Anne R. Allen's Blog... with Ruth Harris
Writing about writing. Mostly.
by Anne R. Allen This week, editor and former agent Nathan Bransford published a blogpost that I wanted to send to all the beginning writers I know. The title is: If You Think Writing is Easy you’re Probably Not Very Good At It. It’s a little harsher than what we usually hear from good-natured […]
Publishing predictions from Laurie’s crystal ball By Laurie McLean, Co-Founder/Agent Partner at Fuse Literary Hello everyone! Well, to say a lot happened in publishing last year is a severe understatement. Simon and Schuster Merger that Wasn’t Among the legal news, the biggest merger in publishing history — Penguin Random House’s proposed acquisition of Simon and […]
Happy New Year to all pre-published and published authors! by Anne R. Allen I’ve been looking over some old journals from 25-30 years ago, and it’s amazing how many years I made a New Year’s resolution to become a published author. And it’s amazing how many years it didn’t happen. The journals gave me a […]
Anne and Ruth wish all our readers–from pre-published to professional authors– Happy Holidays and a Rewarding New Year! by Ruth Harris I’ve known and worked with a lot of writers over the years (decades). Some work first thing in the AM, others in the PM, some don’t get started until near midnight. Some write sober, […]
Clueless comments are guaranteed to drive a writer crazy by Ruth Harris Anne and Ruth are proud to host the first public release of the groundbreaking study devised and conducted by the eminent neuroscientist, Einstein Fitzhemingway, MD, PhD, PfffT, and DuH. Peer reviewed under the auspices of the prestigious research institute, VonShtupp, Dummkopf, Putz und […]
Can an author copyright a character like Harry Potter? by Joseph Perry, Intellectual Property Attorney Copyright law is complicated. Can You Copyright a Title? No. Under the US Copyright Act, you cannot copyright a title. That is because titles are too short to be protected. Copyright law protects original works fixed in a tangible medium […]
by Anne R. Allen The British TV series Morse, based on the mystery novels by Colin Dexter, won the “Best British Mystery Series of All Time” title in a Radio Times poll. A recent Facebook post about the win made me think about the admonition authors hear that novels must have likeable characters. Inspector Morse […]
by Anne R. Allen Here’s more about the mistakes I made so you don’t have to. If I had worked harder on these things instead of doggedly piling up wordcount without having a clue what I was doing, I’d have saved myself a lot of time and heartbreak on my road to publication. 1) Come […]
Why you should write that author bio now by Ruth Harris The book you poured your heart into languishes on your hard drive like the wallflower at the dance — slumped shoulders, wilted corsage and all. Your crit group tries to be encouraging, but the message is clear. Go to plumbing school/welding school where you will learn […]
by Anne R. Allen Bad marketing is worse than none. And I’ve seen some breathtakingly bad marketing strategies recently. I assume authors are hiring cut-rate online marketers who have more experience selling real estate in Mumbai and knock-off designer sunglasses than books. Do I need to say this is a bad idea? Being annoying may […]
by Melodie Campbell This month, I will have the privilege of interviewing both Ian Rankin and Linwood Barclay, at separate conferences and festivals. Both are world-renowned crime writers (and wonderfully witty men besides.) As I read through their latest books in order to prepare for being the hostess with the mostess (naughty thoughts aside – […]
by Anne R. Allen Song lyrics inspire a lot of writers. Often a song that means a lot to you may be what inspired your book in the first place. Or you may need to quote those Garth Brooks lyrics to give an authentic tone to that bar scene in your memoir. The band played […]
by Joseph Perry When you sit down to write your book, there are some legal issues that you need to be cognizant of. These include defamation, invasion of privacy, and right of publicity (a form of privacy). There are other items to be aware of as well, but let’s focus on these three for now. […]
