Terrific news.

If a memoir manuscript sounds like an itinerary, the writer has work yet to do. What did you most need or want at that time of your life that made you walk out your ordinary door? Insight from Esther Harder.

If your agent is suddenly fired from their agency, what happens next will depend on your agent contract. Learn what steps to take and which resources, including the AALA and Authors Guild, can help. Author K.T. Carlisle describes her experience and how she handled it.

You could say merely that a character loves dogs … or you can show that she breeds pointers; or that she rescues hard-to-place injured strays; or that she trains problem animals that shelters give up on. That’s the power of specific context.  Insight from @tiffanyyatesmartin.bsky.social

Not alone!

If you intend to get serious about writing powerful essays, you should familiarize yourself with three structural components that you’ll tie together to make a cohesive whole: 1. Form 2. Voice 3. Outcome Insight from @amylbernstein.bsky.social

There’s nothing wrong with imitation when learning an art form. It's an effective way to master your craft. But in the age of AI, the threat has shifted—AI’s ubiquitous use is flattening voices so that you sound like everyone else. @lisacooperellison.bsky.social discusses how to avoid this fate.

A business book author spent $3,100 on book proposal help: — $500 on a freelance editor (not all that useful) — $2,500 on a literary agent who also offers paid services (some usefulness but not for that money) — $100 on a class with me (the author's proposal was an example I chose to analyze)

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It’s becoming ever more predictable: Q&A times at writing conferences are filling with AI-specific questions, especially when conference programming doesn’t officially address AI. Is your event prepared?

This Friday: I'm discussing the most notable publishing industry developments of 2026, what they mean for writers and publishers, and what to watch for in 2027. Recorded if you can't make it live, but join live if you want to ask questions.

I see, a licensing deal. Yes, that's pretty common among many media companies.

What do you mean by "submit their work to OpenAI"?

The biggest questions I get about AI: How do I protect myself from an agent or publisher (or other publishing professional) using AI on my work? How do I protect myself from a false accusation of AI use? Unfortunately, these questions don’t have straightforward answers, but here I try my best.

Per the Authors Guild, agents aren't generally eligible for payouts. In cases I reviewed, agents didn't add themselves; publishers did or it was a case of bad metadata. I encourage authors to let their agents know what's happening if they haven't already. Happily some agents are reaching out first.

Over the last week I spent considerable time analyzing agent claims in the Anthropic case since authors are finding them listed as claimants on their Anthropic settlement titles. So many authors felt quite uncomfortable reaching out to their agents about this, which I can understand.

This is a terrific and straightforward explanation for partnering with a bookstore, and it's similar to the process I followed. It's most likely to work if you have a traditional publisher but I've seen it work for indie authors, too. From M. Stevenson.

"The best, little-understood argument for writing these stories is that they aid in your development as a writer," says @maggielangrick.bsky.social

I imagine it depends on the contract and if series editors are rights holders. Not in my experience.