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How to Write a Nonfiction Query Letter

by Emilee Newman Bowles and Lindsay Flanagan The query letter. It’s your audition, your one shot at piquing an agent’s or editor’s interest so they want to see more. And it either thrills you to the tips of your fingers to write it or scares you to your very core....

Writing a Nonlinear Timeline

by Emilee Newman Bowles with Angela Eschler, Adrianne Montoya, and Lindsay Flanagan Have you ever thought about time travel? What if we said it’s possible—well, sort of. We don’t have a DeLorean, and we’re not sure falling through Stonehenge can take you back in time,...

Nonfiction Cover Design—Must Knows & Nots

by Brian Halley with Mike Nash Book-cover design is about getting the reader’s attention (hooking them) and then reeling them in with promises about what transformative and/or emotionally and intellectually exciting experiences they’ll get from the book. If it’s...
Writing Software—Which is Best?

Writing Software—Which is Best?

by Annette Lyon Q. What is the best software to write with? A. USA-Today best-selling author says Scrivener for writing and Microsoft Word for editing.   Writing Time-Saver and Organization Heaven Annette Lyon: I use Scrivener mostly for drafting and revision....

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10 Themes for Writing Your Life Story

10 Themes for Writing Your Life Story

By Emilee Newman Bowles Want to write your life story but don’t know where to start? You’ve learned a lot of lessons in life, and you’ve had experiences you’d like to share with others, whether with family, friends, colleagues, or even complete strangers. But as...

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Defining Creative Nonfiction Categories

Defining Creative Nonfiction Categories

Genre Distinctions So You Can Get Yours Right by Marla Buttars With the publishing industry constantly evolving these days, you may ask the question, “What exactly is creative nonfiction?” And you may wonder if your life history or the lessons you want to leave as...

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How to Write Fight Scenes

How to Write Fight Scenes

By Emilee Newman Bowles Fight scenes are some of the hardest scenes to follow in a book, and so they are some of the hardest to write well. Remember that you’re not writing a screenplay, and readers will get bored with page after page of kicks and punches—or they’ll...

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Writing Software—Which is Best?

Writing Software—Which is Best?

by Annette Lyon Q. What is the best software to write with? A. USA-Today best-selling author says Scrivener for writing and Microsoft Word for editing.   Writing Time-Saver and Organization Heaven Annette Lyon: I use Scrivener mostly for drafting and revision....

read more
10 Themes for Writing Your Life Story

10 Themes for Writing Your Life Story

By Emilee Newman Bowles Want to write your life story but don’t know where to start? You’ve learned a lot of lessons in life, and you’ve had experiences you’d like to share with others, whether with family, friends, colleagues, or even complete strangers. But as...

read more
Defining Creative Nonfiction Categories

Defining Creative Nonfiction Categories

Genre Distinctions So You Can Get Yours Right by Marla Buttars With the publishing industry constantly evolving these days, you may ask the question, “What exactly is creative nonfiction?” And you may wonder if your life history or the lessons you want to leave as...

read more
Feeling overwhelmed or unsure about your book project?
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Boost your confidence with our free author tools.
Feeling overwhelmed or unsure about your book project?
PHEW!