Insights for authors
Our book publishing blog is where we share plain, practical advice on writing, editing, designing, publishing and marketing a book. It is written for authors at every stage, from someone still deciding whether to start to someone choosing a launch date. Each article explains one decision clearly, so you can act on it without reading ten other sites first. Nothing here is padded, and nothing is written to trick a search engine.
Featured Writing · 6 min read
Working with a ghostwriter goes best when you treat it as a partnership: you supply the stories, opinions and final say, and the writer supplies structure, craft and stam...
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DESIGN · 7 MINBook Cover Design That Captures Attention, Even at Thumbnail SizeGood book cover design makes a reader understand the genre, read the title and feel something within a second...October 9, 2026
BRANDING · 7 MINBuilding Your Author Brand: Bio, Website and Email ListYour author brand is the consistent impression readers get of you and your books: who you write for, what you...October 5, 2026
FORMATTING · 7 MINEbook and Print Formatting Made Easy: What Book Formatting InvolvesBook formatting is the work of turning a finished manuscript into clean, consistent files that look right as a...September 27, 2026
Publishing
PUBLISHING · 9 MINHow Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book?How much does it cost to publish a book? It depends on the route you choose and the services you hire, which i...September 23, 2026
Writing
WRITING · 8 MINHow to Find a Ghostwriter You Can TrustHow to find a ghostwriter comes down to five steps: decide what kind of book you need, build a shortlist from...September 19, 2026
Writing
WRITING · 8 MINHow to Write a Memoir: Structure, Scenes, Truth and PermissionsHow to write a memoir comes down to a few decisions: pick one focus instead of your whole life, find the turni...September 15, 2026
MARKETING · 9 MINMarketing Strategies to Reach Your Readers: A Practical Book Marketing Plan for the First 90 DaysA good book marketing plan for the first 90 days has three phases: build the foundation, prepare your early re...September 11, 2026
PUBLISHING · 7 MINPublishing Your Book With Confidence: What to Check Before You Publish a BookWhat to check before you publish a book comes down to four areas: who owns every word and image, how the book...September 7, 2026
Publishing
PUBLISHING · 7 MINWhat Is an ISBN and Do You Need One?What is an ISBN? It is a 13-digit number that identifies one edition of a book in one format, so that booksell...September 3, 2026The newest article is featured at the top. Use the category tabs to narrow the list to the part of the process you are working on right now, whether that is drafting, editing, design or launch planning.
Our articles follow the path a book takes, from the first idea to the first readers.
How to find your message, prepare for interviews, give useful feedback and decide whether to write alone or with help, plus what a good working relationship with a professional writer looks like. If you are weighing the second option, start with our ghostwriting services page.
What developmental editing, line editing, copyediting and proofreading each fix, and which one your draft needs, so you do not pay for a heavy edit when a light one will do, or the reverse. Most style questions come back to the Chicago Manual of Style. See our book editing services.
Why covers must work at thumbnail size, and how print and ebook files differ. Expect checklists for genre cues, trim sizes, margins and file formats before anything goes to print. Both topics link to our book cover design services and book formatting services.
ISBNs, metadata, categories, formats and the choice between traditional, self and assisted publishing, with honest notes on what each route costs in money, time and control. Industry news lives at Publishers Weekly, and our book publishing services cover the practical steps.
Retailer pages, email lists, advance reviews, small test ads and a consistent author identity across your website and profiles. We favor small, measured steps over big untested spends. Our book marketing services put these ideas into practice. For contract and rights questions, the Authors Guild is a helpful independent resource.
Our team writes from day-to-day experience with real manuscripts, and we keep claims modest. We will not promise sales, rankings or reviews, because nobody can. Where a rule depends on a retailer or printer, we tell you to check their current terms. Try our free author tools alongside the articles to put numbers on your own plans.
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We add new articles regularly, and the newest always appears at the top of the list. Subscribe to the newsletter so you do not have to check back.
Yes. Send your question through the contact page, and if many authors ask the same thing, we will write the answer up.
No. The articles are general guidance. For advice on your own manuscript, ask for a free consultation.
The book publishing blog is a start, not a substitute for a conversation. Get a free consultation and a project manager will reply within one business day with honest, specific advice.
Good book cover design makes a reader understand the genre, read the title and feel something within a second or two, usually on a screen no bigger th...
Your author brand is the consistent impression readers get of you and your books: who you write for, what you promise them, and how you sound. You bui...
Working with a ghostwriter goes best when you treat it as a partnership: you supply the stories, opinions and final say, and the writer supplies struc...
Book formatting is the work of turning a finished manuscript into clean, consistent files that look right as a printed book and as an ebook. It covers...
How much does it cost to publish a book? It depends on the route you choose and the services you hire, which is why published estimates run from almos...
How to find a ghostwriter comes down to five steps: decide what kind of book you need, build a shortlist from reliable sources, read book-length sampl...
How to write a memoir comes down to a few decisions: pick one focus instead of your whole life, find the turning points that give it shape, write in s...
A good book marketing plan for the first 90 days has three phases: build the foundation, prepare your early readers, then launch and keep going. It wi...
What to check before you publish a book comes down to four areas: who owns every word and image, how the book is identified, whether the proofs are cl...
What is an ISBN? It is a 13-digit number that identifies one edition of a book in one format, so that booksellers, libraries and distributors can orde...
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