There are many ways to self-publish a book.

If you're simply looking to make your book available online for whomever would like to read it, it's entirely possible to self-publish without spending a dime. 

If, however, you're interested in self-publishing a book that can rival the quality of those produced by traditional publishing houses, a few expenses will indeed come into play.

Throughout our publishing series, we've taken a look at both traditional and self-publishing options as a means of launching our writing careers. With that in mind, let's break down the costs of self-publishing a professional quality novel today.

Both traditional and self-publishing routes give authors the opportunity to share their stories with the world while building their writing careers. But which publishing path you pursue shouldn’t be decided on a whim.

There are disadvantages to working within the publishing industry just as there are for indie authors publishing online. Knowing the pros and cons of both publishing routes is the key to making the best choice for your writing career. 

Last week, in the second installment of our publishing series, we broke down the path debut authors are likely to experience should they choose to pursue traditional publishing.

If you’re brand new to publishing and are unsure of how traditional book deals work, I encourage you to check out that article first. Then, come back to today's post for an in-depth look at the pros and cons of working within the traditional publishing industry.

Sound good? Let's dive in!

If you’re gearing up to publish your first book, then you might be wondering what the traditional publishing process looks like. What’s involved in finding and signing with a literary agent? How exactly do you land a book deal? And what happens after you ink your name on the dotted line? In today's article, Kristen breaks down an overview of the process that most debut authors follow as they build careers within the traditional publishing industry.

Let’s raise the stakes!

Keeping readers engaged in your story is, of course, paramount. And one of the easiest ways to ensure readers keep turning pages is to thread your novel with powerful stakes. 

Raising the stakes means making sure your characters always have something to lose.

For them, something important is at risk. And that risk can have a huge impact, heightening your story’s conflict, adding thrilling tension and suspense, revealing new truths about your characters, propelling their emotional journeys forward, and more!

But how do you go about building powerful stakes for your story? And how can you raise the stakes when your story seems to be running out of steam? Let’s dive in to today’s breakdown!

Learning to let go of silly dreams can be tough, but it's all too necessary if you want to succeed. 

Whether you realize it or not, your writer's ego may be standing between you and the writing life you crave. On Monday, writer Emma Welsh stopped by the blog to share all about what a writer's ego is, why it's dangerous, and how you can spot the signs that your own ego may be taking over.

Today, I'm thrilled to have Emma back to discuss how we can combat our egos and keep our writing goals within sight. Make sure to check out Monday's article first, then come back here to dive into Emma's best ego-crushing tips!

When I was younger, I wanted to be the next Tolkien. Realistically, I know I'll never reach those lauded halls, but I won't deny that I'd love to see my name in lights — to be the next great fantasy writer. My writer's ego can often be found running on all cylinders, and that poses a problem. Many of them. How so? 

Today, I'm so thrilled to have my lovely friend and fellow writing blogger, Emma Welsh, join us on the blog to break this subject down in depth. In fact, Emma will share all you need to know about the writer's ego in not one, but two articles here at Well-Storied.

Make sure to read today's article to learn all about what the writer's ego is, why entertaining it can cause more harm than good, and what signs you can look for to make sure you stay on track for true writing success, then come back Wednesday to learn how you can combat your writer's ego like a boss. Sound like a plan? Without further ado, I'll let Emma take the wheel...

Pre-writing is one of my favorites parts of the writing process.

I know that statement may have some of you grimacing in revulsion, but hey! We're all different. And that's the beautiful thing about being a writer. There is no one right way to write, which means you have all the freedom in the world to figure out a writing process that works for you.

I've shared a bit about my own pre-writing process in the past (as well as through The Pre-Write Project), but my process certainly isn't the only process.

Today, I'm so excited to welcome author Karah Rachelle to the blog. I loved getting to explore her pre-writing process and gleaning a few tips & tricks that I plan to add to my own process, and I can't wait for you to do the same!

Back in the summer of 2016, I wrote a very personal article for the blog.

In it, I revealed that I battle depression and shared tips on how to write while living with a mental illness. I never could have imagined how much of an impact that article would have. It's one of the biggest reasons why I want to talk more about writerly self-care on the blog this year!

As writers, our work is so mentally and emotionally draining. It’s not hard to fall into periods of burnout or extreme doubt, which, being so difficult to overcome, can prolong our writing ruts even further and leave us feeling defeated.

This is not a pattern I want you guys to fall into, which is exactly why I want to share ten ways you can learn to care for yourself as a writer today on the blog. Sound like a plan?

Let’s dive in!

So, chapters.

It occurred to me the other week that I’d yet to talk about them here on Well-Storied, despite the fact that I’ve been running this show for well over two years now. How could I have skipped something so crucial to the structure of a good novel?

I'll be honest. For a long time, I really didn't consider chapters to be all that important. Chapters give your novel structure, sure. But over the years, I've come to realize that that's not all they do...

Chapters also create a sense of pacing, of forward momentum, and---if you play your cards just right----a sense of page-turning urgency. Chapter breaks aren’t just places for readers to stick their bookmarks. They’re an opportunity for you, the author, to further captivate them!

So how can you make sure you’re writing captivating chapters in your own novel? Today, I’m going to break this topic down by answering five of your most popular chapter questions. Let’s go!

Whether you’re writing the first line of your book or simply starting a new chapter, opening lines are tough. In the span of just a sentence or two, you must convince readers that your story is worth their time. Scary right? 

Opening lines are your bargaining chips, your siren songs, your bait. And if you don’t master them, you risk turning readers away. So how can we keep that from happening? By hooking them in of course! 

By “hooking” readers, we’re talking about captivating them so wholly in the span of just a few short lines that they won’t be able to put your book down.

It’s tricky business, but here’s a bit of good news: by analyzing popular opening lines from literature, you can get a much better feel of how to go about writing your own. So let's jump in!

Every week, on Wednesdays at 9pm Eastern, I host a Twitter chat called #StorySocial.

I co-founded this chat back in June 2014 with my friend and fellow author Jenny Bravo, and it’s been an amazing way to connect with writers worldwide ever since. The #StorySocial crowd has become a tight-knit group over the years, though we always love having new writers join us (hint, hint!). But I digress...

In all our weeks of chatting, I don't think we've ever had such strong feedback as we did a few weeks ago, when our topic for the night was Writers’ Mission Statements. Several chatters even went so far as to call it their favorite discussion yet. For that reason, I thought it’d be a great idea to cover this topic in full here on the blog. Sound like a plan?

When it comes to making time to write, I have it pretty easy. My schedule may be frequently packed, but I'm an independent, childless woman who works from the comfort of her own home. I have a lot of opportunity to make writing a priority in my life — but my daily schedule certainly isn't universal.

Many of you have shared with me your struggle to find time to write in your full-time lives. So when Margaret McGriff, a writer I've long considered to be Superwoman, asked if she could share her top tips on this topic here at Well-Storied, I immediately said yes. I couldn't think of a single person who could better share such advice with you all.

So, writer, if you have a passion for storytelling but often struggle to make the time to write, this is the article for you. Without any further ado, I'll hand it over to Margaret...