If you are not careful, you can get the impression that writing books that are fun to read is a lesser goal, less challenging, or not artistic. That somehow escapism, enjoyment, and entertainment are not worthwhile pursuits for an artist. That really talented writers are not interested in fun (I ...

This is post is a guide to help you identify your ideal readers and invite them to read (beta) your book. The purpose of this? Essentially to see if your book works. To give you confidence when you publish and market your book that it is achieving your goals. If you have read our How to Find Beta Reader’s post, this is its spiritual successor. It is informed by four years of helping authors beta, conducting interviews, and doing research. We call it Determining Book Reader Fit.

As an author, it can be easy to believe that your essential work is done when your book is complete, and that everything that follows is just details. It's natural to think that the act of writing is the essential activity of being an author. I’d argue that this is not true, that the essential activity of being an author is getting your work read by the right audience.

I just attended my third San Francisco Writer’s Conference last week. This was the first time Pam and I have worked a conference together and it was great. Her thoughts echo my own so well. I did notice one other thing that seemed different from past years though. This year ...

This was BetaBooks' third year at SF Writers, but it was my first. I learned a lot, both from attending presentations and just having conversations with other industry professionals, and especially with authors. Here are the three things I think you all should know: Authors control their own destinies, their ...