Dana Isaacson discusses the challenges of seeking legal permission for use.
11 Questions for a Scene-by-Scene Analysis • Career Authors
Congratulations on finishing your novel’s first draft. Now it’s time to examine your book scene by scene, asking yourself 11 crucial questions.
Should Mom Be Capitalized? & Other Uppercase-Lowercase Conundrums • Career Authors
Are words capitalized because of rules, style, or emphasis? Editor Dana Isaacson takes you from lowercase to uppercase, and advises whether you should “go Down South in the spring.”
A (Crabby) Author’s 25 Reasons to Give Thanks• Career Authors
Even curmudgeonly writers must give thanks, but for what?
Semicolons are used and abused by writers every day. Editor Dana Isaacson informs scribes of the rights and wrongs when utilizing this often maligned punctuation mark.
Electrify Your Thriller With These Suspense Tips from the Master, Alfred Hitchcock • Career Authors
Alfred Hitchcock's classic films like North by Northwest and Psycho offer rock-solid suspense strategies for today's thriller writers. Read these tricks of the trade from the master of suspense.
Authors may get inspired and have great expectations, but then their writing can get in the way of telling a great story. It may all come down to the sentence level, but what makes a good sentence? Dana Isaacson offers tips on improving sentence quality.
When and How Physical Books Became Digital Data • Career Authors
Like every other industry, book publishing has been transformed by the internet. Editor Dana Isaacson tracks the digital revolution from its start to ChatGPT.
Copy-editing issues big and small can make a manuscript look unprofessional. Consult this checklist to ensure your book is ready to share with the world.
How to Avoid Procrastination and Get it Done• Career Authors
Many writers are also great connoiseurs of the art of procrastination. Dana Isaacson offers them guidance on how to get going and reach their writing goals.
This highly scientific self-test rates your literary habits• Career Authors
Can you handle the truth? Take this super scientific self-test and determine how effective your writing habits are.
When Stephen King advises authors to leave out the boring parts, what does he mean? Trim the fat and pick up the pace in your writing with these 5 tips from editor Dana Isaacson.
Polish Prose Professionally with these 8 Self-editing Tips• Career Authors
Don't send out your novel before it’s actually ready. Avoid editorial landmines, win readers, and impress publishing professionals with these 8 self-editing tips.
Career Authors, take note! New York book editors were polled about which off-putting editorial bugaboos annoy to distraction. Read it and weep, and don’t do it again.
The Anatomy of a Novel: What Goes Where and Why • Career Authors
A novel is not a collection of impressions or events. It’s an organic whole comprised of interlinking parts that move a story forward to a satisfying ending. Editor Dana Isaacson advises writers seeking a healthy and robust narrative to study “The Anatomy of a Novel.”
Indeed the adverb may be the most denounced and vilified of word forms, but it is also hard to avoid and can be tricky to use correctly. Editor Dana Isaacson tackles the controversy head on: Are adverbs necessary?
How to Bury Clues in Your Mystery Novel • Career Authors
The craftiest mystery writers carefully puzzle out the placement of clues in their stories. Editor Dana Isaacson reveals when, where, and how they do it.
It’s Time to Write Your Second Book (or Third …) • Career Authors
Is it time for you to start a new novel? Setting aside an already completed piece of writing and beginning another requires flexibility and strength—needed attributes for any successful career author.
8 Scintillating Rules for Writing Romances • Career Authors
Romance is by far book publishing's most popular genre, and following these 8 rules will help you seduce future readers.
In pursuit of their craft, dedicated scribes push themselves to their limits. Reported here for the first time are the startling results of a recent tongue-in-cheek survey of the daily habits of writers.
Errors of continuity are distracting and can undermine reader confidence. Editor Dana Isaacson offers 5 ways to maintain authorial control and avoid these gaffes.
Does your novel need an electrifying prologue to jump-start its plot? Editor Dana Isaacson discusses the pros and cons of prologues.
Writers’ Master Class: 7 Lessons from the World’s Greatest Editor• Career Authors
What advice did "the world's greatest editor" give his authors? Dana Isaacson gleans 7 valuable lessons for today's authors from Maxwell Perkins' collected letters.
How to use Multiple Points of View with Clarity and Panache • Career Authors
There are at least two sides to every story, so should you feature multiple points of views in your novel? How many POVs are too many? Guiding you past the pitfalls, editor Dana Isaacson helps you be strategic when using multiple POVs.
Are you a real writer? • Career Authors What qualifies you to be a REAL writer? Take this tongue-in-cheek survey and find out if you've got what it takes.
How to Avoid Legal Trouble When Using Real People in Fiction • Career Authors Can you include real people--like Nicole Kidman or your cousin Sue--as characters in your novel? Editor Dana Isaacson explores the legal issues involved and offers Do's and Don't's.
Secrets to a Bestselling Author Name • Career Authors Why did bestseller J.K. Rowling release her first book using her initials? Learn why and how bestselling writers choose their author names.
A No-Stress Guide to Using Italics•Career Authors Don't stress out your reader with too many italics! Editor Dana Isaacson advises writers on their proper usage.
Charting a Fictional Timeline• Career Authors Does anyone really know what time it is? Certainly readers of your novel shouldn't be confused. Editor Dana Isaacson shows how some writers avoid timeline confusion.
14 (or Fourteen) Rules for Writing Numbers in Fiction• Career Authors How many problems do novelists have with numbers? A lot! Whether you're writing about Charles II or a .357 Magnum, Dana Isaacson has got your number. Read these fourteen rules.
How to Write (or Not Write) about the Pandemic• Career Authors How will today’s pandemic fit into the plots of tomorrow’s bestselling fiction? Editor Dana Isaacson discusses narrative strategies during the Age of Covid.
Choosing a Novel’s Point of View•Career Authors Choosing the best point of view for your novel may be integral to its success. Editor Dana Isaacson lays out the options.
The Joys of Writing Genre Fiction •Career Authors The thought of writing within a genre might cause some authors to bristle at the idea that their creativity will be stifled. But with the right mindset, the opposite can be true.
Deliver What Your Readers Want• Career Authors Readers expect novelists to deliver what's promised. Editor Dana Isaacson tells how career authors satisfy those expectations.
How to Choose the Best Names for Your Characters • Career Authors While naming fictional characters may be writer nirvana, it still must be done with care. Editor Dana Isaacson offers tips on how to how to choose wisely.
Avoid these Crutch Words • Career Authors Editor Dana Isaacson makes an infographic after reviewing a cyberpile of editorial letters to see what crutch words appear with the greatest frequency.
The Da Vinci Code for Fiction Writers•Career Authors Editor Dana Isaacson shows how an unfinished da Vinci painting provides novelists with clues to artistic and commercial success.
Put on a Publisher’s Hat •Career Authors What do today’s book publishers want? Thinking like they do will help you sell your book.
How to Write Amazing Flashbacks • Career Authors While novelists love flashbacks, using them can be perilous. Editor Dana Isaacson explains why and when they should be used—and when they should be avoided.
9 Essential Rules on Question and Quotation Marks • Career Authors Tidy your prose by avoiding these common gaffes on question marks and quotation marks.
Punctuate to Impress with the Versatile Em dash!• Career Authors Em dash? En dash? Hyphen? Keep your punctuation marks on point with these tips from editor Dana Isaacson.
Avoid Skimming and Tighten Your Plot • Career Authors Reader confusion may result when novelists skim over action. Editor Dana Isaacson advises career authors to tighten their plots and create more immersive reading experiences.
Punctuate to Impress: 17 Rules to Avoid Comma Confusion • Career Authors Suffer comma confusion no more and punctuate to perfection with 17 essential rules from editor Dana Isaacson.
What to do after Finishing Your First Draft • Career Authors Editor Dana Isaacson suggests next steps for gleeful authors who have just finished their book's first draft.
Writing a Novel Right on Time • Career Authors Timeline issues can result in a novel feeling “too loose.” Editor Dana Isaacson steers authors clear of timely hazards that prevent total reader engagement.
What makes your novel commercial? • Career Authors Editor Dana Isaacson tells how successful authors win readers and sell books in today’s crowded marketplace.
Choose the Best Time Setting for your Novel • Career Authors Editor Dana Isaacson says determining the time setting for your novel may be crucial to its ultimate success.
Dazzle Publishers with your Book Proposal • Career Authors When selling your non-fiction project, the best book proposals get the best advances.
Editors on Omniscient POV: Whose Story is This? • Career Authors Should career authors use an Omniscient POV? Top freelance editors discuss the pros, cons, and unique challenges of this surprisingly tricky approach.
6 Tips to Manage Your Book Editor• Career Authors Examining the most intense of editorial relationships, editor Dana Isaacson offers career authors tips on protecting their sanity while successfully collaborating with publishing house editors.
Writing Books for Us and Them: Diversity for Writers, Readers, and Publishers • Career Authors Including alternative views and dialogue on tough issues is one way career authors can help bridge our country's great cultural divide.
Hear This: The Audio Market’s on Fire!•Career Authors The remarkable growth of the audiobook market offers new creative opportunities for career authors, and possibly increased revenues. Industry wisdom from our own Dana Isaacson.
Chasing Book Trends … or Not•Career Authors Some career authors track the latest trends when searching for a bestselling novel topic. Editor Dana Isaacson discusses this potentially profitable but risky strategy.
Winning Readers on the Last Page•Career Authors A novel’s ending is as important as its start. Editor Dana Isaacson urges writers to end with a bang, not a whimper.
Write What You Love, Love What You Write •Career Authors Successful fiction writing is more than just skillful craftsmanship. Harder to come by but just as important are passion and imagination. What it takes to make your book authentic, from editor Dana Isaacson.
Avoid These 7 Editorial Turnoffs •Career Authors You want an acquisition editor to judge your submitted book on its merits rather than be annoyed or distracted by avoidable gaffes. Editor Dana Isaacson drills down to editorial missteps that could annoy when you want to impress.
Let's Talk! Writing Effective Dialogue •Career Authors Want to write the most best dialogue possible? Saying it and doing it are two different things. Here are a few strategies to start the conversation
How Publishers (and You) Make Bestselling Books •Career Authors What happens behind closed doors at book publishing houses? Editor Dana Isaacson offers a primer on the in-house processes that create bestsellers.
Length Matters: A Word Count Guide by Genre • Career Authors How long does your future publisher want your novel to be? Editor Dana Isaacson discusses desirable word counts for different genres.
Can No-Advance eBook Contracts Be a Good Deal? • Career Authors No-advance publishing contracts are now commonplace among eBook authors, but is profit sharing good for a career author?
Five Self Editing Essentials To Perfect Your Novel • Career Authors Polish it until it gleams. Editor Dana Isaacson provides five self-editing tips to make your novel shine.
How to Hear Criticism• Career Authors Constructive criticism is a writer's best friend. How to handle it even when the author and editor don’t agree.
What type of editor do you need?• Career Authors Different types of book editors perform distinct tasks. Dana Isaacson explains the nuts and bolts of the editing process.
Where were you when you read that book? • Career Authors Books can sometimes become associated with the place where they were read. Career Authors contributors share a few of their literary place memories.
A Quiz: Who Is Your Literary Mentor? • Career Authors For a career author, ignoring the giants of the literary pantheon is done at your peril. Nevertheless, for giggles, what follows is an extremely *not* scientific quiz to identify your writing guru.
Numbers that Matter in Book Publishing • Career Authors What numbers add up to success for career authors? Editor Dana Isaacson discusses figures good and bad.
Is 99¢ too cheap a price for your book? • Career Authors Discount retailers like Bookbub and Riffle sell millions of eBooks. Editor Dana Isaacson discusses whether or not book promotions with bargain basement prices are good for an author’s career.
Revealed: The Pleasures and Perils of Publishing Lunches • Career Authors Grab a seat across from editor Dana Isaacson and hear what actually happens during publishing lunches, a literary tradition beloved by both editors and career authors.
Five Book Contract Terms Authors Should Know• Career Authors Baffling legalese may be standard in today’s book contracts, but editor Dana Isaacson offers an intro to key terms.
Getting the Best Blurb for your Book • Career Authors Writers fantasize about the perfect blurb from their literary idols appearing on their book’s cover, but editor Dana Isaacson stresses the importance of getting the right blurb, and what that can do for your book.
Tips from a Celebrity Ghostwriter • Career Authors Those who can’t write…hire ghostwriters! Editor Dana Isaacson reveals tricks of this lucrative trade from a successful celebrity ghostwriter.
A Book Editor’s Work is Never Done • Career Authors At big publishing houses, a book editor’s workload is literally mind-boggling. Here's why authors may be kept waiting ... and waiting.
Are there Gay Writers? Ask Bestselling Author Rita Mae Brown • Career Authors Is "gay writer" a meaningful label? Rita Mae Brown, pioneering author of Rubyfruit Jungle, answers.
Genre Writers: Do Your Homework! • Career Authors Genre fiction is the hardworking engine keeping publishing alive; its authors don’t always receive the praise and recognition they deserve.
Dear Author, No Thanks • Career Authors Rejection letters are the bane of an author’s existence. Oftentimes these letters’ message is a simple one.
Legendary Skills: What Makes a Great Editor? • Career Authors Editor Dana Isaacson shares lessons learned from book publishing legends.
Covers That Sell • Career Authors For instructive purposes, editor Dana Isaacson judges books by their covers, exploring which are more likely to sell… and why.
Less Is More: Cogent Fiction Writing • Career Authors The most effective writers often use the fewest words. Guidance and advice for scribes seeking greater clarity, faster pacing and a more commercial style.
