Posted on December 10, 2025 at 2:00 PM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
The publishing experts we follow have plenty of advice to offer, spanning a variety of topics.
Here are the ones that we thought were can't-miss for our authors:
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Why your memoir feels like rambling (and how to fix it): This excerpt from The Memoir Engineering System: Make Your First Draft Your Final Draft by Wendy Dale underscores the difference between a scene and a transition — both of which play distinct but important roles in a story's structure. (Jane Friedman)
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How I got romance wrong in my crime novel (and how I fixed it): Author Cate Quinn has come to realize that romance isn't tied to a genre — it's tied to characters — and that human connection and emotional stakes belong front and center in any story you tell (Writer's Digest).
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Joy to the world — and sorrow: Kathleen McCleary reminds that gratitude and grief are not isolated from each other, but rather go hand in hand, and offers questions related to these emotions that you can pose to or about the characters in your work in progress (Writer Unboxed).
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Best book marketing campaigns: Penny Sansevieri lists twelve proven — and still working — examples of book marketing campaigns that see strong results, along with suggestions for which type of book/author will be best suited for any individual strategy (Author Marketing Experts).
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