It feels like old home week here at the blog with another debut author interviewee returning to guest post. Today we hear from Kathy Nickerson about developing a marketing plan. How to Brainstorm a Marketing Plan by Kathy Nickerson When a potential publisher told me, “We’d like to offer you a contract for your novel,…
I first met author J.A. Marx this summer when I interviewed her about her debut book, Destiny Defied. During that interview she spoke about publishing industry standards, so I asked her come back and share more. J.A. has made a special offer for my readers with her post today. See the details at the bottom…
Recently I had more than one person comment about their struggle with waiting. I’m talking about the wait between when you submit (or pitch) your work and when you hear back from the editor (or publisher). We all have a different tolerance level for waiting, and the instant society we live in compounds the problem. But we…
It’s the third Friday of the month, time for our Friday Feature author interview. This month’s debut author landed a publisher via a contest. Today I visit with Marie Wells Coutu, author of For Such a Moment, released earlier this year from Write Integrity Press. Welcome, Marie. Thank you for joining us today. How exciting…
One of my favorite parts of being a blogger is interviewing authors. Today Sharon Garlock Spiegel joins us to discuss her new book Generations. Debra: Welcome to the blog, Sharon. Thank you for joining us. First of all, tell us a little about how you became interested in writing. Sharon: The writing just seems to…
Platform, audience, tribe, fans, followers. Call it what you will, today’s writers must market themselves much more than in years past. In fact, there are many aspects of the writing world we must learn—unless you have a budget that allows you to hire someone to handle it. In no special order, here are 11 blogs…
Whether you submit with regularity or not, it’s important to track your submissions. How else will you follow up if you have no record of the magazines and editors (or agents/publishing houses) to whom you have submitted your work? I keep a simple Excel file with the following info: Date submitted Magazine name Editor’s name…
(Updated May 2026) As writers, we must continually seek to improve our skills. It is an ongoing process that can be accomplished in a number of ways to fit anyone’s budget. Here are several options: Participate in a critique group—it’s much easier to see someone else’s weak spots than your own. I’ve learned so much by critiquing…