Writer's Digest Publishing Insights newsletters

Here are the latest newsletters for my followers to peruse:

Writer's Dig Publishing Insights WD University One thing I hear from literary agents and book editors over and over is that many books can be rejected based off word counts alone—with the most common problem related to manuscripts that house too many words. So check out our definitive word count post here. -Robert Lee Brewer Follow @robertleebrewer Word Count Basics How Long Should My Book Be? Word count for novels and books is something I don't think about too often until I travel to a writers' conference, and then someone asks a simple, innocent question: "How long should a book be?" With that in mind, I've tried to put together the definitive post on word count for fiction (novels, young adult, middle grade, children's books, and even memoir). The most important thing here is to realize that there are always exceptions to these rules. And man, people love to point out exceptions—and they always will. However, if there is one thing I remember from when my wife dragged me kicking and screaming to He's Just Not That Into You, it's that you cannot count on being the exception; you must count on being the rule. Aiming to be the exception is setting yourself up for disappointment. What writers fail to see is that for every successful exception to the rule (e.g., a first-time 175,000-word novel), there are at least 100 failures if not 300. Almost always, high word count means that the writer simply did not edit their work down enough. Or—it means they have two or more books combined into one. Read the full article... Craft and Business of Writing She's Got to Have It: Ways to Promote a Book "I'm sorry for wasting your time," might be appropriate to say after you've rolled down the window and smiled when getting pulled over for speeding. It might go a long way with a police officer. But no author wants to feel the anguish of saying those words—to a reader of his novel. What a writer wants to hear is the exuberant yelling of a fan to her friend, "You've just got to read this book!" while she waves a copy of your opus high in the air. "I stayed up all night long reading it!" So, let's say you've written a novel of staggering genius and happily no reader complains he wants to get back those hours of his life spent consuming it. Let's say aficionadas of your clever paragraphs promote it word-of-mouth, and your close pals and blood-kin storm the stores to seize it. Then what? Read More... Benefits of Literary Prizes for Writers I hate playing favorites when it comes to books. Who’s your favorite author? What’s your favorite book? These are questions I dislike getting because they're so hard to answer! I have so many follow-ups before I can even begin to narrow down the card catalogue of books I keep in my head: Living or deceased author? Contemporary or classic novel? Literary fiction, historical fiction (and if so what time period)? And on and on. But, ask me what my favorite literary prize is and I can give you an answer straightaway—The Booker Prize, formerly known as The Man Booker Prize—which announces its 2019 winner today. And before we get into it, I know awarding a prize for the best book is a ridiculously subjective task and often prone to controversy (hello, Nobel Prize for Literature…). But I think if you look at literary prizes through a different lens, they do have value. Read More... How to Lead a Successful Writers Group Three years ago, at the first Writer's Digest Novel Writers Conference in Los Angeles, I arrived with a mission. I wanted to meet and connect with as many of my fellow writers as possible and make lasting connections. In my post, 10 Tips for Effective Networking at a Writer’s Conference, I wrote about the strategies I use for networking. I succeeded in developing some great relationships from that conference, but I felt like these connections could be so much more. I sent out a message to my newly found friends asking if they would like to form an online writers group. Twelve people responded. I created a Facebook group and we began to share ideas with one another, but still I was craving something more. We decided that we would meet one night a week through a Zoom video call. That was the beginning of what we still call our Wednesday night group. Everyone from that first group has either published or is in the process of publishing a book. Read More... How to Write a Compelling Memoir Writing a memoir isn't for the faint of heart. As you're learning the craft and technique of memoir, you're also reckoning with your life. And oftentimes, the place you end up isn't where you began. Despite that, writing your memoir can be an incredibly rewarding journey—one that allows you to move into a deeper sense of self. Read More... Advanced Novel Writing Writer's Digest University Push yourself beyond your comfort zone and take your writing to new heights with this novel writing workshop meant for novelists who are looking for book editing and specific feedback on their work. When you take this online workshop, you won't have weekly reading assignments or lectures. Instead, you'll get to focus solely on completing your novel. Read More...  Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301

Writer's Dig Publishing Insights WD University I've been to more than 50 writing events as an editor and author, speaker and attendee. Some of these events have had thousands of attendees; others had maybe a dozen. But all of them (every single one) have left me with more ideas than I had before I arrived. This newsletter shares lessons I've learned through the years. -Robert Lee Brewer Follow @robertleebrewer Writing Conferences Get the Most From Writing Conferences As an introvert, writer's conferences can really drain my energy down to zero, but I've been to more than 50 writing events of varying sizes over the years, and I look forward to attending more of them, because, as a writer, they're among the most exciting places for idea bombs to explode and send me down new thought tunnels for months afterwards. In other words, I think conferences are great. But I've been to enough events over the years to know there are ways to get more out of the conference experience, especially if you're new to them. Whether you're an introvert or extrovert, I've collected eight tips for getting the most from your writing conference experience. Read the full article... Craft & Business of Writing Join Us in Pasadena! Writer's Digest returns to the West Coast with many of publishing’s most respected and knowledgeable writers, agents, and editors to guide you through the process of writing, editing, and publishing your novel. Hone your craft, refine your characters, explore the future of publishing, and get the tools you need to advance your career as a successful novelist. Read More... 6 Writing Group Best Practices Three years ago, at the first Writer's Digest Novel Writers Conference in Los Angeles, I arrived with a mission. I wanted to meet and connect with as many of my fellow writers as possible and make lasting connections. In my post, 10 Tips for Effective Networking at a Writer’s Conference, I wrote about the strategies I use for networking. I succeeded in developing some great relationships from that conference, but I felt like these connections could be so much more. Read More... How to Write a Compelling Memoir Writing a memoir isn't for the faint of heart. As you're learning the craft and technique of memoir, you're also reckoning with your life. And oftentimes, the place you end up isn't where you began. Despite that, writing your memoir can be an incredibly rewarding journey—one that allows you to move into a deeper sense of self. Read More... 10 Edgar Allan Poe Quotes for Writers Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most famous and infamous writers in American history. He was the author of short stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Fall of the House of Usher," as well as poems like "Annabel Lee" and "The Raven." Poe is also credited with inventing the detective fiction genre and contributing to the growth of science fiction. Here are 10 Edgar Allan Poe quotes for writers and about writing. Read More... Plot Perfect Boot Camp Writer's Digest University Whether you're writing a novel, short story, memoir, stage play, or screenplay, this boot camp will show you how to craft a great narrative scene-by-scene. It's a hands-on event that provides personalized feedback on your story structure and plot. Read More... Privacy Policy Writer's Digest an Active Interest Media company 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301