by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28 “What is the felt need of your target audience?” I heard that question again and again at writers’ conferences. “Know what the felt need is, and write about it.” Great advice. But the phrase “felt need” seemed fuzzy in my brain. What exactly is it, and…

by Ane Mulligan  @AneMulligan Brand and voice. Two words tossed about the industry with regularity. Yet, what are they actually, and how do you go about finding your voice and establish a brand? Finding Voice When I read Finding Your Voice, by Les Edgerton, a light bulb turned on for…

by Lynn Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn I recently returned from a vacation where for three days I didn’t do much of anything but read. It was glorious. I loved the books I brought with me. I inhaled them. I fell in love with the characters and the places and the ideas. And then…

by A.C. Williams @ACW_Author When did being an author get so complicated? At least, it feels more complicated now than it has ever been. There’s more data to track, more analytics to record, more marketing strategies to learn, the list can go on and on. It is a huge challenge…

by Alycia Morales @AlyciaMorales In the process of writing a nonfiction book that is near and dear to my heart, I’ve set many deadlines for myself to finish it. And missed every one. As I’ve been working diligently to finish it this time, I’ve found myself discouraged, wondering why it’s…

By Aaron Gansky @ADGansky You hear writers often mention the “fictive dream.” John Gardner called it a “vivid and continuous dream.” It’s a term used to describe a simple principle: no one wants to read a book. There, I said it. Man, it feels good to get that off my…