How to Get a Book Published: 6 Steps to Traditional Publishing

As I’m sure you’re aware, the path to getting a book into bookstores is not easy, but it is straightforward. I’ll go over the ins and outs from literary agents to advances, editors to proofreaders, marketing to publicity.

Are You Ready to Write a Nonfiction Book? Here's What it Takes.

(It's probably not what you think.) Most aspiring authors come to me worried about time, platform, and writing experience, but often, what they REALLY need isn't even on their radar.

Master Comma Rules In 5 Minutes or Less

Don’t let rare and complicated scenarios or exceptions confuse you. If you only learn these 7 very simple rules, you’ll be right 97% of the time. That’s good enough for me to see your writing as smart and clean.

Editing Your Book, How to Write a BookTiffany HawkAugust 23, 2024Comment

Learn Scrivener in 2 Minutes

If you just need a tool to organize a long document, you can change your life in a couple of minutes. Totally worth the investment, even if you never take advantage of all the bells and whistles.

Should You Self-Publish Your Book? 2 Strong Opinions

Deciding whether or not to self-publish is one of the most difficult and significant decisions an author will face. Most people I know have a strong opinion one way or another. I have two strong opinions. First, I think self publishing is of tremendous value to readers, writers, and the publishing field. Second, way too many writers self publish for the wrong reasons.

Popular, Self publishing, How to Write a BookTiffany HawkJune 23, 2024Most Popular, self publishing

Want To Write a Book? There’s One Thing You Must Do

You’ll never finishing writing a book unless you do this one thing. And (gasp), a client helped me realize I’m not doing it! Here’s what you need to do to finish.

Productivity, How to Write a BookTiffany HawkFebruary 5, 2024Comment

It’s True. Getting Your Book Published Is All About Who You Know. (But Not In The Way You Think)

I didn’t believe it when I started out, but to get a book published, you’re going to need to know people—mentors, teachers, friends, colleagues, critique partners, and cheerleaders. There’s nothing I hate more than schmoozing, so I’ll tell you how I found those people without ever networking.

How to Format a Book or Book Proposal…and Look Like a Pro Doing It

Format your book the right way for each occasion— pitching agents with a manuscript, querying nonfiction with a book proposal, or for self-publishing. You want your book to stand out for its stellar writing, not for its unorthodox formatting. Here’s how the pros do it.

Your Writing Weaknesses are Your Secret to Success

We all suck at something, but as counterintuitive as it sounds, those weaknesses can be used to your advantage.

How to Write a BookTiffany HawkMarch 11, 2022Comment

What You Should Know About Writing Coaches

Writing Your Book, Productivity, How to Write a BookTiffany HawkJune 7, 2021Comment

Word Count: Why Your Book Should Be This Long

Word count guidelines matter, and believe it or not, there are good reasons. In this post, I go over word count standards by genre, why they are what they are, why word count matters even for self-published authors, and what to do if your book is too long or too short.

My 7 Favorite Tools & Apps for Writers

As a writing coach and editor, I rely on these tools myself and frequently recommend them to my clients.

Writing Your Book, How to Write a BookTiffany HawkJanuary 12, 2021Comment

8 Common Grammar Mistakes Even Great Writers Make

Are you making any of these grammar mistakes?

If so, you’re far from alone. No need to be ashamed about the past, but now’s the time to clean up your act. Master these 8 English language potholes, and your writing will be more professional, saving you embarrassment and/or the cost of a heavy copyediting job.

Editing Your Book, How to Write a BookTiffany HawkSeptember 22, 2020edit your book, self-edit Comments

The Best Books on Writing: A Writing Coach’s Top 11 Recs

These are the books on writing that have helped me and my clients get published.

I’m a sucker for a good writing how-to. I’ve picked up dozens over the years, and no matter how many books I’ve purged over my 21 moves between cities, states and countries, I can’t get rid of a single one on writing.

Writing Your Book, Editing Your Book, How to Write a BookTiffany HawkAugust 17, 2020Comment

Is There a Trick to Writing When You Have a Busy Life?

God knows I do. I think about this all the time, so when Lauren Groff famously refused to answer the Harvard Gazette’s question about work-life balance, I was thrown. Like many of us, I cheered her on, but I was also frustrated. I reached out to some of the most prolific writing mothers (mothering writers?) I know and asked what advice they had for us.

Productivity, Writing Your Book, How to Write a BookTiffany HawkNovember 29, 2018 Comments

Ask the Writing Coach: Do You Have to Write Every Day?

Nope. You don’t. You definitely, absolutely, 100% do not have to write every day to be a writer.

So why do some writers claim you do? Because they do. It’s fabulous that they can sit down and write every single day of their life. Plenty of successful authors do that. Plenty of successful authors don’t.

If a daily schedule works for you, beautiful. But if it doesn’t, that’s okay too. Like athletes, many of us need breaks to recover, adapt, recharge, and prevent burn out.

Want some proof?

Writing Your Book, How to Write a BookTiffany HawkSeptember 11, 2018 Comments

3 Simple Mistakes That Will Kill Your Novel's Opening (+ how to fix them)

You’re trying to juggle a dozen things at once – an unforgettable first line, a fresh voice, an original theme, complex characters, mood and tone and conflict and a sense of mystery, and so on and so forth. In so doing, there’s a good chance you’ve inadvertently lost the most important element of all – clarity.

Literary Agents, Writing Your Book, Editing Your Book, How to Write a BookTiffany HawkFebruary 12, 2018Revision