Welcome to this week’s Top Picks Thursday!
NaNoWriMo is over, and now you’ve got this manuscript burning a hole in your computer. Jane Lebak tells how to publish your NaNoWriMo novel.
Those of us who use the written word for our living know there is a time and place for fiction—but fake news presented as real is not one of them. Websites have vowed to fight back against the rising tide of fake news online, and Craig Silverman explains how to report fake news on Facebook.
Looking for some books to read during those long, cold, winter nights? Check out the list of Best Reads of 2016 from NPR’s Book Concierge.
Nigeria’s Bibi Bakare-Yusuf discusses the success and growth of Cassava Republic Press on its 10th anniversary.
CRAFT
A good story needs a strong voice, gripping conflict, and compelling characters. Lee Wind has a fun voice exercise that almost looks like procrastination, Janice Hardy gives us a surefire way to add conflict to your story, and Eileen Cook shows how character motivation forges reader connection to the character.
Real life can be a springboard into a story, so Steven Pressfield shares 7 rules for using your real life in fiction. Even if it’s not based on real life, many stories are grounded in our reality, so writers had better get the details right. To that end, Chrys Fey explains police call signs and how to use them in your work.
Every writer needs an editor, and Andrea Merrell explains how the best writer and editor teams work. Before you call an editor, though, you need to self-edit your manuscript as best you can. Roz Morris advises letting your manuscript marinate, and Jennie Nash discusses rhythm and pacing polishes to make your prose sing. When you get the book back from your editor, Russell Ricard explains how to deal with that marked-up manuscript without panicking, and Big Al explains the difference between alpha, beta, and ARC readers and where they fit in the revision process.
Maggie Doonan has 5 reasons novelists should write short stories, while Josh Weil explores when brevity in storytelling is bad.
Writing is often a solo pursuit, but sometimes it’s not. Sean Platt discusses how to find collaborators to work with, and Frank Cavallo shares the pros and cons of work-for-hire writing.
All writers would like to work more efficiently. Jennifer Louden lists 6 ways to increase your productivity without burning out, Colleen M. Story has 3 ways to improve your writer’s focus and get more done, and Lisa Tener gives us 3 quick tips to start writing again when you’ve been away from it for a while.
Writing is a craft never fully mastered—we are always learning things. James Scott Bell shows us the never-ending writing improvement program, while Steve Laube says that to be successful writers must learn to wait.
As we have seen, writing can be a not-so-alone activity, but beware the company you keep. Anne R. Allen lists some of the toxic people that can sabotage your writing career, and Karen Myers discusses the opinion that readers don’t owe authors book reviews.
BUSINESS
We talk a lot about how to get published, but publishing is not for everyone. Yecheilyah Ysrayl discusses when publishing a book might not be for you.
If you do want to publish, but not self publish, Jane Friedman has tips on how to smartly evaluate a small publisher.
If you self-publish, you do it all. Leila Dewji lists 5 things you need before you print a book, and book designer Joel Friedlander shares his upgraded DIY book templates to make your life a little easier.
Bookstores are dying—no, they’re not—yes, they are… Rob Eagar hypothesizes that the future of bookstores may rest on “guerilla marketing” tactics.
Publishing terminology can sometimes be confusing. Savvy Book Writers explains what options are when referring to a movie deal.
Online marketing can increase your reach and be relatively inexpensive. Jami Gold explains how to trim your email list the smart way, and Therese Walsh shows how to use Fiverr to create a book trailer.
An online presence often requires behind-the-scenes knowledge of how to work the internet. Frances Caballo reveals how writers can improve their SEO without pricey experts, and Phuong Mai demystifies backend metadata and how it impacts your customers.
While we all scramble to use our online presence for all it’s worth, James Scott Bell calmly informs us that social media is eating our brains.
THE UNIQUE SHELF
Check out what Drew Chial found that made him ask: And I’m just finding out about this product now?
Calling all H.G. Wells fans! A long unknown H.G. Wells ghost story has finally been published.
Although we five chroniclers don’t live close to each other, we do live in the same region — southern and central New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania — and we’re going to show our support for libraries by concluding with a photo of a local library for the next several weeks (until we run out of them!) This week, we’ll give a shout out to the Chincoteague Island Library, in Chincoteague, VA. It’s not local to New Jersey, but I lived there for 8 months and spent a lot of time in their wonderful library.
That’s it for this week’s Top Picks Thursday!
The Author Chronicles 
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