Writer's Digest Presents

Book cover design has evolved over the long and rich history of
storytelling, and will continue to change as readers change and as design
changes.

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," senior editor
Michael Woodson revisits the topic of book cover design with designer Elisha Zepeda. Elisha talks about his creative process, the differences in working with traditional publishing and self publishing, what he's loving in the design world right now and what he thinks could use a refresh, and more.

Many writers who feel comfortable writing fiction feel intimidated by experimenting with poetry. But the truth is, poetry can teach us so much about what works in our fiction.

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," senior editor and poet Robert Lee Brewer joins senior editor Michael Woodson to discuss the diversity within poetry, how writing poetry can help inform our fiction, and more.

When you hear "literary critic," what comes to mind? Book reviews? Literary deep dives? Discourse? Hot takes? Literary criticism has evolved over our long history of storytelling, and the role of the literary critic is both more broad and more nuanced than ever before.

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," senior editor Michael Woodson chats with author and literary critic Grace Byron about defining literary criticism, if authors should pay attention to critics, how to break into literary criticism, and more.

When a real-life person inspires you to write a story, how do you
balance truth with fiction? It's a difficult challenge, especially if you have
a personal relationship with your subject. But it's not impossible.

New York Times-bestselling author John Searles spent two decades as a top editor for Cosmopolitan magazine, first hired by Helen Gurley Brown—the editor-in-chief credited with revitalizing the dying title in the 1960s. In his time at the magazine, John would joke to Helen that he would one day write a book about her. Now he has with his new bestselling novel, Single Girls.

In this episode, John discusses the challenges of writing about real people, navigating switching genre lanes, honoring real people with fiction they would've loved, and more.

Book coaches offer a wide range of services that are catered to your personal needs as a writer. Maybe you need help brainstorming plot problems, or you need help with your query letter. Maybe you simply need someone to hold you accountable to get the words onto the page. Whatever the need is, book coaches are there to help you get the writing done and build you writing community.

In this episode of "Writer's Digest Presents," senior editor Michael Woodson is in conversation with author and editor Adrienne Westenfeld who shares all the behind-the-scenes information on what goes on in book coaching, how a writer knows if they should hire a book coach, and more.