Welcome to this week’s Top Picks Thursday! We are halfway through July, and summer is well advanced. For many people, summer is an extremely busy time, with vacations and kids home from school.
If you are a writer, how can you be productive during these not-so-lazy days of summer? Angela Ackerman discusses how to enjoy summer and still be productive, and Natalie Sylvester shows how to go on vacation and write while you’re not writing.
Read the inspiring story of the effort to rebuild a university library burned down by ISIS in Mosul (and how you can help).
Have you ever wondered how to give away your used books without impacting sales for the author? Janet Reid has the answer.
CRAFT
We usually focus more on novels, but Mary Kole has this to say about picture book writing style.
Need something to jog your creative brain? Melissa Donovan list 12 places to find some awesome writing ideas
Sometimes it’s what the readers don’t see that makes the story strong. Scott McCormick talks narrative structure, Erica Cameron shares a detailed guide to worldbuilding, and Jami Gold has one simple trick to avoid the first page info dump of all that worldbuilding information.
Readers love the book if they love the character. Janice Hardy discusses creating your characters, while Becca Puglisi show how to put subterfuge in dialogue.
Jane Friedman examines the 6 ways we respond to criticism, Debbie Young praises editors, and James Scott Bell addresses what to do when you’ve finished that first novel.
BUSINESS
Looking for a new outlet for your work? Take a look at Tapas Media, a serial publisher now open to indies.
Want to get your international and other rights out there, but aren’t sure how? IPR License has a new “Instant Rights” feature to make those rights available easily. (As always, read the fine print in any business deal.)
Ever hear of a literary scout? Me, either. Parul Macdonald opens up the world of a literary scout and international rights.
Can you use those song lyrics or novel excerpt in your own book? Jane Friedman discusses the basics of getting permissions for use, plus provides a sample permissions letter.
If you find yourself sending out a lot of ARCs but garnering few reviews for your efforts, Chris Leippi shows how to manage ARC readers.
If you have old books you want to republish, Melissa Bowersock has tips to help you do it successfully (and without confusing your readership).
Marketing is a big chunk of work for authors today. Kristine Kathryn Rusch explains how to define your target market, Joel Friedlander has the world’s shortest marketing plan, and Sarah Bolme tackles the dreaded “platform”.
Book publicity is a good thing, but hard to get. Dan Smith shares 10 tips for getting book publicity, and Jami Gold examines book promotion and getting the word out.
Networking can be key to success for authors. Savvy Book Writers explains why LinkedIn is a must for writers, and Ali Like tells us how to find and pitch the perfect guest posting opportunities.
If you’ve got a blog, you want to attract a readership. Nina Amir has 8 strategies for writing a successful post, and Joel Friedlander looks at content curation for your blog.
That’s all for this week’s Top Picks Thursday! See you next week!
The Author Chronicles 
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