Publishing Archives

What is LitRPG? LitRPG—short for “Literary Role-Playing Game”—is a fantasy and science-fiction subgenre built around worlds governed by explicit game-like mechanics. Characters exist in settings where abilities, power, and progression can be measured, tracked, and often displayed through an in-world interface commonly called “the system.” Unlike stories that merely reference games, LitRPG integ…

A new wave of ‘gentle fantasy’ is captivating readers who crave wonder without the war The first time I spotted Legends & Lattes at my local bookshop, I experienced a flutter of recognition. Here was a fantasy novel about an orc who retires from adventuring to open a coffee shop. No dark lords. No chosen ones. Just someone building a small business and finding community. As a cozy mystery …

  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…

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…

How to find the phrases that sell your books Anyone who’s paid attention to advertising and marketing can tell you that the right phrases and words get a reaction from consumers. And that definitely goes for the marketing of your books. So how can you find the phrases and words that work for you and sell your unique books to your unique audience? What’s the point of your marketing? Marketing is…

When listing their 10 top horror novels for 2024, The New York Times said we’re in a golden age of horror, which is wonderful news for anyone who writes—or wants to write—in the genre. When I got my adult library card at 13, I went straight for the horror section. That’s what I loved to read and also what I wrote. But when I started thinking about writing for publication, I discovered that the …