The Writer

Since 1887 The Writer has provided the motivation, writing techniques, expert tips and compelling author insights that turn good writing into great writing. We’ll help you become a better writer, find markets for your work, understand the business of writing, follow industry news and trends, reach your goals, and more!

The Writer

Prologue

Emerald gems • If you don’t want to pound a pint of Guinness or don green, but you still want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, you can pay a little respect to Irish literary giants with these items.

Do pre-order campaigns really work? • The struggle of achieving the ‘buzzy bestseller.’

Opportunities • Upcoming Calls for Submissions

When social media catches fire • A new author tweeted her feelings about a failed book signing. Things got crazy.

Broadening the Bookshelves • This month, we’re focusing on literature by Anglophone African writers.

Talk to the Practitioner: Chiedozié Dike

The Nightstand

Why we retell stories over and over again. • Writers love taking a familiar story and recasting it with more diverse characters or slightly different circumstances.

All of your BURNING #BookTok QUESTIONS, answered • Everything a writer needs to know about the burgeoning book resource, whether you’re navigating it for business or pleasure.

Where to start • BookTok is like a writerly Wild West. It can be hard to know where to start. Here are a few of our favorite accounts to help you get acquainted with the platform.

BookTok-Approved Recommended Reads

DIGGING DEEP INTO PROCESS • The secret to crafting a sustainable – and sustaining – writing life.

On cookies and rejection • How an author fortifies her professional stamina (and goes on in the face of rejection) through the serenity of baking cookies.

Postscript • PUBLISHING RESOURCES

Gigi Will Know • One thing we must consider when we look at creative work is whether or not we’re slapping unreasonable boundaries on ourselves.