Writing and Editing

Writing humor is a skill that can be learned. This is good news for those who've never been designated the funny one in any group. But we all have a sense of humor; we love to laugh and make people laugh and, with the advice here, you’ll have the framework for writing a book that does just that.

Dystopian literature, a subgenre of speculative fiction, has always been like a mirror, capturing society's worries and evolving to reflect the unique concerns of each era. Timeless classics like 1984, Brave New World, and The Handmaid’s Tale set the standard for bleak, cautionary storytelling, and the genre surged again in the 2010s with young adult hits like The Hunger Games and Divergent. As a result, many readers began to feel dystopian fatigue, citing predictable plots and overused tropes.

Now that dystopian fiction is making a big comeback—how can you find the right balance between grit, hope, and realism in your story that will keep readers engaged?

If you’ve been creating content—whether blog posts, social media updates, or podcast episodes—you may already have the building blocks for a compelling book. Transforming your content into a book is a great way to share your ideas, build your credibility, and really connect with your audience on a more personal level.

This guide is here to help you, from taking a fresh look at your existing content to turning it into a polished manuscript and getting it ready for publication. With a little creativity and organization, you can transform your work into a book that resonates with readers and serves as a lasting testament to your expertise.

This season, give a gift that fuels their passion for storytelling!

As the year quickly comes to a close, it's time once again to begin holiday shopping. Whether you know a self-published author, or you are one, this insightful guide is filled with excellent gift ideas to support an author's path in writing, publishing, marketing, and selling books.

Black Friday 2024 is on November 29 this year, and many retailers will offer deals through the weekend and into Cyber Monday on December 2! 

Check out these great deals for writers that are available this year for Black Friday:

America's obsession with true crime isn't new. One of the earliest known stories of crime involves the murder of a government official dating back to 1800 BCE in Ancient Egypt. People have been drawn to the darker side of human nature that presents itself in true tales of horrific crimes for ages. 

With the publication of such books as In Cold Blood (1966) and Helter Skelter (1974), however, the genre became popular with more and more people. Since that time, it has evolved and branched out into all forms of media. 

If you're interested in trying your hand at writing for the true crime genre, here are some tips to get you started. 

Bad dialogue can pull a reader out of the story faster than almost anything else. If it’s boring, unnatural, or no one can tell who’s talking, they’re likely to put the book down or at least skip to the next narration. On the other hand, good dialogue keeps them fully invested and turning the pages right til the end.

Readers have loved mystery novels for centuries, but what exactly makes for a compulsively readable mystery? What is it that makes someone want to finish “just one more chapter,” no matter what time it is? There are many aspects of a mystery that draw readers in, but a well-planned, slow-roll reveal of clues and evidence will keep readers guessing until the very end.

By and large, the romantasy genre has been booming for some time, and it doesn't look to be slowing down any time soon. The genre offers a mix of magical escapism and romantic relationships that readers are drawn to, and it's attracting fans of both fantasy and romance in droves.

Not only has romance readership itself developed into a full-scale fandom as the landscape begins to look more and more like ComicCon (The Washington Post), but #romantasy videos have more than 800 million views on TikTok. In 2024 alone, one out of every four bestsellers was romantasy. (Bloomberg) 

If you want to write something truly unique that will also serve to grow your brand as an author consider writing a memoir. No one has the same story as you or will be able to tell it in your style. Your fans want to get to know you, and you can go much deeper in a memoir than in blog articles or social media posts. As an independent author, your brand is you. 

Almost all writers realize the value of feedback and editing from others. While a few may write only for themselves, most want others to see, and enjoy, their work and to know how their work is received. For authors preparing to publish their book, the process often involves others such as friends, family, beta readers, editors, and maybe a mentor. This group should also include other writers, especially those who have published before. Don’t miss out on the value of peer input.

Being a part of a writing group is a great idea and can be very beneficial to your work…but how do you find one? We have some great resources to share to help you on your journey toward reaping the benefits associated with joining a writing group. 

Writing and self-publishing are not solitary endeavors as some might assume. Sitting alone in front of a computer can only get you so far. If you're struggling to get your words onto the page or to cross the finish line and self-publish your book, joining a writing group can help.

I am the first to admit that writing about controversial topics in children’s books can be a little scary. In 2017, I self-published my first book- - a children’s picture book. Not a happy, fluffy unicorn with rainbows type of book; a book about a very real and serious topic. One of those topics you really don’t want to have with your kids, but you know it’s your responsibility to do so. My book, “Momma, Did You Hear the News?,” helps parents have the difficult conversation known in the African-American community as “the talk.” It helps kids remember what to do if approached by law enforcement.  

Some of the best books in the world already exist, pretty much fully formed, inside the author’s head. And there they stay, keeping you up at night while you think of more ways to explain your concept, rewriting it all inside your head. At some point, you realize that it’s been quite a long time and nothing has actually come out. You have so many ideas but you don’t know where to start with writing them all down. 

Updated October 24, 2024

There's an unspoken hope that at 12:01 am on January 1, 2025, a "magic wand" will somehow conclude the trying times of the past year and steer us back toward normalcy.

Nonetheless, we have this moment to reflect on 2024 and anticipate a fresh beginning, so today I present five New Year’s resolutions every author should consider for 2025.

Updated October 23, 2024

‘Tis the season to be jolly... and productive. With the hustle and bustle of the approaching holiday season, it can be easy to push aside your writing productivity as you focus on all the festivities.

Our world needs memoirs.

It needs individuals who are willing to share the honest reality of who they are and the things they’ve experienced. When someone chooses to read a memoir, it means they’re searching for something. They’re searching for understanding, to gain perspective or insight, and they’re hoping to find something within your story that they can resonate with—perhaps something that gives them hope. 

Think about a book you loved. I'll bet my own weight in Harry Potter or Jack Reacher novels that it was a character that earned your love. Maybe several characters. A group of friends. A family. A pair of lovers. A man and his sworn enemy. A boy and a kestrel.

Why do we make such a fuss about dialogue? I’m going to give three reasons, and then share some ways dialogue can take your story to the next level.

By its very definition, any kind of creative writing is subjective. Yet, there are understood and recognized rules to be followed…and then broken by those writers who have good reasons for doing so. Despite the relative creative license allowed to writers, there are some things that should be avoided in almost all cases. Everyone’s got an opinion on what these are, but here are three simple writing tips, each in different categories.

Want to instantly capture readers? No matter who you are or what genre your book falls into—nothing beats getting engrossed in a book description that leaves a reader wanting more. Short and long book descriptions both serve a purpose—to make you and your book look good. Before you start writing, here are a few things you need to know.

Successful nonfiction writing calls for more than just conveying information to your reader. Not only do you need to know how to deliver that information, but your writing should also be clear and easy to read. And just because you’re writing nonfiction doesn’t mean you shouldn’t engage your reader with a gripping story and impactful language. These nonfiction writing tips will help you steer clear of some of the most common mistakes made by nonfiction authors, who may think that all they have to do is present the facts.

Updated November 4, 2024

Mark Twain once said, "The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction." That may sound like a tall task, but you already know that writing is hard work and the hardest part of the process is the editing. If you want to help yourself get through your revisions faster and with more confidence, follow these essential writing tips when working on your first draft.

Adding a quote to your book or website has been a popular trend for a while now. It's an excellent way to capture the essence of your writing in a few words and set the tone for what's to come. However, using quotes in your published work can be tricky, and it's best you know the rules beforehand.

Did you know writing poetry can improve your overall writing skills? Even if you don’t consider yourself a poet, writing poetry challenges your diction; ability to be concise, use of imagery, rhythm and storytelling skills.

Some indie writers use beta readers and colleagues rather than professional editing and proofreading services, because it can be far less expensive to go without formal edits, and many indies—understandably!—would like to ease the costs of professional edits. While starting with beta readers is a fantastic idea, going without professional book editing altogether is a mistake.

If a book’s dedication is the opportunity to blow someone a kiss, a book’s acknowledgment feels more like the sort of welcoming hug one might give someone they care about after a long journey. There’s a distinction between the two. It comes down to breadth.  Let's break down how to write book acknowledgments. 

Ah, research. For some authors, it is the bane of their existence, and for others, their bread and butter. Whether or not one takes any particular pleasure in it, research is integral to any writing process.

I first encountered the term ‘beta reader’ while reading Harry Potter fanfiction online. From the author notes, I surmised that beta readers were the first people to read a story, and that they helped to polish them into finished pieces. I assumed that a beta reader was like an editor, but not paid.

I eventually learned that beta readers are not unpaid editors, but serve a key purpose in the writing process nonetheless. In fact, I’d had beta readers before and didn’t even know it! 

When it comes to authors deciding how to write a book dedication, there’s often a lot of giving thanks. There are funny proclamations, curt pithiness, esoteric wit, or the occasional coy flirt. There are greetings and salutations. Yes, yes, when it comes to authors dedicating their books, there runs a whole gamut of affection, charm, and innuendo.

Fanfiction is a word that is being bandied about more and more in the publishing industry. But what is it exactly? Fanfiction is basically writing a book in another author’s “world.” You use some of their characters and locations and weave them into your own story. Of course you can’t just write this kind of story and publish it on your own, without the approval and blessing from the original author (you don’t want to be accused of plagiarism or “stealing” another author’s ideas and characters). So how does fanfiction work?

As humans, we are addicted to stories. We spend our days telling our own and hearing the stories of others. We then go to sleep at night and our imagination continues to tell story after story. The magic never stops. However, are you listening to that magic or pushing it aside? This being said, in a world where we crave stories, how are you telling yours?

Have you ever read a book that left you in a daze? One of those truly magical reads that leaves you feeling as though you’ve just come back from a walk in the woods at twilight, the scent of pine needles still fresh in your mind.

Whether you are working on your next novel or writing short stories for the sake of writing short stories, there are a number of things that can make the process of writing them a bit easier.

Working with an editor is one of the most important decisions you'll make when it comes to publishing a book. So how do you know when you're ready to send your draft to an editor? How do you choose the right editor? And when do you trust your own writing style over your editor's suggested revisions? Find out all the answers you need to understand the editing process.

The fantasy genre in literature, especially that of the Young Adult (YA) age group, is a constantly changing and maneuvering beast of new ideas, expanding themes, widening horizons, and tedious design—not only inside but outside of the book. 

Let’s skip to the point. You’ve already decided on a few things: you like stories (mainly of the suspense-thriller variety), want to write your own, and want to publish something for a wider audience. The only hang-up is you’re not quite sure how to go about it all, right?

Suspense is holding your breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Take a second to picture that moment. Notice how your body tenses; you may clench your teeth or curl your toes up. Make a note for later.

Suspense is about heightened emotions. Do you want to have your reader breathless, stressed, intrigued, wondering what’s happening and what’s going to happen next? If you do, then you need to understand and utilize suspense.

“Kids don’t read books anymore.”

How many times have you heard someone say those words in the last ten years? With phones, tablets, TVs, smartwatches, VR headsets, and Siri chatting away in the background, it can seem like an impossible task to entice a child to sit down and read a book for a few hours or even a few minutes.

“What’s the secret sauce?”

“How did you know where to begin?”

“How did you know you would be successful?”

These are all questions I was asked after I wrote my book, and they all come back to the following: How do you embark on a personal venture to change a part of the world, no matter how big or how small it is, through your writing?

When we need guidance on how to write, there is nothing quite like a book from an author we admire. Which other format could be more appropriate for sharing wisdom about our beloved craft?

What’s the big deal about editing? You add some periods, delete a few commas, run spellcheck, and voila, you’ve just edited a book—well done! Nope. It takes years of dedication to the craft before editors develop the necessary skills to help authors say precisely what they want to say in the most effective, affecting way possible.

When I was nine years old, my fourth-grade teacher read a story to our class about a boy and his two hunting dogs in the Ozark Mountains. Where the Red Fern Grows did more than make me teary-eyed; it filled my young mind with wonder, imagination, and inspiration. 

Emotionally driven love scenes can be a powerful part of any story in any genre. And in a romance novel, they are even more key, because the love scenes can and should inform the arcs of both the characters and their relationship, letting readers understand more deeply both what is pulling these characters close… and also what is keeping them apart. So how do you accomplish that?

We all have tasks that we enjoy doing, some we don’t mind doing, and some we dread. Many of us put off doing those tasks that we dread. In fact, almost everyone procrastinates sometimes. Up to 95% of people report that they occasionally procrastinate. However, studies reveal that 20% of people are chronic procrastinators.

Updated December 30, 2024

The holiday season is winding down, and a brand new year is on the horizon! Is this the year you're finally going to write and publish that book you've had in the back of your mind for so long? Or have you been planning to make some much-needed revisions to a book you published years ago? Well, this is the time to make those plans a reality. 

Whether you're creating a list of goals around writing, wanting to make networking a priority for next year, or thinking of changing up your marketing strategy, it's time to make the leap and go for it. We’ve put together a list of New Year’s Resolutions for writers that will make your dreams to a reality.

Writing is a journey. Sometimes, we could all use little extra motivation! Are you ready to challenge yourself to do more? Learn more about IngramSpark's 30-Day Writing Challenge and join a community of people improving their writing skills, one day at a time. 

Most writers will tell you that writing nonfiction is easier than writing fiction. This is the good news. The less good news: that doesn’t mean it’s less work to write a nonfiction book. While fiction writers often use a basic outline and then go wherever the story and characters take them, nonfiction takes careful planning before you even start writing. To get you started, these steps explain the basic process of how to write a nonfiction book.

Cozy mystery (or cosy mystery, in British English) is the gentlest subset of the broad genre of crime writing. As its name suggests, it’s a comfort read that leaves you satisfied and at one with the world, rather than scared to sleep alone with the lights out.

Updated February 11, 2025

Writing is a journey, and many people use writing to heal old wounds. It's important to work through the pain so you can craft a helpful version of your story to share with readers. Are you ready for that next step? Everyone can write about painful experiences by following these three steps.

Every author has their own way of outlining. Some want minimal detail, some want a lot. Some keep the same outline process for every book they write. Some change from book to book—a new method for a new writing experience. Is there anything they all have in common? Yes, they do.

At least once a week, I get an email that reads something like "I found the perfect image for my book on the internet. Can I use it, as long as I give credit to the photographer?" or "I have the best song to set a scene in my book. Can I quote the song lyrics?" In order to answer these questions, we have to understand "fair use." 

Over the years, quite a few business owners, entrepreneurs, and CEOs have come to me asking for help writing a book. Sometimes it's a memoir; other times, it can be prescriptive nonfiction or even inspiration. You may be wondering why this would be a good use of your time—but trust me, there's huge potential to grow your business by writing and self-publishing a book. Here are several different reasons CEOs should write a book.

Being an indie author is one of the most rewarding jobs there is. But it’s far from an easy one. You have to wear dozens of hats: writer, publisher, and marketer to name a few. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and struggle to prioritise. After all, you can’t market books without… well, books. But you can’t write more books unless you’re earning enough to eat.

When I tell people I'm a ghostwriter, I often hear "I've been working on a book forever." Maybe you have a great book premise, and you just need to get it written. People who hire ghostwriters have a desire to write a book, but there are two things standing in their way—time and experience writing.

As an author you’ve probably been told to look at competing titles through multiple stages of your journey from writing, to publishing, to book promotion. Competing book titles can be lucrative references for cover design, book-length, choosing your categories and keywords, pricing your book, determining the best strategies for marketing to potential buyers in your genre or topic, and more!

So you’ve completed a draft of your manuscript! Congratulations!

What’s next? 

Before sending your manuscript out, you’ll want to edit it to correct your mistakes. While editing your own manuscript might seem daunting or hard to manage, it’s perfectly possible to edit all by yourself. In this article, we’ll share our five best tips for editing your manuscript… without an editor.

"There are some really good reasons that many writers maybe might not want to have a few too many sticky sentences in their personal or professional writing." 

Are you ready to abandon this post? With an opening sentence like that, I wouldn't blame you. We call that a "sticky sentence." It’s grammatically correct, but it's clunky and hard to follow. It wobbles around before it gets to the point, and it includes irrelevant information that should be cut. In this post, we’ll explore how you can identify (and repair) sticky sentences in your writing.

Self-publishing is booming, and with this transition comes a plethora of organisations worldwide offering author services to writers. But what if your budget doesn't extend to a professional editor, typesetter, cover designer, and so forth? Does this mean your book will not meet industry standards, be of poor quality, or sadly never be published? Absolutely not.

You've had an idea for a novel...but can you write it? You won't know until you try, and therein lies the problem. There's trying…and then there's trying with a good chance of succeeding. Here are some tactics that will make a difference when you sit down to write a novel.

After a series of recent controversies over fact-checking in book publishing, the question of accuracy is facing more scrutiny than ever. Becoming known as the focus of a book fact-checking controversy is the wrong kind of publicity for any author—and newer authors looking to establish themselves have even more to prove. In self-publishing, the accountability for fact-checking falls squarely on the author (as with just about every other step of the publishing process), and often traditional publishing companies leave the author just as responsible for the accuracy of their work—including any legal consequences. Part of being an author is making sure your information is accurate, and this post will help you get started.

It’s common to think how easy it must be to write children’s books, dreaming of a shiny pile of colourful book covers, hoping that your children’s book is the one that parents roll their eyes at because their children ask for it again and again and again! Well, the bad news is that it is NOT that easy. Here are six tips to help you navigate the world of writing children’s books:

Authors often ask me how to get that magic piece of writing at the beginning of the book. You know the one, where Mother Teresa tells the world what a fabulous person you are, and how the world will be a better place with your book in it. This little piece of heaven is called the foreword for a book.

So many times, indie authors are thrilled to be “done” writing their book! The book is ready to go to print if all the words are down on paper, right? Well, after you have sent your book to your interior formatter or book designer, there is still one very important last step for you as the author...before you upload the file to your IngramSpark account. You must proofread the book.

I’m in a torrid love affair with romance novels. The headstrong heroines, the misunderstood heroes, and the happily ever afters are everything I could possibly want in a good book. I devour them. And I’m not ashamed to read the paperback (cover out!) on the train during my commute. Another reason I love romance novels so fiercely is that they go hand-in-hand with self-publishing. I spend my days helping self-published authors share their books with the world, and most of those authors write romance. This is no coincidence, and here are five reasons why:

A recipe book is deceptive. It looks so simple: you put together all the recipes you’ve created, add a cover with a delicious photo, and voila! Move over Nigela Lawson! Yes, it’s undeniable that recipe books take less to put together than some other genres, but they still need structure, consistency, and pace.

Storytelling is not a colour-by-numbers exercise. We want to be original. However, even the most rule-breaking story has certain fundamental patterns. If we understand what they are, we can be outlandish and creative—and still know we’re building a satisfying experience for the reader. What are those patterns?

To every writer who tells me, “It’s not about the money,” I first say, “Good.” (Something like 1 percent of writers are able to support themselves through writing.) Next, I say, “Think like a publisher.” Some authors aren’t keen to view their books as commodities, but books are products, and it’s best to make financial decisions with a publisher’s mindset.

As authors, many of us secretly wish book marketing would just magically happen. We’d rather focus on writing and producing books than try to figure out how to sell them. Unfortunately, book sales don’t just happen. We have to do the work. This is why we should discuss blogging for authors.

Updated December 9, 2024

Editing is one of those skill sets that many people claim to do well but which few actually do. And while it’s probably the most important service an author can seek out (second only to book cover design), it’s often undervalued. Most authors have no idea how to assess an editor’s work, which can lead to disastrous outcomes, such as an editor adding new mistakes or altering the original intent of your writing.

You’ve got your book ready to go, but it’s time to consider the auxiliary writing you must do in order to support the publication of your masterpiece! Now that the writing is “done,” it is time to write your author bio.

If you want to write a truly chilling horror story that scares the bejeebers out of readers, there are a few key elements that need careful consideration. It can be easy to assume that all you need to do is push the limits. However, if you read some of the best authors in the genre, you will see that more gore is not always the key to writing great horror.

Having a book production schedule filled with the right tasks in the right order, will not only result in a professionally produced product and enough time to plan your release, but will also reduce your stress, and ensure you’re not throwing your book into the sky and hoping for the best. Breaking the process into parts makes it easier to focus on one thing at a time and get each step right without getting overwhelmed.

Updated November 6, 2024

A book’s title is extremely important. According to Thomas Nelson publishers, research shows that consumers look at a book’s title first and foremost when the author’s name is taken out of the mix (well-known authors are sometimes the deciding factor in purchasing a book). However, coming up with a compelling book title can be arduous, time-consuming work. Here are some guidelines to help you craft a compelling, memorable title for your book.

Expanding to a new language market is a huge and exciting step for indie authors. By translating your book into a new language, you give it the potential to expand its reach to hundreds of thousands of new readers. You should be aware, however, that translation is only one step in the process of bringing your book to a new audience.

Who cares? is one of the most common assaults memoir writers are subjected to, and it’s usually lobbed at them by their own inner critic. Memoir writers face critical voices—their own and others’—who state that the story/message/idea is trivial, boring, not worth sharing. It’s so important for memoirists to get past these messages in order to set free the story that wants to be told. Here are some tips for memoir writers, especially those struggling with their inner critics, whose primary goal is to engage readers.

Have you ever found yourself waiting for the next book in a series to come out? And the next one after that? Book series tend to sell a lot of books and they can also help build an author's platform. When compelling characters are engaged in exciting storylines, readers look forward to finding out what happens to them even if they have to wait for another book. If you haven't already thought about writing a book series, consider why you might want to and how to do it. 

Page one matters to book buyers. The book cover is the hook, pulling readers in, the book description gives an idea of the kind of book it is, and then what? We take a peek at how the book starts—what it feels like to read this book. That’s where the final decision is made: in the opening lines. 

Before setting up I­_AM Self-Publishing, I spent years working at a trade publisher and a literary agency, so I have seen just how many hoops authors need to jump through to get a publishing deal. In fact, one of the reasons I moved into self-publishing is because it became very difficult to get a publishing contract for a debut author, no matter how good they were. Here are reasons why literary agents and publishers reject books.

Updated December 2, 2024

A book’s subtitle is a powerful complement to its title, providing context, hooking readers, and conveying the book’s essence. Its purpose varies by genre—clarifying the book’s intent, highlighting themes, or boosting discoverability with keywords. A strong subtitle bridges curiosity and understanding, guiding readers to connect with your work.

The book editing process is highly personal and it's important to know what you're getting into before you begin. Here are a few frequently asked questions about the book editing process to help authors better understand what to expect.

The back cover copy you write for your book is among the most important marketing messages you’ll craft. It’s the essence of your book’s most exciting features, distilled into a few hundred words. It typically serves as the foundation for your online book descriptions, as well as any press releases or pitches you make to the media. It will get re-used and re-fashioned for dozens of purposes. Whatever labor you expend on perfecting it will reward you in the long run.

Writer’s fatigue and writer’s block are similar concepts. Whereas blocks can happen at any point in the writing process, even before you’ve begun, fatigue normally occurs after extended periods of writing. The condition is frustrating, emotionally draining, and affects confidence.