Writer's Digest

INDIE LAB

Anyone who has done a book signing knows there is a remarkable similarity between those few hours at the bookstore and a scene from Dante’s Inferno. First, there’s the struggle to book the gig. Bookstores and libraries often need three to four months’ advanced inquiry to plan. Without a sales track record, many are reluctant to agree to an event by an unknown author.

Then, you

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Writer's Digest

Writer's Digest5 min read
“I Give Me All My Yeses.”
Bea Northwick wrote her first novel around 2015. Her children were getting older, and she had more time on her hands, so she returned to an early love—books. With that first novel, Northwick, who has her master’s degree in library science, participat
Writer's Digest5 min read
Parents as Publishers
The world of children’s publishing is tough. Publishing houses are consolidating, print sales are struggling, and profit margins are narrow. Because of this economic reality, many publishers lean heavily into “sure things”—like celebrity books, seque
Writer's Digest6 min read
Septet as Memoir
An old poet friend commemorated his 60th birthday by publishing a chapbook of sestets. I liked the idea, so in 2018, when I started my 70th year on this planet, I decided to write a collection of septets. I took my friend’s idea a couple steps furthe

Related Books & Audiobooks