General Author Resources: Tips and Advice
Explore general resources to help you on your journey as an author, from writing tips to publishing advice.
Why Your Cat Is Actually a Better Editor Than You Think
Published on July 06, 2026 by Randall Wood
For years your cat has been perching on your keyboard, sitting on your manuscript, and staring at your screen with what you've interpreted as indifference. You've been wrong. That cat is trying to help. Here's what they've been telling you all along.
Full Guide: Why Your Cat Is Actually a Better Editor Than You ThinkWhat Readers Actually Want (It's Not What Most Authors Think)
Published on July 06, 2026 by Randall Wood
Most authors have strong opinions about what makes a good book. Most readers have strong feelings about what makes a good reading experience. These are related but not identical things. Here's what the evidence says readers are actually looking for.
Full Guide: What Readers Actually Want (It's Not What Most Authors Think)How Great Opening Lines Actually Work
Published on July 06, 2026 by Randall Wood
'Call me Ishmael.' 'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.' Great opening lines are easy to recognize and surprisingly hard to analyze. Here's what they're actually doing — and how to use that understanding in your own writing.
Full Guide: How Great Opening Lines Actually WorkWhat the Traditional Publishing Industry Actually Looks Like in 2026
Published on July 06, 2026 by Randall Wood
Most indie authors have opinions about traditional publishing. Fewer have a clear picture of how it actually works — the economics, the timelines, the roles, the incentives. Here's an honest look at the industry as it exists today.
Full Guide: What the Traditional Publishing Industry Actually Looks Like in 2026What Sixteen Years of Writing Taught Me That No Course Could
Published on July 06, 2026 by Randall Wood
There are things you learn about writing from books and courses and craft guides. And then there are things you only learn from years of doing it — the slow lessons that accumulate in the bones of a career. Here are mine.
Full Guide: What Sixteen Years of Writing Taught Me That No Course CouldThe Difference Between a Story and a Plot (And Why It Matters)
Published on July 06, 2026 by Randall Wood
Most writers use 'story' and 'plot' interchangeably. They're not the same thing, and the confusion between them is responsible for more manuscript problems than almost any other misunderstanding in fiction writing. Here's the distinction, why it matters, and how to use it.
Full Guide: The Difference Between a Story and a Plot (And Why It Matters)Things No One Tells You About Writing a Book
Published on July 06, 2026 by Randall Wood
The craft guides tell you about structure and character arcs. Nobody tells you about the existential dread of chapter twelve, the strange grief of finishing, or the fact that the book will change you whether it sells or not. Here's what they left out.
Full Guide: Things No One Tells You About Writing a BookThe Indie Author's Field Guide to Imposter Syndrome
Published on July 06, 2026 by Randall Wood
The feeling that you're not a real author, that someone will eventually find out, that everyone else knows something you don't — it's called imposter syndrome, and it's nearly universal. Here's what it actually is, why it shows up, and what to do with it.
Full Guide: The Indie Author's Field Guide to Imposter SyndromeReady to Take Control of Your Author Career?
Join thousands of authors who trust our platform to manage their sales, streamline their reporting, and focus on what they love—writing!
Start Your 14-Day Free Trial