Why is genre important? Readers use genre to find a book because it gives them an idea of what will be in it. Defining genre has been a challenge for me. My main character is eighteen years old and in college, so my novel doesn’t fit into the young adult category. I have some suspense, […]
When you’re asked what your novel is about, you need a catchy summary. Whether you’re telling a friend, posting on Twitter for #PitMad, or pitching to an agent at a writing conference, your statement must be attention-grabbing. How do you take on the daunting task of how to reduce your many months of work into […]
Revision I’m in the process of revising my work in progress. I love novel revision because it gives me a chance to catch weak areas and deepen what I’ve written. I’ve always been a checklist person as well. I find them efficient and time saving. Here’s a revision checklist I’ve created from the many classes […]
Neil Nyren is the Executive VP, associate publisher and editor in chief of G.P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Random House. He has been at Putnam for over 32 years, and before that, at E.P. Dutton, Little Brown, Random House, Arbor House, and Atheneum. Among his current authors of crime and suspense are Clive Cussler, Ken […]
