GrubWrites

First Time Authors Share Seven Things that Surprised Them After Selling Their Books

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The traditional publishing process can be full of surprises for a first-time author. Here's what a few writers publishing in 2019 have learned since signing on the dotted line.

 

We make all sorts of assumptions about what it will be like to actually become published authors for the first time

Katrin Schumann

Books & Reading Grub News The Writing Life

Dealing with Copyedits: Just How Bad is the Past Perfect?

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The final stages before book publication involve copyediting (and then proofreading). It's your last chance to make changes before your writing goes public. What can you do at this stage to assure your book stays true to your unique vision and style?

Every soon-to-be published writer is nervous and excited about copyedits. Will they require rewriting of beloved text

Katrin Schumann

Craft Advice The Writing Life

How Much Influence do Authors Have in Designing their Book Covers?

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Book covers are supposed to draw readers in and convey the gist of a book. Bottom line: they're important. But how much say do traditionally published authors actually have in their book's cover design? 

 

We famously judge a book by its cover. Nabokov's dark and controversial book Lolita is a great example of how covers can mislead readers (see this New Yorker article)

Katrin Schumann

Books & Reading The Writing Life

Getting to Grips with a Big Revision of Your Novel

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by Katrin Schumann

I'm working on a major revision of a novel I wrote some years ago and put away in a drawer. I loved and still love the story, but I think it needs a more compelling central question. Right now, I'd call it a "family saga," and while there's nothing inherently wrong with that, I'd like to create a through-line in the story that makes it more compelling. I want readers to be thinking, Oh my god, what happens next?

Katrin Schumann

Books & Reading Craft Advice

How to Navigate the Manuscript Mart at the Muse & the Marketplace 2018

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By Katrin Schumann

As people mill about Grub's annual conference, The Muse and the Marketplace--eyeing the crowd for famous writers, catching up with old friends, and pitching themselves and their work--and attend sessions, there are a few rooms hidden away where extrememly nervous people trickle in and out, one by one, hour after hour

Katrin Schumann