The Lit World of Sylvia Hubbard

Rose Fox Sending a book out for review can be immensely stressful. If you’re self-published, you may have chosen the indie route to dodge all the gatekeeping and waiting periods associated with sending manuscripts to editors and agents—only to run into the same feeling when sending books to reviewers! Traditionally published authors often rely on their publishers to submit their books to the…

This perk is only for premium members of Motown Writers Network. The time to book a free coffee chat with our Community Manager, Onicia Muller, is here. BOOK FREE SESSION In 15 minutes you can: Fix website bugs Polish your author bio Create a press kit Schedule a handful of social media posts Organize your inbox Write and send a query letter Pitch a collaboration Make progress on a…

BySandra Beckwith An author acquaintance recently announced their new book in a manner that almost guarantees the announcement won’t sell any copies. Why? Because they provided a purchase link for an obscure book retailer. While I suspect that was probably to make a statement about how the author feels about Amazon, it’s the wrong link to use when you want to sell books. When it comes to book…

by Angela Ackerman In the real world, no two people are alike, which means each of us expresses emotion in our own way. Some people find it natural to share what they feel with those around them, while others find the idea of revealing what they feel horrifying and will avoid situations that could lead to such vulnerability. Most fall somewhere between these extremes. This spectrum of…

by Amanda Patterson Who are the four main characters in fiction? We explore how these character roles function as literary devices—and how you can use them to strengthen your stories. One of the easiest ways to tell if you have a plot, and not just a story idea, is by looking at the characters you’ve included in your story. You need to pay special attention to the four main characters who give…

by Kevin J. Duncan Audible has officially announced that its old royalty system is going away. And honestly, I think a lot of authors still don’t realize how big of a shift this is. For years, Audible operated more like a storefront. Someone used a credit, bought your audiobook, and you earned a percentage based on that transaction. The system had problems (plenty of them), but at least there…

By Rachel Thompson Photo by Kate Bezzubets on Unsplash You might sign up for an author fair hoping to sell a few books, but you’ll likely leave with much more than that. Planning for these events, though, can be confusing and exhausting if you’ve never participated in one before. I’d like to share what I’ve learned about why they matter, what they really cost, and how to sell your books…