What's the Difference Between a Book Review and a Testimonial?
Although writers often confuse blurbs, reviews, and testimonials, there is a difference, especially in how they are acquired.
Should I Use a Pen Name?
Whether or not to use a pseudonym is often a personal decision — although legal and safety issues can also come into play. Learn some of the pros and cons of pen names.
Preface, Foreword, Introduction, or Author's Note?
What’s the difference between these different front-matter sections? Here’s the lowdown.
9 Places to Write in LA That Aren't Coffee Shops
I have three requirements for an off-site writing perch. These nine picks meet all three.
Query Letters for Nonfiction Books: Get an Agent Interested BEFORE You Write the Proposal
If you're a nonfiction author who does not yet have an agent, you can save time and energy by sending a query letter to potential agents.
“You Should Write a Book About Your Job!”
Your office horror stories leave your family aghast and your friends in stitches. Everyone says you should write a book about it. Are they crazy, or should you give it a shot?
The Perfect Title for Your Book
I happen to know the most perfect book title ever, but there's one problem: I didn't think it up myself, and the person who did is a friend. She won't let me use it because she believes she's going to write a book to go with it. Meanwhile, this perfect title sits in limbo while...
What Is a Bestseller?
Publishers gamble on books all the time. As a ghostwriter, there's only one thing that haunts me. It's the specter of the bestseller. The authors with whom I work may not dare to say it out loud, but every one of them wonders, “Could my book be a bestseller?” To those who ask me point...