From Our Blog
Jump Genres—but Not Into the Fire
Have you ever considered changing genres? Or did you try but it turned into an utter non-starter? As I head into my next major genre leap, I asked some fellow jumpers five basic questions about their ideas, successes, and fu—, uh, hard lessons learned.
The jumps Some say that writers’ brains are wild, entropy-driven vortices. Based on the jumps these folks have done, that is an accura…
Estimates vary, but some industry trackers suggest that 5,000–7,000 new books appear on Amazon every day, and a growing number are mass‑produced or algorithmically generated. For working authors, differentiation isn’t just about craft anymore; it’s about visibility, connection, and trust.
Author‑entrepreneur Joanna Penn suggests we “double down on being human.” Here are strategies from NIN…
Oh, how the industry loves a shiny new debut author! And wasn’t instant success the dream for most of us? And longevity! Don’t we all want to be that author whose readers wait with breathless anticipation for our latest and greatest? But while publishers may fall all over themselves for the fresh face or the perennial bestseller, the fact of the matter is, publishers can’t round out their catal…
Overcoming Marketing Roadblocks
Sometimes, I think I might be a little psychic—and not always in a good way.
Earlier this summer, I chose our topics for the fourth quarter of 2025. Marketing dread is something I’ve been thinking about for a while as I hear friends and colleagues gripe about how much they do NOT like that aspect of publishing, so that fit for October. Planning for a new year was also a natural fit for December…
Over the last year or so, I have encountered a ton of writing and publishing professionals, including editors, journalists, and authors, who are feeling, well, a bit stuck. And I felt stagnated myself despite having made several big changes in my life.
Things change all the time, and the future of publishing and authorship is full of uncertainty. It ebbs and flows with market changes, industry …
Three Non-Writing Books That Transformed My Author Business
The author business books we immerse ourselves intend to be related to craft, processes (such as outlining for plotters), or productivity for authors. Those are fine and helpful, but I’ve learned valuable lessons from books that are not author or writing focused and believe it’s beneficial to pull ideas from outside our industry to help build a successful author career.
The following books help…