Category: SYWW
Should You Outline Your Book?
By Michael Pietrzak, Author & SYWW Founder Should you outline your book? There’s an ongoing debate between the plotters—those who swear up and down that you NEED structure for your story before you start writing it—and the pansters, who write by the seat of their pants. Pantsers rightly point out that extensive outlining can turn…
Writer Tips with Senior Literary Agent Jessica Reino
Editor’s Note: In this video we sat down with literary agent, author, and former editor/author coach Jessica Reino to ask our most burning writer questions. What are the most common writer mistakes? Do you need a social media platform to publish? (we were surprised to hear, NO!) What makes for a great writer-editor relationship? How…
Get Paid to Write for Magazines (Interview)
“Write about what you love and do it for the joy of it. Never for the money, never for the fame, the status, the book tour, to impress your friends, not even to say you’re a writer or an author… Do it for the love of it, and the joy of it. That’s, I think,…
The Ultimate Guide To Writing YA Fiction [2022]
In today’s guide you’ll learn: What YA fiction is How to make your readers care about your story. The role of character progression and growth. How to write authentically for young adults, even if you aren’t one. The 1 ingredient your story’s ending MUST have. In short: if you have a story that’s bursting to…
The Ultimate Guide to Getting a Literary Agent [2022]
In today’s guide you’ll learn: The basics about literary agents and whether you need one. If you’re ready to seek one out, and how to do your research. How to write a query letter and synopsis. How to send out your queries in a systematic way that gets results. How to pick the RIGHT agent…
How to Write an Effective Query Letter [Part 2]
A literary agent is a critical ally in your mission to write a great book and get it published. To find a literary agent, you’ll need to send him or her a convincing query letter. But how do you write an effective query? We interviewed Literary Agent Sam Hiyate for his advice. Watch the video to find…
How to Write an Effective Query Letter [Part 1]
A literary agent is a critical ally in your mission to write a great book and get it published. To find a literary agent, you’ll need to send him or her a convincing query letter. But how do you write an effective query? We interviewed Literary Agent Sam Hiyate for his advice. Watch the video to find…
Find Your Literary Agent
By Emily Potter When querying time arrives at last, the thought of plunking “agent” into a search engine and firing off a letter to anyone with a published email address can seem enticing. We all know that the competition for agents is a fierce one and getting your letter in front of as many eyes as…
An Interview with Literary Agent & YA/Kidlit Expert Ali McDonald
For this post we interviewed literary agent Ali McDonald. She’s the lead agent specializing in YA (Young Adult) and children’s literature at literary agency The Rights Factory in Toronto. So You Want to Write?: So first question, why don’t we dive right in? Do you have any tips for choosing the right literary agent? Ali McDonald:…
The Top 10 YA Tropes & How to Avoid Them
No time to read this article? Download it as a PDF checklist! Download this Checklist! By Michael Pietrzak The Young Adult (YA) genre has been overrun with tropes that just aren’t working for readers anymore. In the same way that groundbreaking songs spawn 100 imitators, too many YA authors keep going to the same dry…
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