THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The alternate history first contact adventure Axiom's End is an extraordinary debut from Hugo finalist and video essayist Lindsay Ellis. Truth is a human right. It’s fall 2007. A well-timed leak has revealed that the US government might have engaged in first contact. Cora Sabino is doing everything she can to avoid the whole mess, since the force driving the controversy is her whistleblower father. Even though Cora hasn’t spoken to him in years, his celebrity has caught the attention of the press, the Internet, the paparazzi, and the government—and with him in hiding, that attention is on her. She neither knows nor cares whether her father’s leaks are a hoax, and wants nothing to do with him—until she learns just how deeply entrenched her family is in the cover-up, and that an extraterrestrial presence has been on Earth for decades. Realizing the extent to which both she and the public have been lied to, she sets out to gather as much information as she can, and finds that the best way for her to uncover the truth is not as a whistleblower, but as an intermediary. The alien presence has been completely uncommunicative until she convinces one of them that she can act as their interpreter, becoming the first and only human vessel of communication. Their otherworldly connection will change everything she thought she knew about being human—and could unleash a force more sinister than she ever imagined.

Now updated for 2015! The best, most comprehensive guide for writers is now revised and updated, with new sections on ebooks, self-publishing, crowd-funding through Kickstarter, blogging, increasing visibility via online marketing, micropublishing, the power of social media and author websites, and more—making The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published more vital than ever for anyone who wants to mine that great idea and turn it into a successfully published book. Written by experts with twenty-five books between them as well as many years’ experience as a literary agent (Eckstut) and a book doctor (Sterry), this nuts-and-bolts guide demystifies every step of the publishing process: how to come up with a blockbuster title, create a selling proposal, find the right agent, understand a book contract, and develop marketing and publicity savvy. Includes interviews with hundreds of publishing insiders and authors, including Seth Godin, Neil Gaiman, Amy Bloom, Margaret Atwood, Leonard Lopate, plus agents, editors, and booksellers; sidebars featuring real-life publishing success stories; sample proposals, query letters, and an entirely updated resources and publishers directory.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Magically written, heartbreakingly honest.” —Jodi Picoult Leavitt’s new novel, Days of Wonder, is coming April 23, 2024. Pre-order now! Two women running away from their marriages collide on a foggy highway, killing one of them. The survivor, Isabelle, is left to pick up the pieces, not only of her own life, but of the lives of the devastated husband and fragile son that the other woman, April, has left behind. Together, they try to solve the mystery of where April was running to, and why. As these three lives intersect, the book asks, How well do we really know those we love—and how do we forgive the unforgivable?

A complete author's toolkit: The guide that demystifies every step of the publishing process. No matter what type of book you want to write—fiction, nonfiction, humor, sci-fi, romance, cookbook, children's book—here is how to take an idea you're passionate about, develop it into a manuscript or proposal, get it published, and deliver it into the hands and hearts of readers. Includes interviews with dozens of publishing insiders—agents, editors, besteslling authors, and booksellers. Real-life success stories and the lessons they impart. Plus sample proposals and query letters, a resource guide, and more. Updated to cover ebooks, self-publishing, digital marketing, the power of social media, and more. This complete author's toolkit includes information on:- locating, luring, and landing an agent - perfecting your pitch - the nuts and bolts of a book proposal - conquering the query letter - finding the right publisher for YOU - four steps to reaching readers online - making Amazon work for you - kickstarting your Kickstarter campaign - the ins and outs of ebooks - 10 things you should have on your author website - turning rejection into a book deal - new frontiers in self-publishing

Learn to: Craft a winning manuscript Troubleshoot and edit your work Prepare your manuscript for publication Find a good agent to represent you Negotiate the best possible deal Turn your aspiration into reality with this completely updated guide If you’ve always wanted to write that great novel, but never knew where to start, look no further! With a published author advising you on how to write well and a literary agent providing insight into getting a publishing deal, this updated guide gives you the inside track on the art and science of breaking into the fiction-publishing industry. Taking you step by step from concept to contract, this book provides the tools you need to tell your story with skill and approach agents and publishers with confidence. Dive in — check out how to combine your natural talent with the writing techniques used by successful authors Establish a firm foundation — construct your basic story, plot and structure Examine the key elements — create characters, develop dialogue, explore relationships and insert conflict Fine-tune and finish up — discover tips on adding detail, creativity and flair while bringing your work to a close Get published — take the next step by weighing up your publishing options, working with agents and negotiating deals Find out more — check out additional advice, like the most common mistakes you need to avoid, and tips from published authors Open the book and find: Tips for getting started Creative ways to develop plots, storylines, characters and dialogue The seven basic stories and how to put them to work Tricks for crafting a great ending to your novel How to prepare your manuscript for editing and publishing The lowdown on the business side of publishing

This guide is meant to be a starting point for you—it is based entirely on what has worked for the author, Lisa Saunders. Lisa shares her experiences getting published and how her writing hobby eventually led to a professional career as a writer. She will also briefly address the publishing process associated with short stories, non-fiction, children’s fiction and memoirs. Although she has never written an adult novel, many of the principles still apply. Self-publishing is an increasingly popular alternative, so she will discuss that option as well—especially since print-on-demand books can now cost nothing to produce. Self-publishing can sometimes lead to landing a traditional publisher.

Everyone has a book in them, they say. Having gone through the process of extracting a masterpiece from your head what happens next? In most cases the book will end up in a desk drawer as a pile of papers or inside a computer. But that's not what you want, is it? You wrote it to get published. You want to see your name in print, to go into bookshops and see your book on the shelves. You want to feel that moment of pride when you see someone on the bus reading your book. The concept that a good book will always find a publisher is outdated and over-simplistic. The truth is that most writers remain unpublished because they pay attention only to the quality of their writing. Publishers are business people. Their job is to make money from selling books. They know that high quality writing alone isn't always enough to make a profitable book, so when choosing which manuscripts to sign up for publication they think about many more elements than just the words on the page. After 15 years in the book industry, Stewart Ferris has identified all of the crucial factors that publishers consider besides good writing. How to Get Published reveals for the first time these inside secrets and provides tactics that any writer can use to create the perfect conditions for their own 'lucky break' to happen. *Why books get accepted *How publishing works *How to find a publisher *What to put in a submission *How to write a sizzling synopsis *10 ways to leapfrog other submissions *Sending multiple submissions *Easily avoidable reasons why books get rejected *16 crucial factors that publishers consider when deciding what to publish *And much more! Stewart Ferris has published 500 books, rejected 10,000 submissions, and is the author of more than 20 books.