Real Talk for Writers

In order to build a career as a novelist, you need to write--and publish--multiple books over time.

This is true no matter how many copies any particular book sells. Whether you make it onto a bestseller list or a grand total of ten people buy your novel in the first year, your next step is always ...

After playing around in the author portal last week for the Real Talk issue on royalty statements, I dug a little deeper to explore the impact of new releases on the sales of previous books. The findings were interesting, so I decided to share them with all of you.

Before I dive in, an important ca...

This week's issue of Real Talk for Writers came as a request from a few debut authors that I know. There is so rarely transparency when it comes to sales numbers (author Jason June being one of the rare exceptions -- the royalty posts on his newsletter inspired some of my formatting this week), whic...

Regular celebration is essential to crafting a burnout-free, sustainable fiction career.

Yet celebration is also the most commonly skipped -- or delayed -- parts of the process I teach.

Authors will tell me that it's "too soon" to celebrate when they get a new book deal because it's not "officia...

Many stages in publishing are emotionally fraught, and that is especially true for going on sub with a new project.

This is true whether whether you're trying to sell your debut novel, come back from a gap in your books, making a career pivot, or taking a book out wide after a disappointing experie...

If you're struggling with burnout, taking a break from writing can be really useful.

When you reach a point where the thought of writing feels genuinely exhausting, giving yourself a couple weeks (or more!) where you pause all writing tasks to rest and refill your creative well can be incredibly us...

"I have this really great idea for a novel -- you should write it for me!"

"I'd love to write a book. If only I had the time!" 

"You should turn your book into a movie! And then cast me. And all my friends."

"What do you mean I don't get a free copy? I'm your sister's best friend's third cousin t...

Before I dive into today's Real Talk for Writers, just a quick note: I am not a financial advisor, accountant, or tax pro. Everything I'm sharing today is simply advice I wish I had followed earlier in my career. Please check with your own tax/financial pros to see what makes the best sense for your...

Something must be in the air, because over the past few weeks alone, I've supported half-a-dozen authors through the process of breaking up with their agents.

Since I've had so many of these conversations recently -- including "is this really bad enough to be worth leaving" and "how exactly do I do...

As an industry, publishing tends to be shrouded in mystery. Especially when it comes to numbers. 

It’s rare for authors to talk publicly about how much money they make or how many copies of their books they sell.

There’s lots of euphemisms: “Oh, it was a fairly small advance” or “the book did okay...