chapter books are 4,000- to 15,000-word short illustrated novels written for newly independent readers aged about 6–9. They’re most often published as series. In complexity, the category sits between illustration-heavy early readers and text-heavy middle grade novels. It’s tricky but rewarding for an author to break into early chapter books.
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Why does Traditional Publishing Take So Long?
It’s very normal for a book contract signed in one year to project a publication date three years down the road. Why does it take so long? Let’s go through a scenario for a full-colour nonfiction book.
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Master Voice in Your Writing
Having a distinct voice gives a book personality, making it stand out in readers’ memories—and in publishers’ inboxes. If you have trouble injecting that personality into your work, read on. We’re going to break it down for both fiction and nonfiction.
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The Authors’ Database of AI Spam Emails
In September 2025, many established authors started receiving a deluge of sincere-sounding emails. The writers appeared to have read and loved the authors’ books and were keen to connect about them. Some claimed to represent book clubs; others said they were book marketers who saw an opportunity to hang their hat on a rising star;…
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Writing for Young Adult vs. New Adult
Young Adult and New Adult are similarly fast-paced and accessible, with a distinct narrative voice characterized by the personality of a book’s protagonist. But the two categories have important differences in the protagonist’s life stage, their preoccupations, and the emotional journey they experience during the story.
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How to Write an Author Bio with No Experience
Publishers aren’t reading author bios to separate the experienced from the inexperienced. Instead, they want to know why you’re the right author for the book you’ve written. Sometimes life experience that connects to your book’s subject matter is a stronger hook.
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How to Know Your Novel is Ready for a Substantive or Developmental Editor
You’ve written a manuscript for a novel. You’re eager to plunge ahead and get an editor’s feedback…but are you ready for that step? If this is your unrevised first draft, the answer will usually be no. Almost every author needs to revise and rewrite their work extensively before the shape of their novel is fully…
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Writing Interesting Secondary Characters who Move Your Story Forward
Do your secondary characters fall flat? Or are they threatening to steal the story from your protagonist? Both are common problems that can be addressed by asking yourself this question: How do my secondary characters relate to my protagonist?