Before you Begin Writing

My approach was to treat it like a college degree. I searched for every bit of wisdom I could find in craft books, YouTube videos, author interviews, chatting with other people etc. and defined the pillars of what I needed to study. I created a foundation to give me enough confidence in my writing before starting to write and I think having that process pre-established is what made all the difference.
— Thiago Abdalla

Thiago Abdalla writes epic Fantasy. Read the interview.


Writing advice

Jean Gill writes ecofantasy and several other genres. Read the interview.

Stop writing in a session at a point where you know what comes next. I’ve always done this and never had writer’s block. I’m raring to go when I sit down to write.
— Jean Gill

Write every day. Even if it’s a hundred words. Try flash fiction. Try poetry. Explore the different types of writing. Find what you love.
— M. L. Farb

M. L. Farb writes fairy tales. Read the interview.


Morgan K. Bell writes epic fantasy/steampunk/dragon fantasy. Read the interview.

The pomodoro method is the only way I ever get anything done. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s this thing where you set a 25 minute timer, work for those 25 minutes, and then take a 5 minute break.
— Morgan K. Bell

Try to write clean sentences without too many adjectives and adverbs; it’s amazing how powerful simple subject-verb-object sentences can be to move the action along. As Mark Twain said, ‘If you catch an adjective, kill it!’.
— Peter Blaisdell

Peter Blaisdell writes medieval/Arabic/low fantasy. Read the interview.


W.D. Kilpack III writes epic/sword & sorcery fantasy. Read the interview.

You see a movie and a line of dialogue has you going down another path, write it down. You hear a song and a lyric strikes you, write it down.
— W.D. Kilpack III

Write in the way that fits you. Some are plotters, some are pansters (discovery writers). There is no ‘one fits all’. Write where and when fits you. Write because you have a story to tell and not because you want to be famous.
— Anat Eliraz

Anat Eliraz writes portal fantasy and sci-fi. Read the interview.


A.C. Cross writes weird western. Read the interview.

...give yourself permission to do something different! Write a character you don’t expect. Write a scene that confuses you. Write something off-the-wall and unique to YOU. Let YOUR voice work within the book and it will come out better, guaranteed.
— A.C. Cross

I recommend that authors learn techniques for clear, communicative writing. One of the many hats I’ve worn is that of technical writer, and my experiences with technical writing made my writing inordinately better and more accessible. You might be a wonderfully atmospheric, descriptive author—but if your reader can’t tell who’s speaking at any given time, their brain has to work far harder just to follow the story, and that means their brain isn’t focusing as much on your lovely descriptions!
— Olivia Atwater

Olivia Atwater writes romantic fantasy. Read the interview.


Raina Nightingale writes high fantasy. Read the interview.

If you write to create the perfect book for you, the book you want to read, and you don’t compare what you’re writing to anything except what you want it to be, it’s a drive to excellence all on its own, and … in my experience, at least, it takes care of that imposter syndrome issue pretty nicely. After all, only I can create my story....
— Raina Nightingale


...(read) at least 1000 books in a genre before you attempt to write in it...Each genre has certain reader expectations and it’s best to know what they are when you write.
— Kristin Gleeson

Kristin Gleeson writes romantic urban fantasy. Read the interview.


Casey Hollingshead writes gritty low/military fantasy with mythical and horror elements. Read the interview.

I maintain a “living” document of sentences, idioms, words, ideas, names, etc. I’ve always sorta done this, but rarely kept it organized. It was only after seeing Eminem of all people show that he kept shoeboxes filled with notes and rhymes that it kinda clicked for me. (Talented lyricists are themselves top tier writers, so their methods are worth looking into, certainly moreso than mine heh.) My “shoebox” is currently over 14,000 words now and is an invaluable asset; I always have it open while writing and/or reading.
— Casey Hollingshead

...writing satire/comedy/farce allows me to get away with a raft of so-called writing no-nos. Info dumps, multiple points of view and chronological impossibilities can be sloshed in and merrily explained away with a shrug—it’s a comedy, innit?
— Jowsey Jones

Jowsey Jones writes comedy fantasy. Read the interview.


Edit_ng advice

Kevin Wright writes medieval fantasy/detective mashup. Read the interview.

Learn the basics of grammar and edit the hell out of your amazing story. And don’t only make peace with the editing process, force yourself to love it, because that’s where the magic happens.
— Kevin Wright

I think it’s incredibly helpful to have a trusted critique partner. My stories are stronger because of this feedback, and it’s made it easier to see where I can improve.
— Holly Karlsson

Holly Karlsson writes fantasy adventure. Read the interview.


Andrew C. Piazza writes cosmic horror. Read the interview.

Editing your own work is tedious but essential to get better with your prose. Constantly go over your work. Can this sentence or that one be improved in any way? Can it be made more succinct? More clear? More emotionally evocative? Keep going over it, again and again, until you’re ready to go insane. And then, go over it again.
— Andrew C. Piazza

Your first draft will suck. If you write a first draft and think it’s okay, that’s because you’re not good enough at reading with perspective (yet). You need a team of people to help you rip that draft apart and put it back together, over and over, until it’s good. Which might never happen, but it might.
— JCM Berne

JCM Berne writes superhero fantasy. Read the interview.


Alex C. Pierce writes dark fantasy. Read the interview.

Beta-readers, editing, and being open to criticism, growth, and improvement.
— Alex C. Pierce

Don’t just throw your book up on KDP as soon as you finish it. Test it with readers, revise, then test again. Hire qualified editors and cover artists. Do your due diligence to put out a professional product.
— Staci Olsen

Staci Olsen writes mythological fantasy/historical fiction. Read the interview.


Christopher Clargo writes epic fantasy. Read the interview.

If you’re serious about self-publishing, get a professional editor. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth every penny—especially when you’re new to the game. But even that’s not enough to get noticed in the saturated world of Amazon etc… If you can’t do it yourself, get a book cover designed by a professional and spend time getting your blurb right.
— Christopher Clargo

…I eventually got over the disastrous notion that I had some special creative instinct and whatever I wrote would be good… I had to write a synopsis (the bane of all writers) when I was querying the book. It was uncomfortably revealing because it showed me how much I had faked in the book and how many otherwise good ideas I hadn’t done much with...I was in as much of a rush to get done with the novel as anyone. I cut corners, got distracted...I had to admit to myself that I hadn’t done what I thought I’d done. I’d paid a lot of attention to prose, but I needed to focus more on story… The agents weren’t wrong, my story was… From there, though, everything got easier.
— Tom Mock

Tom Mock writes occult fantasy horror. Read the interview.


On Reading

HJ Ramsay writes YA fairy tales. Read the interview.

...volunteer to read for a literary journal. They’re always needing readers, especially the smaller ones. After you’ve read 100 stories, it’ll be the clearest thing you ever saw.
— HJ Ramsay

My best piece of advice for writers is to read. Once you start writing a novel, words taste different.
— Dito Abbott

Dito Abbott writes YA adventure. Read the interview.


Charlotte Kersten writes gaslamp Fantasy. Read the interview.

Sensitivity readers can be a great source for feedback on representation if you are writing identities or significant experiences that are not your own...
— Charlotte Kersten

I find that when I hit ‘writer’s block’, I’m usually tired or burnt out from other aspects in my life. Reading helps recharge my creative battery.
— Cal Black

Cal Black writes gaslamp & fantasy western. Read the interview.


Making Connections and Finding Readers

Jay Alden Bailey writes non fiction, satire/humor. Read the interview.

Support other authors, make friends and learn from them, your peers are your biggest asset and your biggest reward, don’t operate in a vacuum.
— Jay Alden Bailey

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to get involved with the community. From interacting with other authors and bloggers on Twitter, to joining a Discord of like-minded individuals. It encourages. It gets your book and name out there. It reduces the feeling that you’re a ship in a troubled sea. (Despite what Simon and Garfunkel said, you are not a rock, nor an island.) We are all in this together. Don’t have a community? Ask someone!
— Andrew D Meredith

Andrew D Meredith writes Slavic fantasy. Read the interview.



M.S. Olney writes heroic fantasy. Read the interview.

The EPIC website that I created and run. My aim is to turn into the one stop shop for indie authors and readers. It has an Indie author directory, a book release calendar and now a resource page that lists services that any author can find useful.

— M.S. Olney


Half the reason my books end up decent at all is because I’ve built connections with other writers who have critiqued my work or given me great advice on self-publishing, and hopefully I’ve been able to help them in turn.
— T. A. Hernandez

T. A. Hernandez writes flintlock fantasy/sword & sorcery. Read the interview.


Stephanie Burgis writes regency fantasy. Read the interview.

...focus on what’s most fun to you in a book, and – if you possibly can – try to make friends with other authors who are willing to swap manuscripts and offer constructive, positive feedback to help you get better and better!
— Stephanie Burgis

Believe in yourself

J. B. Cantwell writes dark epic fantasy. Read the interview.

...it’s important to remember that what you’re doing is BRAVE. It takes guts to put yourself and your story out into the world. It’s easy for others to criticize, so be prepared for it, but always keep in mind that those who are nasty about their opinions of your work probably aren’t doing anything nearly as creative as you are. Take breaks from time to time, but don’t quit!
— J. B. Cantwell

...just try! Try writing, try have someone read it, try send your work to publishers and contests.
— Karen Lykkebo

Karen Lykkebo writes fantasy romance. Read the interview.


Steve Dragon writes fairy tales, folk tales, legends & mythology. Read the interview.

The best advice I can give is to not give up. I had the ideas for the books in my head for thirty years.
— Steve Dragon

“Learn the craft.
Write on, stay calm and carry on.”
— Amber Higgins

Amber Higgins writes about rescue dogs, dog care, parenting, and relationships. Read the interview.


K.A. Ashcomb writes humorous dark comedy/gaslamp fantasy. Read the interview.

I think it’s all about passion. You know, writing about things you love and believe in. It will show from your work whatever the subject is.
— K.A. Ashcomb

Ha! Well in my case it was sheer determination to prove a reviewer wrong. But seriously, don’t be afraid of critique, don’t take it personally, take it on board and use it to make yourself a better writer.
— Abbie Evans

Abbie Evans writes LGBTQ+ fantasy. Read the interview.


Kerry Kennedy writes psychological thrillers. Read the interview.

It is only natural to think what if no-one wants to read my book or like it, they will and that you need to be assured of...hold on to your dream and never let it go.
— Kerry Kennedy

Back when my Grandma was alive, she would be working on a project and someone would suggest a better way. She would smile and say, “You might be right.” She then proceeded to finish the project exactly as she planned. The moral of the story is to be polite, consider every piece of advice folks offer, but realize that even advice with the best intentions can be wrong. As an author, you’ll hear a lot of it, and the trick is picking out which is right.
— L. James Rice

L. James Rice writes epic fantasy. Read the interview.


Quenby Olson writes cozy fantasy. Read the interview.

There’s a line from the show King of the Hill, where one of the characters - who cuts hair for a living - reminds another hairdresser that a botched haircut will grow back. “It WILL grow back.” And I think about that with writing. If I screw up this scene, the words are still there for me to fix, the ideas and the creativity will come back to me. It will grow back. I can fix this.
— Quenby Olson

On World-building

Rune S. Nielsen writes epic fantasy. Read the interview.

Decide on a way that your world is different and let your story and character ideas flow directly from world-building. How do I do that? Do a quick initial brainstorming session to make your world feel unique. Let’s say you decide to place your story on a planet with low gravity. How would this affect people? Are they taller and spindly thin? Can they fly? Do the characters jump or fly around and do sword fights in midair? How would low gravity impact architecture and society? And is the atmosphere a unique mix? Do these things affect the magic? Write the answers down and soon your characters and setting will be easy to visualize and you’ll get a lot of “free” story ideas.
— Rune S. Nielsen

Marketing

You cannot feel self-conscious or hesitant about plugging yourself and your book. Again, no one else will fight for your book, so you must. Message every book blog, YouTube book reviewer, and podcaster in this industry that you can. Message every indie bookstore you can and try to line up consignment of your book with them. Bookfairs, farmer’s markets, think outside the box.
— Joseph A. Schiller

Joseph A. Schiller writes sci-fi/fantasy. Read the interview.


Arabella Maghri writes erotic fantasy. Read the interview.

Share your thoughts on social media daily.
— Arabella Maghri

Reedsy. They were my go-to to find professionals that helped me through my writing and publishing. From editors to marketers and book cover designers. It is a one-stop shop for writers.
— Tony Debajo

Tony Debajo writes fantasy action and adventure inspired by Nigerian folklore. Read the interview.


Amy Campbell writes epic fantasy in an Old West-style setting. Read the interview.

For marketing, I think more authors should look into Kickstarter. I’m in the middle of planning a campaign that will launch probably August 2022, and I’m really excited by the opportunity to offer my existing fans some cool things I can’t give them on retailers, plus find more potential fans!
— Amy Campbell

Chris Paton is the author of more than 80 works in the genres of crime, thriller, fantasy, and science fiction. More advice from Chris in Rune S. Nielsen’s guide to self-publishing.

New writers worry too much about promoting their first book. But promoting one book is the same as throwing all your money into the sea, hoping to catch the attention of the right reader in an ocean of books...I suggest new writers should concentrate on building their inventory, and to forget all about promotion until they have written and published at least 10 books, preferably in a series.
— Chris Paton

Brand J. Alexander writes epic/coming of age fantasy. Read the interview.

Newsletter- (Having one helps. I get sales through it. You can too.) Currently using Mailchimp.

I use StoryOrigin to help build my newsletter subscribers.
— Brand J. Alexander

Publisher Rocket is utterly superb for helping find the best keywords and for doing market research for publishing on amazon. I personally found serializing my novel to be an incredible boon, helping me to get used to a regular writing schedule and also helping me get used to interacting with readers—both the type who enjoyed my work and the type who hated it.
— J. W. Benjamin

J. W. Benjamin writes litRPG. Read the interview.


Rob Edmunds writes historical fiction. Read the interview.

I’ve found bookfunnel to be quite useful as a means to distribute advance copies to people who are interested in the books. The site also allows you to participate in group promotions with other authors which can help you reach a wider audience.
— Rob Edmunds

On Characters

I always ask why and how with a character’s actions: why something is important/how does it affect things. I like to look at the fine details and ripple effects because sometimes things are overlooked in stories, and it can make stories feel a bit rushed. It also helps me decide if adding something to the story or character is necessary or relevant. Not everything has to be relevant, but I think it’s important to see how a small action can affect a character’s storyline and the plot.
— K.E.Andrews

K.E.Andrews writes dark fantasy. Read the interview.


Cameron Hopkin writes epic/dark fantasy. Read the interview.

Listen to people talk. Take an acting class and pay attention to the cadence of how people speak, and how infrequently we actually land on the words we really want. I feel like giving the sense of real people talking in your novel can cover a multitude of writerly sins.
— Cameron Hopkin

Let your story simmer like a good stew until its richest flavours develop, and you’ll discover what really makes your characters tick.
— Shaun Paul Stevens

Shaun Paul Stevens writes epic fantasy. Read the interview.


Great Apps and Tools

Give yWriter a try. It’s a free story/novel writing tool. Similar to Scrivener but without the price tag.
— Jeff Chapman

Jeff Chapman writes dark fantasy adventure. Read the interview.


John Palladino writes grimdark/epic fantasy. Read the interview.

I personally learned so much from using ProWritingAid that I can’t recommend it enough.
— John Palladino

I have found Brandon Sanderson’s lectures incredibly helpful as well as a whole host of Booktubers and authors on Instagram. Of course, it is important to stress that while there are lots of people out there giving advice, it’s up to you which bits of it you listen to.
— Helen Rygh-Pedersen

Helen Rygh-Pedersen writes epic fantasy. Read the interview.


Azalea Forrest writes fantasy adventure, LGBTQ+. Read the interview.

I really recommend Fantasia Archive! It’s a free tool for any lore-maker. I used to use GDocs but got so overwhelmed: Fantasia does a much better job.
— Azalea Forrest

Scrivener! I do most of my writing in Microsoft Word, but Scrivener is what I use when it comes time to “publishing” and creating the ebook files for Amazon and the like. It’s a very easy and powerful tool and one that every writer should have in their toolbox.
— Ben Stava

Ben Stava writes action and adventure fantasy. Read the interview.


Matthew Marcellus writes military sci-fi thrillers. Read the interview.

Every author on Amazon should put their book on Amazon Audible ACX. You can make a deal with a narrator, so you don’t have to pay money up front. Audiobooks are the future in my opinion. Less people are reading, and more people are listening to books.
— Matthew Marcellus

Melissa Stone writes magical girl fantasy. Read the interview.

I’ve had some luck with getting beta readers on Betareader.io

If you need a cover but have a small budget (like me, lol), I’ve had luck with Getcovers.com

— Melissa Stone


Martin Owton writes epic/sword & sorcery fantasy. Read the interview.

I've been using the Absolutewrite forums for about 20 yrs. There's a wealth of useful information there as well as critiquing threads. My own website has a list of UK SF/F agents that I try to keep current. It is the best list I know of, otherwise Querytracker.net is great for US agents.

— Martin Owton


I’d recommend listening to the StoryGrid Podcast. The more recent stuff is maybe a bit technical, but if you go back and listen from the beginning there are some great conversations that will light ideas in your mind to help with your own stories.
— Sarah K. L. Wilson

Sarah K. L. Wilson writes fairytale fantasy. Read the interview.


David Wilson writes Humorous Fiction. Read the interview.

I’ve found that Grammarly is a good tool...It points out the little, simple mistakes that I miss when I’m editing my own work. No matter how many times I re-read my work, and it’s many, there are still things that I miss that the program picks out for me.
— David Wilson

Dave Dobson writes fantasy mystery. Read the interview.

I’ve formatted my last several books in Atticus. They’re still working on it, but it’s quite fully-featured and intuitive. I’ve found it far easier to use than Calibre, which I still use for tricky formatting pieces. Calibre has the huge advantage of being free in addition to being extremely powerful (though less intuitive).

— Dave Dobson


Benjamin Reeves is a screenwriter, filmmaker, and the creator of the Ballads of the Distant Reaches, a digital anthology of fantasy short stories. Read the interview.

Fantasy writers should really check out Inkarnate.com. It’s a fantastic tool for creating fantasy maps, and it can be a good way to just play with ideas.

Listen to the Script Notes podcast. It’s hosted by John August and Craig Mazin, two of the best screenwriters working today, and a lot of what they talk about crosses formats and genres.
— Benjamin Reeves

I’ve always used Vellum for making eBooks, and I like the way that they are constantly updating their app with new features. It’s a visually pleasing app - probably because it was created by a couple of Pixar animators, Brad & Brad.
— Kay Xander Mellish

Kay Xander Mellish writes humorous cultural anthropology full of facts about living or working as a foreigner in Denmark. Read the interview.


Beyond best-seller

After all this great advice you might be thinking, “what advice would an author who’s sold millions of books give?” Well, you don’t have to wonder, as I asked just such a man…

Mark Lawrence needs no introduction. You should read the interview though.

I wrote a blog about this the month after being published.

The tl:dr is that it’s mostly luck.

— Mark Lawrence


A Company of Adventurers

BEGIN HERE: “A world it’s easy to immerse yourself in.” The first Tales of Kjeldale novel makes your role-player’s heart feel right at home.
Reviews > About >

Buy:
US > UK > Germany > Italy > Australia > France > Spain > Canada > Mexico > Japan > Brazil > India > Netherlands > Sweden > Denmark >

Doomsayer Prince
Omnibus Edition

BEGIN HERE: One reviewer called this, “World-class epic fantasy.” Get the first & second Artifact War novels combined. 1,100 pages at a discount.
Reviews > About >

Buy:
US > UK > Germany > Italy > Australia > France > Spain > Canada > Mexico > Japan > Brazil > India > Netherlands > Sweden > Denmark >


HOW TO PUBLISH YOUR NOVEL

This step-by-step guide shows you how to turn your novel from a Word document into a professional-looking book and then publish it on Amazon, Lulu, or Draft2Digital.

The guide is 100% free and covers eBooks, paperbacks, and hardcovers.