Writing and Publishing News

Guest Blogger: Stuart Horwitz As a writer who writes about writing, I can get just as fancy as the next guy when it comes to discussing techniques, and shades of techniques, with clients and students. But sometimes I think it’s worthwhile to go back to basics and ask ourselves: what do we really need to [...]

Yesterday, I finally took time to straighten my workspace. I dusted and cleaned and organized. I even tackled the piles of paperwork, statements, receipts, emails, notes to self, research material, orders, bills and so forth and filed it all in my massive filing cabinet. Much better. I don’t know about you, but when my surroundings [...]

I am constantly learning something about my way of handling things. Maybe I am constantly changing the way I handle things. I keep pretty busy with running SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), writing, editing for other authors, promoting my books in a variety of ways and so forth. I also have a life [...]

Now that I am dabbling in the area of novel-writing, I can understand a bit about why authors change the names of their characters. Sometimes it takes a while to settle on a name that fits the character’s personality and that doesn’t conflict with other names you use throughout your story. Sometimes you decide to [...]

I teach several online courses. One of them is a Freelance Article-Writing Course. This course is designed for those who want to make money writing articles and for those who want to promote their books through article-writing. Check out the course here: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm What my students learn through this course is that freelance article-writing is [...]

I sometimes get to teach my online article-writing course. I love helping good writers channel their energies and talents in a way that computes into cash. More than that, I like watching writers finally see their work in print—to hold a magazine with their article and their byline right there on the printed page. Is [...]

I heard a radio interview with a policeman last week. He said that serving as a peace officer was his passion. He couldn’t imagine doing anything else with his life. I realize that some of us are “called” to do certain types of work, such as nursing, fighting crime, volunteering within the community, building things, [...]

Are you writing or thinking about writing a children’s book? It’s not as easy as you might think. There are standards and rules for children’s literature. And in children’s book writing, age makes a difference—not your age, but the age of the audience. You need to understand the vocabulary for the age group you are [...]

This morning I received a question about how to turn a dissertation into a book. This student had read my book, “Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author.” Here’s my response: “Thank you for your interest in my work. You asked about the process of turning a dissertation into a book. [...]

This is a question I get once in a while. Some people don’t ask the question, they just assume that they can quit their job and make up the salary by writing the next bestselling novel. Many retirees view their book in progress as their next meal ticket. I have to tell you, it certainly [...]