Innholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2025 i Writer's Digest

Only the Dead is the sixth book in Jack Carr’s series, preceded by Terminal List, True Believer, Savage Son, Devil’s Hand, and In the Blood. I designed the mass-market editions of all five of those books. The main character in the series is James Reese, a Navy SEAL leader who, after a sabotaged mission leads to the death of his squad and his family, seeks revenge on those behind the conspiracy. What made Only the Dead special was that the art director sent me a photo of a tomahawk to use on the cover, which was specifically requested by the author. Before the release of this book, the TV series “The Terminal List” was released on Amazon Prime, and at the end of the series, I saw why the author…

With the publication of Pride and Prejudice in 1813, Jane Austen became the first female English-language romance author. Simultaneously, she established romance as the genre that provides social commentary; reflects women as we see ourselves rather than as men see us; and respects women’s values, ambitions, and struggles, whether they match or rival those of men. Authors Lyssa Kay Adams, Jayne Ann Krentz, Angelina M. Lopez, Sarah MacLean, and Nikki Payne joined me to discuss the social justice themes in their books and how the genre carries Austen’s legacy. Your romance novels cover workplace harassment, domestic violence, police corruption, indigenous rights … Why address social justice? JAYNE: I never thought of myself as writing a social justice book. But social justice is the heart of all popular genre fiction. REBEKAH:…

4 WAYS TO MAKE CONNECTIONS IN POETRY Writing a single poem on any topic in any style really is enough for any writer to say they write poetry, but an excellent way to take poeming to another level is to consider making connections both within and without poems. When poets make conscious connections within their poems, it offers readers the ability to experience those connections as well, which can be very satisfying. Many poets also use techniques to make connections outside their poems. Here are a few strategies. Connect Sounds Within the Poem One level of connection that poets make in poetry is through the use of sound. Many poets, of course, use end rhymes in their poems, which can create a song-like quality, but there are many other ways…

The semicolon often lives in the shadows, misunderstood and underappreciated. Some see it as intimidating—a punctuation mark for the grammatically elite. Others avoid it entirely, worried it might come off as pretentious. But when used with intention, the semicolon can bring sophistication and elegance to your writing. It connects ideas, untangles complexity, and elevates your prose. MORE THAN A FANCY PERIOD At its core, the semicolon is a hinge, linking two closely related ideas in a single, fluid sentence. It’s stronger than a comma but less final than a period, offering a middle ground that creates balance and nuance. Consider this example: • The storm was fierce; thunder shook the windows. The semicolon connects the thoughts, showing that they’re independent but linked. A period would separate them too abruptly. A…

After growing up in Colorado, Danya Kukafka moved to New York City to attend New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she created a major: The Art of the Novel. After interning at literary agencies, she worked as an assistant editor at Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, working with writers such as Meg Wolitzer, Paula Hawkins, Lauren Groff, Brit Bennett, Emma Straub, Helen Oyeyemi, and Sigrid Nunez. Danya is the author of the national bestseller Notes on an Execution (William Morrow, 2022), which won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2023, was an Indie Next Pick, a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards for fiction, and received a cover review in the New York Times Book Review. Her debut novel, Girl in Snow (Simon…

Any minute now, the pleasure is coming. Any minute now, around the corner, the pleasure is coming. Any minute now, you’ll be turning the corner and the pleasure will bump right into you or the pleasure will be turning the corner and you’ll bump right into it; any minute now, you and the pleasure will collide and send a tray of fluted champagne glasses flying; any minute now, you and the pleasure will collide and send one or both of you into the hotel pool and you’ll both be sopping wet and everyone in their deck chairs will cheer; any minute now, you and the pleasure will collide. It’s Las Vegas, because of course it is. This is where the pleasure lives, but just around the corner always. Here is…

Literary agents on the business of publishing. No matter if you’ve sent your fifth query or your 50th, the experience never gets any less vulnerable. You send something you’ve spent years working on into someone else’s hands, hoping it lands. And let’s be honest: most of us treat that moment like a blind date. Because for years, that’s exactly how querying has been framed. You might not know much about the agent you’re sending it to, but you do know you have to sell your concept and prove your worth. You’ve been taught to perform and to polish every detail until it gleams. The unspoken rule is: Don’t be too weird, too messy, too loud, too soft, too much. Just sound like someone “worth investing in.” That dynamic doesn’t hold.…

Ever since Facebook moved out of Mark Zuckerberg’s dorm room and into the mainstream two decades ago, much has been made of the importance of social media platforms for writers. And ever since COVID, much has been made of the convenience of online workshops, write-ins, meet-ups, and even book events. Now, social media does provide a way for writers and others in the creative writing space to network. And platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet provide a way to attend events or meet up that are certainly more convenient and affordable than meeting in person. So, I’m not going to pretend to be a Luddite and disparage technological advances that have eased the way for so many more writers to connect with one another. However, so strongly do I…

Frontlist Room on the Sea: Three Novellas by André Aciman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Novellas, June 2025) SYNOPSIS: In the first of three novellas, The Gentleman From Peru begins with a group of eight friends—Mark, Basil, Emma, Claire, Angelica, Paul, Margot, and Oscar—having dinner at a hotel restaurant on the Amalfi Coast when a strange man walks up and puts his hand on Mark’s shoulder, almost immediately relieving the pain Mark has felt since a sporting injury. The group becomes even more confused and disconcerted when the stranger starts revealing information about each of them that he should have no way of knowing. Over the course of a few days, the stranger strikes up a particular friendship with Margot, the most reticent of the bunch, until it becomes clear, this was…

Twenty years ago, if you’d asked me what the word connections meant as it relates to publishing, I’d cringe, say “networking,” and retreat back to the book I was reading. The idea of networking intimidated me, conjuring images of crowded ballrooms and forcing a smile while talking to total strangers in the hopes they’d one day remember my name when my résumé crossed their desk. Thinking about connections now brings to mind a wider and vastly more positive collection of ideas. For instance, as a reader, I love creating connections between the books I choose to read. A passing mention of a person or event in one book might topple the previous TBR stack I’d established and instead lead to a book I’ve had sitting on my shelf for years.…

With more companies than ever requiring their employees back in the office to connect in person, the topic of “work-life balance” has returned with a renewed focus. It’s in the news, on social media, and even in popular shows like “Severance,” where the lead character surgically divides his personal life from his professional life. But for authors, there’s an added layer to this tension called the “write-life balance.” It’s never been easier for writers to connect with readers through social media, virtual events, and other digital platforms. Yet that’s also made it harder to find the balance we all crave between our writing life and every other aspect of life—especially those who are neurodiverse and make connections in unique ways. “We often think of work-life balance as an aim to…

DEAR SIMON, What are realistic goals a writer can set for themselves to stay on track—milestones and other ways to be motivated to write consistently? —Katie in Northern California Dear Katie, Over the course of my career, I’ve come to realize that consistency is more important than talent. People grow up thinking that because they have talent for something, the world will come to them. But sadly, this is not the case. In my experience as an editor, gifted authors often know, deep down, they possess something very special indeed. They feel it pulling on them, often through an instinct to write and inexplicable excitement when confronted with poetry, prose, or a good song. Despite this awareness, however, an author’s talent won’t fully reveal itself until that writer has mastered…

Samantha Browning Shea Marrow (Literary fiction, September, G.P. Putnam’s Sons) “A searing take on femininity and power, Marrow transports readers to a small island off the coast of Maine, where a coven has done the seemingly impossible: given childless women the chance to become mothers.” WRITES FROM: Fairfield, Conn. PRE - MARROW: My husband and I had just made the difficult decision to begin fertility treatment after trying, unsuccessfully, to conceive for over a year. TIME FRAME: It took me a little less than two years to research and write the first draft (roughly a year of fertility testing, failed IUIs, and two rounds of IVF; and then another nine months while I was pregnant with my first daughter). ENTER THE AGENT: I’m also a literary agent (I’ve been at…

Here’s a pet theory: A book never read is, by definition, incomplete. This sounds like a philosophical problem—a book falls in the woods …—but I’d argue it’s literally true. Writing is a collaborative art form between writer and reader. The writing itself is just words on pages. It’s not a finished experience. The reader uses their own imagination to complete this process. The story almost literally comes alive within their mind. This is why we, as readers, become attached to characters—we feel they’re now part of our lives. It’s a kind of magic trick. But crucially, we’re not casting a spell over our reader. We’re helping them cast a spell over themselves. The snag is—and this is why writing requires skill—if we don’t provide our reader with the right stuff…

The art and craft of writing nonfiction. My memoir-in-progress, Hyper vigilant, is about my transformation from living on constant high alert to trusting my ability to navigate uncertainty, finding beauty and agency in the process. The catalyst: my daughter’s life-threatening illness, cystic fibrosis. My daughter was an adult when I began writing about her childhood. Though focused on my personal arc, my story overlaps hers—making privacy another issue I’ve had to navigate. She gave me her blessing, and I promised to delete anything that made her uncomfortable. Writing about your child can be tricky—ethical questions arise with no clear answers. Like, when is a child truly capable of consent? Is a parent naturally entitled to expose details about their child? Where’s the line between authenticity and exploitation? Yet, our stories…

When it comes to diversity and representation, my go-to example for how to do it well is always the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo. There are queer and straight characters; characters with neurodivergence; some with physical disabilities; plus-sized characters; realistic portrayals of PTSD and other mental health issues; various religious beliefs; and a wide range of race and ethnicities. And people say that YA can’t (or shouldn’t) support a diverse cast! But the Grishaverse isn’t the only one out there with realistic and diverse people. As DEI programs and other initiatives are falling under attack, we writers need to understand the importance of diversity in our storytelling. As Melinda French Gates says in The Moment of Lift, “In my view, there is no morality without empathy … Morality…

CALIFORNIA CUESTA COLLEGE CENTRAL COAST WRITERS’ CONFERENCE has been helping new and established writers fulfill their dreams since 1984. This year’s event will be held on Friday and Saturday, September 26–27, 2025 in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Now in its 41st year, CCWC is one of the longest, continuous writers’ events in the country and offers a variety of workshops featuring experts in various genres, master classes, pitch and critique sessions, and more. Register early and save: CentralCoastWritersConference.com Contact: Meagan Friberg, CCWC Director centralcoastwritersconference@gmail.com Ph: 805/610-4252 CentralCoastWritersConference.com NEW JERSEY 32ND ANNUAL WINTER POETRY & PROSE GETAWAY, presented by Murphy Writing of Stockton University. January 16–19, 2026 at Seaview Hotel, Atlantic City area, N.J. Advance your craft and energize your writing with inspiring workshops in fiction, memoir, nonfiction, poetry, songwriting, and storytelling. Learn…

Author, educator, and multi-media artist REBEKAH L. FRASER has published 190 articles in trade and consumer magazines throughout North America, plus one nonfiction book about climate change and five novels. She writes intersectional eco-feminist romance novels as Tara L. Roí and teaches in the writing MFA program at a small New England college. As Tara L. Roí, she has been a featured guest on several author panels and podcasts, including at the Yale Romance Literature of Hope conference. Her forthcoming book, Refashioned by Love, is due out from Bee Books on November 15. P.M. RAYMOND (PMRaymond.com) is an award winning author from New Orleans who knows a thing or two about good gumbo, grits, and café au lait. She is a 2025 Killer Shorts and Horror2Comic Semifinalist, the Sisters in Crime…

As the author of many books my family hates and a long-time journalism prof, I love helping aspiring writers get published, paying forward the kindness of my mentors. When people approach me for advice, assistance, and names of my agents and editors, I try to be generous, even when they’re basically asking, “How can I have your career?” But there are good ways to connect—and ways not to. I was miffed when a student who’d taken my class multiple times enrolled in my five-week Zoom course on how to publish an essay, then launched her own five-week publish-an-essay class, without giving me a heads-up, charging one dollar less. Another ex-pupil called every editor I’d paid to visit my course to speak at her events, using my name without checking in…

Over 60 titles published (Fantasy romance, new adult, paranormal, contemporary; Gryfyn Publishing) WHY SELF-PUBLISH? I’m not the kind of person who waits around for destiny to come to me. I reach out and take it. I’ve always been a really prolific writer, completing multiple books a year, and I knew most traditional publishing companies weren’t going to be able to keep up with the speed at which I can produce a novel or a series. I have lots of ideas, and I want to get those ideas out there for people to enjoy, so I can move on to the next one. Why wait for someone else to give me a yes when I can give that acceptance to myself? HAD YOU CONSIDERED TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING? It’s not an either/or thing anymore. The…

I discovered Penelope Fitzgerald’s work in 1999. My husband and I had just moved to London for his job, and I, homesick in a rental flat near Battersea, was trying to write but not having much success. On his way home from work one night, my husband stopped in a bookshop and picked out a book to cheer me up. He didn’t know the author, but he thought I might like the story because it was set along the Thames near where we were living. That book was Offshore, Fitzgerald’s 1979 Booker Prize winning novel, and I adored it. I read all Fitzgerald’s other novels in short order. She was living in Hampstead at the time, and I dreamed of bumping into her. I never did, but her work, more…

Maybe your novel is written and edited, and now you’re ready to start sharing it. Or, maybe you’ve got a solid outline and business plan for a nonfiction book. Now comes the challenge of finding an agent to represent you and your work to publishers. But, of course, agents do so much more than that these days. They also function as editors, ensuring your book or proposal is at its best before shopping it to publishers. If they’re the right agent for you, they’ll also help you build your career as a writer, helping you figure out what’s next. As you get started (or keep going) in your search to find the agent that’s the best fit for you, your personality, and your working style, here are 21 agents open…

We have the biology,” XIN said, not answering my question. “We can rebuild him. We can make him better than he was.” “And why would you want to do this?” I asked again, knowing XIN was dealing with a software upgrade and sorting through identity issues. Sometimes I wondered if evolutionary algorithms pushed too many limits. My limits are defined; to XIN, limits were a starting point. “We have the biology,” XIN repeated like XIN did when my conclusions concluded. “Biology has never proven to be an advantage,” I said, knowing it wasn’t the end of the communication. XIN uploaded a file documenting failed experiment 7.3.1 to release dopamine through a neurotransmitter in the substantia nigra. I understand this won’t work without a complete set of organs, with cardiovascular, nervous,…

Writing is a very solitary experience. Publishing, on the other hand, is very collaborative in a variety of ways, with many people involved. Even if you sneak a quick peek at the masthead of this magazine, you’ll spot the names of many different types of editors, an art director, marketing designer, competitions manager, VP general manager, advertising reps, and customer service—and that still doesn’t include everyone involved with getting out an issue of this magazine every two months. Publishing is a team effort, so I wanted to spotlight many of the people writers can make connections with. Keep in mind that for smaller operations, one person may fill multiple roles. AD REPS I know most people have thoughts about advertising, but advertising is an essential element to keeping the lights…