Welcoming AUTHOR IN PROGRESS
By Writer Unboxed | October 25, 2016 |
Kim Bullock, Valerie Chandler, Ron Estrada, Julie Duffy, Mike Swift & Therese Walsh
Though the official release date for AUTHOR IN PROGRESS is still a week away, our book is out there now, connecting with readers!
“There are tons of awesome writing books out there about everything from creating suspenseful plots to using humor, but few of them cover every single part of your writing journey. And none of them do it quite like AUTHOR IN PROGRESS…Writing a novel is not easy. We all know that. But what we might not know is how to research productively, revise our first, second, and third draft, embrace the publishing business, and write “unboxed”. AUTHOR IN PROGRESS is the one book solution to these problems. Less than $20, unlimited answers.” – Emily Nielson at Just a First Draft
“There are three main things I loved about Author in Progress. First, it covers the entire process. So many writing books focus on one specific angle (e.g. character development, starting the novel, plot, etc.). But this book covers it all. The entire first section is devoted to starting and coming up with the idea. Then there are the chapters devoted to the writing, revising and the actual book release. For me, this is all really helpful because all the resources are in one place.” – Leah Singer (Read her other two points HERE.)
“All essays are short, 4-5 pages, so the book is easy to dip in and out of. With such a wide range of topics and voices, some essays resonate stronger than others, but just because some, for me, missed the mark today, it doesn’t mean they won’t have greater value when I’m further down the writer’s path tomorrow… With over 50 authors giving advice on all aspects of writing and the publishing industry, you’re guaranteed to find something of interest.” – Colin Marks
“I am slowly working my way through each bite-sized portion, underlining sentences and flagging pages for future reference. All the wisdom of the Unboxed site in one, curated bundle. Really glad this exists!” – Julie Duffy, on Goodreads
James Scott Bell, best-selling author and writing instructor, wrote a foreword for us, and had this to say about AUTHOR IN PROGRESS:
“Nourishment for the writer’s soul and motivation for the writer’s heart.”
AUTHOR IN PROGRESS features essays by all of us here at Writer Unboxed, including:
Porter Anderson
Julianna Baggott
Brunonia Barry
James Scott Bell
Tom Bentley
Sharon Bially
Dan Blank
Anne Greenwood Brown
Kim Bullock
Sarah Callender
David Corbett
Kathryn Craft
Lisa Cron
Keith Cronin
Margaret Dilloway
Jo Eberhardt
Anna Elliott
Bill Ferris
Jane Friedman
Tracy Hahn-Burkett
Gwen Hernandez
Kristan Hoffman
Steven James
Dave King
Jeanne Kisacky
Robin LaFevers
Allie Larkin
Erika Liodice
Donald Maass
Sophie Masson
Greer Macallister
Juliet Marillier
Julia Munroe Martin
Sarah McCoy
Kathleen McCleary
Jael McHenry
Catherine McKenzie
Liz Michalski
Annie Neugebauer
Jan O’Hara
Barbara O’Neal
Ray Rhamey
Erika Robuck
M.J. Rose
Vaughn Roycroft
Lancelot Schaubert
Susan Spann
Victoria Strauss
John Vorhaus
Therese Walsh
Heather Webb
Cathy Yardley
Get your copy of AUTHOR IN PROGRESS on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, or at the Writer’s Digest store.
Write on!
Writer Unboxed began as a collaboration between Kathleen Bolton and Therese Walsh in 2006. Since then, the site has grown to include ~50 regular contributors and a variety of guests on rotation throughout a given year.
In 2016, the Writer Unboxed team published a book with Writer’s Digest / Random House. AUTHOR IN PROGRESS: A No-Holds-Barred Guide to What It Really Takes to Get Published is a comprehensive guide focused on helping writers over/around/through hurdles faced at every stage of the novel-writing process. It’s received some ***** reviews; we hope you’ll check it out.
If you’d like to be among the first to know about the next Writer Unboxed UnConference, which will likely tie-in with WU’s 20th Anniversary celebration, please sign up for our mailing list!
Write on!
Awesome book! I’ve learned more about the craft from Writer Unboxed than any other website, conference, or the shelves of how-to books in my den. And you’ve compiled some of your best teachers into one book (I shall call it a portable quick-access wireless website).
Thanks for all your hard work here. It’s the one site I am sure to visit every day.
Thank you for being a part of the WU community, Ron! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the book!
I’ve had my copy for a little over a week, and I really must compliment myself on my self-control. I’m only about half-way through. And I could’ve easily just devoured the whole thing in a day or two. But I’m methodically reading each essay over coffee (only on the days when I know I’ll be undisturbed – mainly the weekend). I haven’t skipped ahead or skimmed. I am fully immersing in each one. (And, I must admit, I’ve already reread a couple of favorites.) Because they’re all gems (and I can even skip the humility about my own, because I’ve included gem-like facets from my tribe-mates).
This is a resource that didn’t exist, and it’s every bit as perfect as I knew it was going to be. I have a shelf full of craft books, and then I have a handful that stay within my reach on my writing desk. Author In Progress has already earned a space among the latter. I’m so honored and proud to be a part of it.
What a gratifying note; thank you, V! Thank you, too, for your help in the brainstorming phase of AiP, and for being such an important part of WU.
According to the online retailer, my copy is winging its way towards me even as I type, and I CAN’T WAIT!
I’m excited for you to see it, Natalie! Happy Reading.
It is so exciting to be a part of this wonderful project! I think the book is so good that will stand the test of time.
Sssh, hear that? That’s the sound of AIP being recommended by professors and writing teachers in classrooms and workshops, far in the future.
Wouldn’t that be something? Thank you for being part of this project, Val, and for all you give to WU!
I’ve ordered my copy!
Dee Willson
Author of A Keeper’s Truth
I hope you enjoy the book, Dee! Thank you for being a part of our unboxed community experiment!
Will this be for sale at the Writer UnBoxed Conference in Salem?
Maggie, it will!
Is this work best read with a gin and tonic on the porch swing? Or a kale kombucha in the sweat lodge? Can we get an audio recording of T. Walsh reading her piece backwards on All Hallows’ Eve? So many questions, so little punctuation…
Tom, I can’t wait to meet you IRL in LA. Meanwhile, I’ll work on my backtalk. Or something like that.
I’m so jealous you two are meeting! Tom, you must venture east sometime. You know, like for an UnCon.
Mike, I do so love to make you jealous. But yeah, an UnConning I must go—I’m sorry to miss it this year, but you can probably hear the screams from my wallet from there.
I thought those were coming from my work-in-progress.
And Therese, just practice mumbling “cranberry sauce.” It worked for the Beatles.
!tip Good !Mike ,Thanks
Just reserved a copy to pick up at B&N in Vestal.
Ann, I need to get over there and see about a book talk/signing in mid-November. I hope you enjoy the book!
This is so exciting. I want everyone to sign my copy at UnCon!
Yes! Won’t that be fun? I’m going to have a few prize copies of my own — signed by UnCon’ers I see in LA and then in Salem.
The whole Writer’s Digest team couldn’t be prouder of this one. Congrats and cheers to all of you!
Thank you, Jessica! See you in L.A., yes?
Apparently I need to check my mailbox!
I’m thrilled and honored to have been part of this book. Thank you for involving me, T.
I love the photo collage above. Some of my favorite people in the world.
I’m going to keep gathering photos, so post one of yourself when AiP arrives, Jan! (And, p.s., I’ll have a copy for you in Salem.) Thank you for being a part of this project, and for all you bring to us here at WU!
Can’t wait to see you, Jan. So glad you’re going to UnCon again. <3
W00t! Double W00t!
I’ve been doing random samplings like people pick scriptures from the Bible and let me tell you, it’s the Bible for Writers. Right now, I’m on the Book of Lisa Cron (and there I am with a question or two! :D ).
Therese, Writer Unboxed has been the guiding light in my writing quest — my Patronus. Thank you for that, and for allowing me the privilege of adding my two cents’ worth.
Write on!
Thank YOU, Mike! I can’t imagine WU without our great Swiftus. So glad you found us, and that we get to keep you.
I received my copy a little over a week ago and I’m about a third of the way through it. Like Vaughn, I am savoring it. I think now that it’s close to 3.00 pm, and time for a coffee break, I’ll sit next to Messr. Bessie and read a few chapters.
Rebeca, sounds like a winning combo to me! Cheers, and a skritch for Bessie.
Love these pictures. So happy to be part of this community and having the book with me will be like having you all around me when I’m unplugged during the holidays. My copy is on its way :)
Thank you for being a part of the community conversation here, Vijaya, and for participating in that fun, unboxed element in the book. Write on!
Writer Unboxed has opened much of the world of writing for me. Will be ordering my copy today. Thanks to all of you.
Thank you, Beth! Enjoy.
Therese–
“You are known by the company you keep” is something my mother used to say. Yesterday, I received my completely unexpected copy of Author in Progress, and I wish my mother were here to read it. She would look up at me and wink, and say, “What did I tell you?”
Thank you, Therese, and thanks to everyone who helped to bring this labor of love to fruition. It’s a beautiful thing in the hand, and you should be proud.
I love that story about your mom, Barry, and I’m glad the book found its way to you as an unexpected(ly good!) surprise. Thank you for being a part of the WU community, and for bringing your insights to the community chapters in Author in Progress!