Table of contents for Writer's Yearbook 2025 in Writer's Digest

As The Picture Book Doctor and Editorial Director for Bushel & Peck Books, I’m regularly invited to conferences to give manuscript critiques. Most recently, I participated in the Florida SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) Critiquea-Palooza, and from the feedback I received on my critiques, I scored like a champ. Since these involved 15-minute Zoom conversations with the authors, I already knew that—I witnessed how my written and verbal comments were difference-making. Best of all, no one cried. You might think that last sentence was left in for the comedic value, but here’s the truth—when I started teaching writing at the college level 20-whatever years ago, I did make someone cry. Maybe even a few someones. Why? Because it’d been commonplace in my grad school writing workshops for…

If you are struggling with titling your essays and articles, it’s important to realize a good title is vital—it can make the difference between an editor reading your piece and relegating it to the slush pile. A little-known secret: Often, an editor will assign on the basis of a compelling headline that displays an angle that makes it stand out, even if the pitch isn’t fully fleshed out. Even better if the title evokes emotion or even anger. I love a good alliterative title, that also plays on words such as a piece I wrote for Writer’s Digest, “Polishing Your Prose: Tips for Self-Editing,” or my student’s title “Seoul Searching in San Francisco” in Bloomberg (which plays on the words soul and Seoul, evoking a journey and a spiritual quest).…

Thematic writing enables your readers to enjoy your story on a deeper level by encouraging them to think about big issues, to reflect on their lives and beliefs. By selecting a theme, and then integrating symbols and allegory that support the theme, you’ll add dimension and vitality to your writing. For many writers, though, identifying your theme isn’t easy. Sometimes, of course, your theme is clear and purposeful—you set out to write about family values, bullying, independent decision-making, or another big idea. Other times, the theme only becomes apparent as you draft your story, or even after it’s finished. Occasionally, even after you’re done, you have no sense at all of your theme or whether you have one. If that’s your situation, ask yourself if this lack of clarity comes…

It might seem like nonfiction writers get off easy when it comes to developing characters: We don’t have to create them from whole cloth, inventing layers of backstory and idiosyncrasy—the people we’re writing about already exist! But the work of translating a real person into a character on the page has its own messy, fraught challenges. There are the craft challenges of capturing the unknowable totality of a person (impossible) and the interpersonal challenges of facing people’s reactions to how you’ve described them (terrifying). Not to mention the exceedingly strange experience of turning yourself into a character, without the plausible deniability of autofiction. WRITING ABOUT THE SELF In the early days of writing my memoir, Negative Space, I struggled to capture my teenage self. I had vague impressions of my…

The last few years have been an influx of change in our industry—from COVID to major strikes to the baffling flood of AI-generated books and pitches—it can sometimes feel like we’ve awoken in Bizarro World. However, one thing that will never change is that you can have a successful freelancing career writing about your passions, hobbies, and other interests for well-known publications. Here, we’ve included some basic information: What the publication wants, how to submit, and what their payment process is. However, keep in mind that changes to these details could come at any time—that’s why we’ve also included the publication’s website so you can ensure that your pitch meets their most updated guidelines. ANIMAL Animal Wellness (AnimalWellnessMagazine.com) Animal Wellness is a bimonthly publication that provides the information readers need…

When I started querying in 2010, one of the agents I approached requested a paper manuscript. I printed my manuscript and sent it in a padded envelope. I received a reply by mail a few months later; a brief, kind rejection signed personally by the agent. It felt a little quaint—a holdover from a gentler preinternet industry. Publishing has changed a lot in the last decade, and I’ve had a front-row view. Alongside pursuing my publication dreams, I’ve built a career in editorial, starting as an assistant at Pan Macmillan and ending as senior editor at Chicken House, a U.K. children’s publisher. Now, I’m associate literary agent with The Bindery Agency in the U.S. The volume of submissions received has increased exponentially. From 2015–2022, while I ran the Times/Chicken House…

The most important lesson I ever learned as a writer didn’t come from a writing book, conference, or a wise mentor. It came from sitting in an airport Arrivals section, studying people. I was picking my wife up from a girls’ trip. A maintenance issue with the jet bridge caused a long delay in her getting off the plane. I shifted in an uncomfortable plastic chair, watching weary travelers descending an escalator while ’80s one-hit wonders played from speakers overhead. Whenever someone rode down the escalator, my heart leaped, hoping it was my wife. But each time, it was a stranger looking nervously down at the crowd, scanning for their loved ones. I decided to play a game. As each person reached the bottom of the escalator and reunited with…

Freelance writers often begin their journeys intimidated. Where do they find clients? Where do they collect those first all-important samples to show future clients? But mostly, they wonder what to charge. Charge too much, and they lose the client. Charge too little, and they jeopardize not only their livelihood but also their reputation. The question used to be “what do I charge?” Today, it’s as much the way you charge and why you charge as it is how much. The old-school-method involved deciding what you wish to earn annually, add for taxes, insurance, retirement, and administrative duties, then divide it by the number of hours you work. Voila. There’s your hourly rate. While you need a good feel for a minimum hourly rate, changing times call for flexibility. Writers have…

Making a living as a freelance writer can be challenging. I know because I’ve faced every obstacle the job can throw at a writer, from uncooperative sources and unresponsive editors to uncompromising deadlines and fly-by-night markets that publish then refuse to pay. It can be frustrating and sometimes a little soul-crushing, yet we soldier on because, at the end of the day, being a freelance writer is still the best job in the world. One unique obstacle faced by many aspiring freelance writers is figuring out what to write about, an issue I encountered numerous times when I taught a course on freelance writing through a local community college. Students would come to class with general topics they were interested in exploring (“I want to write about dogs!”) then struggle…

Secrets, surprises, and twists are powerful narrative tools. They can conjure questions and mystery in readers’ minds that raise suspense, stakes, and reader investment, and knowing how to use them effectively can create some of the most memorable moments in your story. Stories with a shocking reveal often get widely read and talked about. They keep readers hooked throughout, not knowing what comes next, eagerly turning pages to find out. But pulling off a successful reveal is a tricky tightrope act between giving readers enough information to feel invested and keeping back enough to keep them hooked. It’s the striptease of literature: show too much and you lose all the excitement and buildup. Too little and nobody cares. Balancing these considerations often relies on three key elements: knowing what and…

Creating this list is a year-long project that involves an overwhelming number of bookmarked sites on our browsers. There are so many great websites for writers—with more popping up practically daily—it’s no wonder this is still one of our most popular features after 25 years. This year, as always, you’ll find a blend of sites that are useful to writers of all types, abilities, experience levels, and genres. Some websites have been on this list for more than a few years now, because they consistently produce quality content that never disappoints, alongside other sites that are still fairly new but have already made a name for themselves. Additionally, we’re pleased to include 12 websites that appear on the list for the first time. As with all of our recommendations, we…

SUBSCRIBE NOW! TUTORIALS.WRITERSDIGEST.COM VIDEOS INCLUDE: 5 TYPES OF SHORT FICTION TO TRY - RAN WALKER 6 UNIQUE EDITING IDEAS YOU'VE PROBABLY NEVER TRIED - AUDREY WICK WRITING A PITCH VS. WRITING A SYNOPSIS - AMY COLLINS HOW TO GET STARTED AS A FREELANCE WRITER - C. HOPE CLARK HOW TO GET STARTED (OR RE-STARTED) IN WRITING - SHARON SHORT…

Congratulations! You’ve received an offer of representation from your Dream Agent. It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for. In the good ole’ days of three-hour lunches and cocktails sharply at 5 p.m., many authors signed with their agents on a handshake. Most agencies do have actual Agency Agreements now, and no two agreements are the same. However, some standard clauses appear in most Agency Agreements. Before you sign, I urge you to be sure that you have a clear understanding of the terms of the document. Some agreements are concise and straightforward; others are many pages of legalese. No matter which yours is, read it carefully, as it can affect your career for years. I recommend relying on multiple resources and asking lots of questions, of your fellow authors and…

A comprehensive book marketing plan includes multiple channels to reach readers where they are. An author website catches people via search engines; social media and advertising can drive anything from awareness to purchase; and influencer collaborations can help tap new audiences. But marketing isn’t finished simply because the website was visited or a book was sold. That initial visit might not have turned into a sale, and a sale doesn’t have to be the only one. Email newsletters can help nurture the reader relationship further. THE VALUE OF A NEWSLETTER Marketing can be challenging. Social media platforms wax and wane in popularity, search engines tweak their algorithms, and the cost of ads creeps higher. Email might be overlooked as old-fashioned, but it offers a valuable, personalized way to connect to…

When I edit a novel manuscript for a client, I am reading as a regular reader would, only I am hyperaware—on the lookout for a laundry list of issues. The following are two content problems that pop up quite often: weak point of view and lack of setting. They may seem basic to you, and you may assume you have them under control, but many writers are surprised to learn they actually don’t. SKILL #1: POINT OF VIEW (POV) Basics Who’s telling the story? Through what filter are you telling the story, and have you gone deep enough into the mind of the character in the telling? Also, will you use first person, second, or third? FIRST PERSON: The “I” tells the story. The “I” is the narrator and the…

• American Literary Translators Association – LiteraryTranslators.org • American Medical Writers Association – AMWA.org • American Society for Indexing – ASIndexing.org • American Society of Journalists & Authors – ASJA.org • American Translators Association – ATANet.org • American Writers & Artists Institute – AWAI.com • Association of Independents of Radio – AIRMedia.org • Austin Copywriter – Austin-Copywriter.com • The Balance – TheBalanceSMB.com • Black Forest Basilisks – BlackForestBasilisks.com • Book Deviant – BookDeviant.wordpress.com • Bookishness and Tea – BookishnessAndTea.wordpress.com • Chron – Work.chron.com • ClearVoice – ClearVoice.com • Clippings.me – Clippings.me • Counter Craft – CounterCraft.substack.com • Editorial Freelancers Association – The-EFA.org • Espirian – Espirian.co.uk • FlexJobs – FlexJobs.com • Freelance Success – FreelanceSuccess.com • Freelancer FAQs – FreelancerFAQs.com • The Freelancer’s Year – TheFreelancersYear.com • FundsforWriters – FundsforWriters.com…

Previously, we discussed the challenges of developing article ideas, finding appropriate markets to query, building a professional portfolio, and the value of multiples in freelance success. Here, we’re going to pull it all together as we explore the most effective ways to squeeze every penny from each idea we develop. When working with students I often use the fictional example of a firehouse dog that has been recognized with a national award for saving the life of one of its human colleagues. This is a good example of the kind of humaninterest feature that would appeal to the local newspaper as well as regional and national publications. What specific markets might be interested in this story? Some are immediately apparent: national dog/pet magazines and publications for first responders, for example.…

Writing a series is a massive undertaking. It requires a lot of time and even more commitment. Think hard before you choose to take it on. But writing a series can be magical, fun, and exciting. It can feel like home because you get to play around a world of your own making. Even more so, when you’ve successfully introduced a character or characters who resonate with the readers and can serve as anchors throughout the series, the time and energy you spend will be worth the sweat and tears (yes, there will be tears) it takes to write the series. There are two things that keep the reader coming back to a series: the characters and the author. If we’re talking about a series like R. L. Stine’s Goosebumps,…

WRITER’S DIGEST: WritersDigest.com Whether you’re looking to read up on latest market trends, need some prompts to inspire your writing, want to participate in a month-long writing challenge, are an indie author looking for publishing resources, or are interested in entering a competition, our Writer’s Digest website is the place for all of this and more. WRITER’S DIGEST UNIVERSITY: WritersOnlineWorkshops.com Looking to improve a specific part of your craft? Want to know more about the business of publishing? Need help perfecting your query letter? With the courses, webinars, boot camps, and virtual conferences at Writer’s Digest University, you’ll find all of this and more, all from industry experts and bestselling and award-winning authors. WRITER’S DIGEST TUTORIALS: Tutorials.WritersDigest.com Revitalized in 2023, the WD Tutorials is a video subscription service where you’ll…

Writers have scribbled on everything from a napkin to an app on their phone, but if you’re looking for a way to help organize your thoughts, here are two software programs to try. I made the switch to Scrivener after another word processing software crashed and lost 60 pages of a manuscript I worked on. I found writer Anne Rainbow’s website, ScrivenerVirgin.com, to be especially helpful for any issues I encountered. I recently discovered Campfire Pro through an author on TikTok who showed how she set up a novel using the program. I spoke with Rainbow and Jackson Dickert from Campfire Pro about how writers can use the tools in both programs to their advantage. WHY ONE WRITER ADORES SCRIVENER First developed by Keith Blount in 2006 in England, Scrivener…

One of the biggest things writers hear about is the importance of building a platform. Generally, this has been translated as “grow a big social media following.” While “writer lifts” and “follow trains” seem like an easy way to build a platform, it’s not enough. First, inflating follower counts with people who likely aren’t interested in buying your books doesn’t do you any favors. And second, authors who focus exclusively on growing social media followings open themselves to risk—as we’ve seen with the upheaval on Twitter, now X. However, platform can also be a strong organic search presence to grow monthly web traffic, which takes time to develop. This is why setting up a website earlier in your writing journey and not relying only on social media is so important.…

In good old-fashioned prompt form, here is a list of writing prompts to use as a springboard as you wish and when you need. 1. Open up a weather forecasting app or website. Randomly choose a letter from the alphabet and start searching with that letter. From the list that auto-populates, select a city that most intrigues you and look at the weather they expect to have that week. Write what happens when that town experiences the diametrical opposite of that weather instead. 2. A character has to suddenly give a public speech. What’s the speech about? Do they relish the opportunity to share their thoughts, are they terrified they’ll make a fool of themselves, or something else entirely? Write what happens. 3. Write about a gardening shed that gives…