Getting offered a publishing deal is exciting. After months or years of writing, revising, submitting and waiting, somebody finally wants to publish your book. Which makes this a moment where it would be extremely easy to stop thinking clearly. The publishing contract...
What is lampshading in fiction? Lampshading in fiction is where the writer points out an implausibility, coincidence or contradiction within the narrative, often in the hope that acknowledging it will make the reader accept it. Two characters discuss the events of the...
I assessed a promising romance novel. There was a lot to like, as the author was a competent writer at line level. It was an earlyish draft with a few substantial but not insuperable issues: that’s what rewrites are for, and what manuscript assessments exist to...
Book categories and book genres matter because they help agents, publishers, booksellers and readers understand what kind of book you’ve written, and who it’s for. They help authors find suitable literary agents and comparable titles, help publishers position and...
Yes, it’s a cliché…but isn’t that because it’s mostly true? There’s a literary joke so well-established we barely even need to explain for everyone to get it. You’ll have seen the memes. If you’ve been around the bookish internet for a while you’ve probably...
When good books don’t sell, it could be because ‘quite sellable’ isn’t good enough anymore ‘I think this manuscript might have found a publisher ten years ago, but I’m not convinced it stands out enough in today’s market.’ I know as I write this sentence...
Many writers strive to create realistic fiction, believing that realism automatically makes a story more believable. But realistic fiction and believable fiction are not the same thing. One surprising thing I sometimes say during a manuscript assessment is that...
You’ve probably heard that every character needs flaws. That is true, but incomplete. Flaws can make readers love the flawed character, or they can make readers stop caring what happens to them. The difference isn’t the flaw itself, but how it’s...
Getting vague or confusing feedback from beta readers? The problem may not be that they don’t know what’s wrong with your manuscript. It could be they’re trying very hard not to hurt your feelings. Something I hear often from writers is that they need better or more...
If your novel isn’t working and you keep rewriting the plot, you’re probably avoiding the real problem I commonly hear from writers that they’ve rewritten the plot three times. Or five. Or ten. They’ve added new twists. Removed subplots. Changed the...
