I asked this question on Facebook: “Why do poorly written books sell well?” Here’s the feedback I received:
- Some spoke of the importance of story (and I agree.) A poorly written book with a knockout story will sell. We are
// by Mary DeMuth// 32 Comments
I asked this question on Facebook: “Why do poorly written books sell well?” Here’s the feedback I received:
// by Mary DeMuth// 24 Comments
Recently, I remembered a piece I dissected in college, a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne entitled, “The Celestial Railroad.” It’s a parody, of serious sorts, about Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress, where in enlightened modern times, folks have taken to bypass such …
What a Nathaniel Hawthorne Story Teaches us About our ArtRead More
// by Janet Grant// 19 Comments
Last week I read an articulate article on how to end a book well. I distill the essence of the article below, but if you want to read if for yourself, it’s located here.
// by Cynthia Ruchti// 16 Comments
// by Mary DeMuth// 16 Comments
If you want to go anywhere in the business of writing, it is imperative you set goals and then meet them, particularly when you’re starting out. If you’re someone worried about deadlines, here’s a handy way to prepare yourself now. …
// by Janet Grant// 4 Comments
A few years ago on the PBS News Hour, I saw a report on jazz legend Herbie Hancock, who talked about an especially memorable time he performed with his mentor Miles Davis. Herbie hit a wrong note–flat out wrong. …
// by Janet Grant// 19 Comments
As an English lit major, poems are familiar friends to me. But some people find them strange and off-putting. Today I want to encourage you, regardless where you fall on the spectrum of appreciating poetry, to sit with a poem …
// by Mary DeMuth// 28 Comments
Seth Godin writes, “Free doesn’t make something a gift. Free might be a marketing strategy, free might make a generous present, but free doesn’t automatically make something a gift. Gil Scott Heron’s album isn’t free, but it’s a gift. …
// by Wendy Lawton// 13 Comments
“What we want is not more little books about Christianity, but more little books by Christians on other subjects– with their Christianity latent.” -C. S. Lewis
That’s a quote I’ve always loved. It’s more than a quote, it’s a challenge.…
// by Janet Grant// 9 Comments
Concluding your book well is a challenge. It’s one thing to start off with gusto, another thing to make it through a potentially drooping middle, and still another to finish with flair.
One example of a book …