The Journal.
Writing craft, publishing insights, and behind-the-scenes stories from our editors — for authors at every stage.
From the editors’ desk.
Writer’s Block Isn’t Your Problem. Structure Is. Here’s the Fix
Writer's block isn't a mystery — it's usually a missing chapter map. Here's the simple structural fix that gets stalled nonfiction authors writing again.
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Stuck at Chapter 3? Why Most Authors Never Finish (And How to Fix It)
Most manuscripts stall at Chapter 3 — not from a lack of talent, but a lack of process. Here's how to finish writing a book using the same seven-step system professional authors rely on.
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Too Busy to Write Your Book? 7 Signs It’s Time to Hire an Ebook Writer
If your manuscript has been stalled for months, these seven signs will tell you it's time to hire ebook writer support and finally get your book finished and published.
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KDP vs. IngramSpark: which distributor is right for your book?
A straightforward comparison of the two dominant self-publishing platforms — royalty rates, reach, print quality, and what the numbers don't tell you.
Read the post →The five things readers judge in the first three seconds of seeing your cover
Thumbnail recognition, genre fit, typography legibility — our cover designers break down the invisible decisions that separate books that sell from books that don't.
Read the post →What a ghostwriter actually does, and what they don’t
There is a lot of mythology around ghostwriting. Our lead writer clears up the most common misconceptions, from ownership of rights to how the collaboration really works.
Read the post →Children’s book word counts: the numbers that matter by age group
Board books, picture books, early readers, middle-grade — every category has a target range. Here are the numbers, and why breaking them rarely works in your favour.
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Our editors are writing. In the meantime, if you have a question about your book project, we are happy to answer it directly.
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