Nathan Bransford - The Forums

I think Sommer made some very perceptive comments, and I don't think it's fair to blame the publishing industry here. I don't think readers are going to pick up a book that long, especially from an unknown, self-published author. They have no idea what they're getting into, and for $5 why bother whe...

Oh! Fantasy and supernatural?

I thought these were really cool covers but I did not get a fantasy or supernatural vibe at all. Sort of comic book/gritty/noir as well. Although really cool for that. Maybe a bit mystery as well.

I didn't realize there was a particularly nasty strain this year. I've never gotten a flu shot on the theory that I'd build up my immune system as much as I could while I was still young & relatively healthy. I was sick a lot as a kid, so I too am a compulsive hand washer, but not hand sanitizer...

Oddly, I'd say some of my best feedback had/has me re-writing for months (or possibly just weeks). It was a critique (or a few critiques, really) that had me delving back into my world with new energy thinking "I could do this here and that there!" My worst feedback had me saying, "Th...

This is really cool, and, of course, is very similar to some of the things I hear about designing the look of your website.

I'd say just do a zombie/vampire/mythic creature slash classic. You know, Sprites in Hamlet. Huck Fin with Merpeople. Anne of Green Gables in Fairyland. Heck, just a new Peter Pan. Choose a favorite and then you've got your basic plot. Maybe you'll even interest someone in one of your favorite class...

Just saw someone mentioned Elementary. Just watched the first few episodes of it last week, and I am really loving that as well. At first I was just like, "Oh, the BBC already did that present day Sherlock thing" but then I found out it had Johnny Lee Miller (I'm still a little obsessed wi...

Is it weird that I am extremely entertained that the first half of that blog post on following up with an agent is about The Hills? Because I am very entertained. In fact, I can definitely say that made my day better.

Agree with Rick. Bugs Bunny. When I was about five, Bugs Bunny was the best thing ever & I dressed up as him for Halloween. Today, my husband was telling me that he got lost finding his friend's house, and I told him, "You should have taken that left at Albuquerque." Bugs Bunny will fo...

Note the title is evolving/changing. I am not a fan of titles. They befuddle me.

All of you had wonderfully helpful things to say, but, as you've seen, I've been a bit all over the place with possibilities. I've refined one single query letter that takes at least some of what many of you have told me & puts it all together in a query that is hopefully fun(ish), easy to read ...

It's been a long time since I wrote a query and I remember that one being not very good at all. Any and all feedback is very much appreciated. Thanks! Dear (Agent) (Customized tag line on why I'm querying) Martin’s gambling addiction costs him his girlfriend, his job, and every last penny to his na...

I thought of this post just the other day b/c I realized that part of my goal for this month was actually to decrease my word count (actually, it was to "cull" the first few chapters). So, I am quite proud of the fact that I have successfully decreased my word count by almost 6k.

I am not very familiar with the short story market, but I do not know of many books of short stories that sold as straight up books. The only example that came to mind was The Girl's Guide To Hunting and Fishing. From what I could find, it looked like Melissa Bank (the author) had very successful sh...

Supernatural is straight up YA paranormal eye candy. Oh, man, I have a Tumblr account, and you are so right. There are some seriously obsessed teenaged fans out there for this show. Now I personally cannot get over the fact that Sam is Dean from the Gilmore Girls and yet the other guy's called Dean...