How to Publish a Book

Most popular posts

A woman with an umbrella looks sullenly into a window of a storefront to provide internal conflict examples

Internal Conflict Examples: 3 Powerful Ways to Create Character Transformation 

If your narrative drive is stalling, your protagonist could be missing the most vital engine for character transformation: a powerful...

Characters drawn on papers suggest that character sheets are physical illustrations that offer details that just characterize something

Character Sheet Template: The Secret Tool for Creating Unforgettable Characters

A character sheet template can be the difference between a character who feels real on the page and one who...

Empty pages of books in motion on a pink background suggest the question: how many words per page?

How Many Words Per Page in a Book?

Have you ever found yourself comparing the length of your manuscript to other books, and wondering if you’ve written too...

Someone sits by a marked up sheet of music to suggest what is rhythm in writing

What is Rhythm? How to Bring Your Writing to Life

Rhythm is one of those craft issues that writers talk around without really discussing. They might lump it in with...

People gather around material in a professional work setting to suggest the value of a critique circle to professional effort

The Critique Circle Every Serious Writer Eventually Needs

Is there value in joining a critique circle?  Writing is one of the most solitary of all professions. You sit...

A woman looks out in the foreground with a map in her hand pointing into the distance of lush trees to suggest that avoiding plagiarism has a natural vibe filled with light and leisure

The No-Excuses Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism

Avoiding plagiarism seems like a simple task: Just don’t steal someone else’s work. But when you’re immersed in research with...

A designer holding up different color tiles to decide on how to design something, visual simile for book cover design schema and process
Blog
Alan Watt

Book Cover Design

Make your book stand out with professional Book Cover Design. Learn how to use color theory and intrigue to capture readers at first glance.

Read More »
Someone reading a book in the darkness at a café on a very sunny day, emotional themes of relaxedness
Blog
Alan Watt

How to Publish a Book

Master the path to publication. Learn how to polish your manuscript, query literary agents, handle rejection, and weigh the pros of self-publishing.

Read More »
author with a pen in the air with a book over her hand to suggest the incognito nature of a pen name
Blog
Alan Watt

A Guide to Pen Names

Create a powerful tool to protect your personhood and work with a pen name, but establish it intentionally and early in your career in order to use this device of authorship cleverly.

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Recent posts

A game is made of different copyright licenses to suggest that learning how to copyright a book may be a fun endeavor

How to Copyright a Book Like a Pro

In the world of digital publishing, intellectual property protection is more vital today than ever. Whether you are self-publishing on...

A pen touches down to paper neatly to suggest how to write a query letter

How to Write a Query Letter

Writing a query letter after finishing your manuscript can feel like climbing a second mountain you didn’t know was there. ...

A serene scene of a person standing on a wooden dock over calm water, evoking solitude in how to self-publish a book

How to Self-Publish a Book

On the topic of self‑publishing, conversations tend to involve the same handful of outcomes. You might have heard how Andy...

Literary agents are often one of the main factors in the success of your book. Pictured is a literary agent alone in a conference room working hard on getting your book published — cool corporate lighting

Literary Agents: Steps to Securing Representation

Literary agents serve as the link between writers and the publishing houses that print and market their books. They’re often...

A designer holding up different color tiles to decide on how to design something, visual simile for book cover design schema and process

Book Cover Design

Make your book stand out with professional Book Cover Design. Learn how to use color theory and intrigue to capture...
Featured image for A Writer's Guide to Amazon Author Central that puts the amazon logo on a gradient of the Alan Watt website colors to suggest that our website takes a different approach to breaking down the ins and outs of amazon author central

A Writer’s Guide to Amazon Author Central 

Boost your book sales by mastering Amazon Author Central. Learn to curate your brand, use Kindle marketing tools, and connect...
Someone reading a book in the darkness at a café on a very sunny day, emotional themes of relaxedness

How to Publish a Book

Master the path to publication. Learn how to polish your manuscript, query literary agents, handle rejection, and weigh the pros...
author with a pen in the air with a book over her hand to suggest the incognito nature of a pen name

A Guide to Pen Names

Create a powerful tool to protect your personhood and work with a pen name, but establish it intentionally and early...
What is the Book Market Looking For

“What is the Book Market Looking For?”

“What does the market want?” I hear this question frequently from first-time novelists, as if there’s some secret, as if...

Building a Body of Work

Building a Body of Work

I remember one day over twenty years ago when I was bellyaching to a friend of mine about how nobody...

Opportunities in Self-Publishing

Opportunities in Self-Publishing

  The goal of every first-time novelist or memoirist is to see their book between covers. The paradox is that...