This month, I was contacted by a publishing services company with an invitation to apply to be part of their network. The email shared that the company had authors who needed “help with their books,” and they were looking for “skilled people to send that work to.” (Note the lack of specificity; what type of “work” […]
How to Spot a Publishing Scam: Seven Warning Signs Read Post »
Today’s letter answers a question I received from a new writer: Q: I would love for one of your blogs to address the path from the first sentence as a new writer to advancing one’s craft to working with an accomplished editor like yourself. How will I know when my craft is “good enough” to approach
Recently, my daughter and I were talking to one of her friends and their parents, and the subject of hobbies came up. When her friend mentioned art classes, my daughter proudly announced, “My mom knows how to paint watercolors!” Everyone turned to look at me. I smiled and thought, but didn’t say: Actually, I only
I Only Paint Leaves: On Watercolor and Writing Read Post »
Between the ages of three and five, my daughter was obsessed with Pete the Cat. On any given day, I’d bet that 94.7% of her thoughts were about Pete the Cat. We read the books every night. We listened to the CDs that came with the books on every car ride. We bought backup Pete
What makes a book ‘good’—and who gets to decide? Read Post »
I completed a marathon yesterday, in my fastest time ever. It was so easy, in fact, that I might do another one today. The best part? Unlike my previous marathon experiences, this one didn’t require 20+ weeks of training and hundreds of miles of preparation. Hydration, blisters, fatigue? No longer concerns. Race fees and competitive
This Post Is Not About Running: Why Coral Hart and Andy Weir Are Wrong About AI Read Post »
If you’ve been keeping up with publishing news, you may have heard about Shy Girl by Mia Ballard, a novel that was recently canceled due to its purported use of generative AI. While this post was prompted by Shy Girl, it is not another rant about generative AI (though I’m happy to write those as well!). Instead, I
One of the fun parts of being a children’s book editor is that I need to be familiar with youth media. In other words, watching kids movies is part of my job. And if you’re writing for children, I’d recommend considering it part of yours, too. So if you haven’t yet watched Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters,
Great Writing Makes Great Movies: Three Takeaways from KPop Demon Hunters Read Post »
Something you may not know about me is that I double majored in English and marketing in college. Beyond the countless group projects and hours using Excel and PowerPoint, being a marketing major also meant creating theoretical advertising campaigns for real products and businesses. It was in one of these classes that I realized that
Preaching to the Choir: On Advertising, AI, and Paper Towels Read Post »
On a recent episode of Top Chef, judge Gail Simmons commented that one of the contestants was cooking good food, but that the judges still didn’t know who he was as a chef. Gail’s observation came after this contestant had made multiple impressive dishes, many of which featured recipes he’d learned while working under other
Why Formula and Structure Can Only Take You So Far Read Post »
I have a love-hate relationship with word counts. (Just look at the word count of this post!) On one hand, word count guidelines offer a concrete metric in an industry that often seems to rely solely on personal taste, timing, and luck. It’s helpful for authors to know that most traditionally published picture books are
Word Count Worries Read Post »
