How to Publish a Book

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Four Forms of Writing

The 4 Forms of Writing

All writing falls into one of a few basic forms, and each has a different job to do. Expository writing...

A model modeling the effects of great tension in writing.

How to Use Tension in Writing

Tension can arise from anywhere — in a simple conversation, a family dinner, a job interview, or even with a...

A collection of word magnets representing the idea that all language is invented, including made-up words.

The Purpose of Made-Up Words in Stories

Have you ever read a book and come across a word you’d never heard or seen before? At first, you...

A sea of people, all of whom might share a voice in the fourth person point of view.

Fourth Person Point of View

Fourth person point of view is a unique and rarely used perspective in stories.  First person gives us “I.” Second...

A character waves at the camera, which is a sign of a writer not knowing how to introduce a character.

How to Introduce a Character: 5 Key Methods

A character’s introduction is one of the most important parts of your story. Done well, your reader can make a...

A fencing match is one of many scenes you can write once you know how to write a fight scene.

How to Write a Fight Scene in 6 Steps

Learning how to write a fight scene isn’t really about choreography. It’s about tension and what’s truly at stake for...

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 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...