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Articles from Poet & Writers Magazine include material from the print edition plus exclusive online-only material.
A former magazine editor shares how his experience satisfying and subverting audience assumptions during his tenure at GQ helped him better consider reader expectations throughout the novel-writing process.
The publishing industry is unique in letting retailers return unsold stock—a practice with enormous costs for indie presses. The editor of Orison Books breaks down the logistics of fulfillment and suggests ways to reimagine book returns.
Freelancing doesn’t always guarantee freedom—making a living outside of the literary world empowers many artists with health insurance, energy to write, and relief from the worry of wondering about your next check.
When you venture to inhabit identities and communities beyond your experience, seek people and places to ground your work. A journalist and novelist explains how research skills help fortify one’s imagined realities.
Workshop isn’t about fixing, but building together—instead of giving prescriptive suggestions on a piece, a widely published poet recommends offering specific notes as an invitation to explore further possibilities.
Tax season is coming up, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. The author explains how writers can follow the rules to their advantage to protect their earnings.
A novelist explores how submitting to and publishing in literary journals can serve as an excellent education for writers while offering a sturdy platform upon which to build a promising career.
A poet and author offers tips for how to find and collaborate with a growing group of independent publicists who work specifically with poets and small press authors and whose help is available for far less than high-profile publicists.
A poet and critic who has written dozens of reviews for newspapers, literary journals, magazines, and websites offers practical advice for reviewers who want to show their readers what a book looks like through their eyes.
The full archive of interviews with the professional writers, readers, and thinkers whose job is to start conversations about contemporary literature.
Nita Wiggins describes writing and self-publishing Civil Rights Baby: My Story of Race, Sports, and Breaking Barriers in American Journalism, and an agent and a publicist add their perspectives and offer self-publishing advice.
This collection of case studies in self-publishing offers independent authors advice, warnings, encouragement, and inspiration.
The books editor of the Boston Globe on the shrinking of books coverage, social media and the role of the editor, and the need for higher pay for book critics.
The agent answers questions about mentioning positive feedback in a query letter, how much plot to include in a query, and agents for teen writers.
Twenty-six of the industry’s best and brightest agents responded directly to readers’ questions in this column that ran from 2010 to 2022.
The author chose to share her memoir draft with family and friends and face their varied reactions to her recollection of the past—reactions which ultimately made the book richer.
While editing her memoir about the history and methodology of mental health diagnoses, the author gains a new respect for fact-checking and more confidence in her book.
The agent answers questions about attracting agents using self-published books and whether to use a summary or a writing sample to pitch a memoir.
The agent who represents writers TJ Alexander and K. Tempest Bradford, among others, answers questions about being ghosted by agents and how to query for nonfiction books.
The agent representing Chris Belcher, Kate Broad, Delia Cai, Duy Doan, and others offers advice about working with a coauthor, changing a memoir to fiction, why agents don’t consider previously published work, and how to become an agent.
The critic on the importance of respecting the artist’s labor, reviewing books published by independent houses, and more.
Nikki Peoples describes how she self-published her sci-fi novel, The Station. An editor and a publicist give their advice on reaching more readers, leveraging the power of social media, and finding the right team of publishing professionals.
The literary agent answers questions about how to seek representation as a self-published author, break into the agenting business, and more.
Copy editors are adapting to increasing cultural awareness of racial injustice and new approaches to representing identity on the page. How can their work can help or hinder social change?
The literary agent answers questions about submitting story collections, getting an agent’s attention, and querying two agents at the same agency.
