September 2019

Craft is the most important part of being a writer – but there’s so much more to the writing life outside the page. That’s what we were most concerned with in this issue, which takes a close look at what it’s like to be a modern writer working in the world today.

Inside, you’ll find:

  • Meditations on dealing with the post-book blues
  • A look at how modern work-from-home moms make it work
  • Tips for wowing the crowds with unusual book tours
  • Strategies for juggling a book-to-be alongside a freelance career
  • A primer for sharing your nonfiction with your subjects
  • Advice for starting an author’s newsletter

And much, much more! Take a peek at our stories below and then be sure to find a copy at your local newsstand this month.

Subscribe today to never miss an issue!

 

Enough with the trash talk!

By

Want a surefire way to have a happier, more productive writing life? Stop calling your writing names.

 

Features

Sign me up!

By Donna Talarico

Using emails to connect, engage, and retain readers (and sell books, too).

‘Look! I wrote about you!’

By Dana Shavin

What are we really looking for when we share creative nonfiction with our subjects?

The art of suspenseful fiction

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

Keep readers on the edge of their seats with these pro tips.

The write-at-home mom

By Melissa Petro

Raising tiny humans while juggling deadlines, research, revisions, and first drafts: How do modern mother-writers make it work?

The camel, the bra, and the Buick

By Melissa Hart

How authors wow audiences with unusual book tours.

Departments

From the Front Lines

The post-book blues

By Yi Shun Lai

Happiness is a fallacy, and other things you tell yourself once your book is published.

Freelance Success

Work in progress

By Pete Croatto

Writing a book while maintaining a freelance career is all about learning from your mistakes – repeatedly.

Off the Cuff

Bragging about books

By Andrea Askowitz

What if you’re a writer who isn’t a voracious reader?

Also in Every Issue

From the Editor

Take Note

Literary Spotlight

Contingent

Conference Insider

North Words Writers Symposium

How I Write