How to Revise Your Novel
True revision, in which a writer takes apart a book and puts it back together again, terrified me. How could anyone pull it off?
I’ll tell you how: step by step, little by little, just like you wrote the book.
Renowned KWL author K.L. Slater shares tips for twisty tales
Everybody loves a twist, right?
A great twist is an enticing prospect for many readers in choosing their next read and it is my view, this is never more important than in the psychological thriller.
Maim Your Characters: The Structure of an Injury Plot
[The following is an excerpt from the book Maim Your Characters by Samantha Keel] which originally appeared on ScriptMedic: A Medical Consultant for Writers] An…
4 Essential Things to Do to Write Better
by Leah Thurber Being a writer, enjoying what you do and making a profit while doing it is one of the best feelings in the world.…
The Long and Short (but mostly long) of Writing Short Stories
By Chris Mandeville Many writers begin their careers with short stories—they’re easier to tackle and faster to complete. But not me. I dove into novel writing…
Writing an Author Bio
By Alicia Honeycutt If you want to make a good impression on readers, you need to give them high-quality contents and also prove that you are…
Listening To Your Manuscript
by Terry Odell As authors, we want to provide the best possible experience for our readers. That means providing a well-edited book, and I don’t put…
ATTENTION MARKETING: Book Charms
Guest Post by Deborah Cooke (Abridged from a version originally published on www.deborahcooke.com) Book charms are adorable and readers love them. I’ve bought them in the…
Second Annual Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Now Accepting Submissions!
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON DEBUT AUTHORS Award includes monetary prize and marketing support for books in three categories: Literary Fiction, Genre Fiction – Romance, and Non-Fiction…
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 044 – Mark Dawson
This episode features Mark Dawson, the bestselling UK author of the John Milton and Soho Noir series. Mark has become a go-to expert on Facebook ads…
Team KoBoWriMo: Week One
We’re 6 days into NaNoWriMo 2015. How is our team of brave WriMos doing so far? Well… let’s just say most of us (already!) have some…
Muffle Your Muse
By Sean Platt Of course authors want to sell books. Unfortunately — even though the advice is long in the tooth — doing so isn’t as…
Kobo Launches Emerging Writer Prize to Celebrate Debut Works by Canadian Authors
Did you publish your first book in 2014? Do you have a Canadian passport? If so, you may want to consider entering Kobo’s first annual Emerging Writer Award of Excellence.
Every Word I Write Is Genius and Other Things I Was Wrong About
By Shayna Krishnasamy I write long. It’s what I do. My sentences aren’t tight. The meander and go off topic and then veer back. I can…
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 022 with Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks
Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks met in person for the first time at Kobo’s home office in Toronto in May 2014 and were interviewed by Kobo…
Taking The Leap: Zoe York on Series Plotting, Marketing Plans and Writing Full-Time
By Zoe York In May, I made the exciting and scary decision to transition to writing full-time. I’ve always thought of myself as a professional writer,…
Oh, the Mistakes We’ve Seen!
By BlueInk Review In our mission at BlueInk Review to review self-published books, we’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. While it’s difficult to…
Memorable characters: Snow
by Felicity Heaton Kobo asked me to write about creating characters who will steal the hearts of readers after hearing about my readers’ passion for Snow,…
Three Simple Writing Tricks for Increased Productivity
by Steve Vernon I used to run. That was back before my belt started to shrink. I specialized in long distance running. I could go for…
Right the first time: the importance of a great first chapter
By Jennifer Shenouda Blame it on the curse of first impressions. First chapters are kind of like speed dating, in that it often takes a person…
Calling aspiring novelists: Apply now for the Kobo Writing Life Scholarship to Curtis Brown Creative’s Novel Writing course
Applications are now being accepted for the upcoming Curtis Brown Creative three-month Novel-Writing Course to be taught at their London offices in the UK. Curtis Brown…
Music for telling stories – The Undercover Soundtrack
By Roz Morris So we sit down, wake the laptop, flex knuckles, put on headphones… and begin. What’s going into our ears? Something pure like birdsong?…
How to write the great American novel. Well, not really…
By Heidi Loney I wrote 3 novels in 13 months. Here is how I did it: Book #1: I had a great premise for a novel.…
Emotions that escalate: how to build tension successfully
by Angela Ackerman When emotions escalate in a story, it means tension. The character has more to lose and readers are glued to the page, frantic…
Critique groups and writing buddies: a quick guide
Unless you’re collaborating with others, the act of writing is, by its nature, a rather solitary activity. But the actual process of writing a story is…
Racy Writing – Dos and Don’ts with Kelly Favor
So you’ve decided to try your hand at writing erotica—why not? It’s a very popular genre right now, and selling like hotcakes. Bestselling novelist Kelly Favor,…
Milestone or millstone? How the first book gets written, part 2
Few would-be authors ever manage to complete that first book. Odd, though, once they have, few stop at just one. Clearly finishing your first book is…
Milestone or millstone, your choice — part 1
(Or: actually completing your first book) “I know I have this book in me. If I could only…” Find the time, get down to it, organize…
Joe Nassise: A Real Class Act
Joseph Nassise, a veteran of both traditional publishing and digital self-publishing has seen success in both worlds. Through a combination of keeping an open mind, engaging…
Tips from a Pro: Kevin J. Anderson Shares Writing Advice
Kevin J. Anderson is an American science-fiction author who’s had over forty books on the New York Times Bestseller list. Needless to say, he loves writing,…
Tip – Treat Publishing as a Business
David H. Burton, author of Broken: A Paranormal Romance, said in a recent interview with Kobo, that the best piece of advice he ever received as…
Muse vs Market – The Best Path to Indie Success
Indie superstar turned publishing house darling Amanda Hocking was highly tactical when she set out to be successful at writing books. She did field research –…
Talk About Dialogue – The Booklist
Compelling, believable dialogue can make or break the success of your book. There is a craft to it – check out these guides and books for…
Make your characters talk good – elements of dialogue
We learn to talk as toddlers, we do it every day, you’d think it would be a snap to write, right? Not so fast little author,…
In Collaboration with Blake Crouch
In collaboration: How (and why) to write with other people Blake Crouch is a prolific writer of thrillers, horrors and paranormal adventures, an author with some…
Facts for Fiction Writers
Facts for Fiction Writers: The Importance of Doing Research While there is a joke among journalists, meant ironically of course, suggesting they should “never let the…