The ongoing success of Colleen Hoover, whose novels straddle categories including new adult and YA, and the more recent frenzy over Rebecca Yarros, published by new adult imprint Red Tower Books at Entangled Publishing, beg the question: Is new adult making a comeback?
Read MoreI’m delighted to share my interview with author Cliff Burke. Cliff and I worked together on a partial manuscript critique of his middle grade novel An Occasionally Happy Family back in 2018. Since then he landed an agent, two book deals with Clarion Books (now a division of HarperCollins), and he has several more projects in the pipeline.
What’s inspiring about Cliff’s story is that he “did not have any connections or real understanding of how the agenting process worked,” as he explained. So he took a methodical approach when sending out query letters, and it worked! Learn about Cliff's publishing journey here.
Read MoreIf you’ve been querying agents for a while, you know that finding representation can be more challenging than finding a publisher. You’ve likely been searching for an agent because most publishers, namely corporate publishers that can offer authors a substantial advance against royalties, don’t generally accept unagented submissions. But several independent and university presses welcome submissions directly from authors.
Here is a list of publishers that don’t just accept unsolicited submissions; they also offer what I think is the best prize of all: publication of your work in book form. Some include an advance and/or cash award in addition to publication. A few have deadlines coming up in January or February, but there’s still time to apply.
Read MoreLooking for a way to hone your writing craft in a group setting? See this is list of 18 writing conferences, retreats, workshops, and other events for fiction writers that are taking place January - May 2024. It’s by no means exhaustive (it doesn’t include classes) and is not necessarily limited to fiction writers (some events are for nonfiction writers and poets, too). But since I focus on editing novels for adults and children, both literary and genre, I’ve tailored this list to these writers.
Read More"Ask the Editor” was a column that published on Jane Friedman’s website in 2022-2023 for writers’ questions about the editing process and editors themselves. It also featured first-page critiques. My critiques for this column will give you a sense of my writing style and editorial approach.
Photo by Alice AliNari
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