The momentum trap As a writer and certified life coach, I’ve seen a pattern—both in my coaching work and in myself—that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. That pattern is what happens to us after we finish “the thing.” My most recent reminder came in late November. I’d been pushing hard, working late nights and […]

The post Stop Panicking in the Pause: A Writer’s Guide to the In-Between appeared first on NINC.

I’ve been talking to authors about publishing wide for well over a decade now. I’ve written books about it, spoken about it at conferences around the world, and spent years inside the Kobo and Draft2Digital operations watching how it all works from the inside. And I keep seeing authors making the same mistakes. Authors hear […]

The post Publishing Wide but Shallow: The Mistake That’s Costing You Readers & Revenue appeared first on NINC.

A new wave of ‘gentle fantasy’ is captivating readers who crave wonder without the war The first time I spotted Legends & Lattes at my local bookshop, I experienced a flutter of recognition. Here was a fantasy novel about an orc who retires from adventuring to open a coffee shop. No dark lords. No chosen […]

The post The Rise of Cozy Fantasy and Why It Matters appeared first on NINC.

  Have you ever considered changing genres? Or did you try but it turned into an utter non-starter? As I head into my next major genre leap, I asked some fellow jumpers five basic questions about their ideas, successes, and fu—, uh, hard lessons learned. The jumps Some say that writers’ brains are wild, entropy-driven […]

The post Jump Genres—but Not Into the Fire appeared first on NINC.

Blogging used to be a popular way to connect with readers and share information about our books. Over time—and with the increased popularity of various social media platforms—blogging has come to be seen as optional, and even outdated. Nonetheless, I believe it’s still a viable option for book promotion. Unless you remove them, blog posts […]

The post 19 Blog Content Ideas That Entertain Readers & Quietly Sell Your Backlist appeared first on NINC.

The beginning is not always the optimal place to start a story. Many authors have found that nonlinear storytelling, with its shifts across time and perspective, can deepen reader engagement and create a more layered narrative experience. Nonlinear novels do not follow events chronologically. Instead, authors may move forward and backward in time or develop […]

The post Nonlinear Storytelling: How Not To Make A Mess appeared first on NINC.

Estimates vary, but some industry trackers suggest that 5,000–7,000 new books appear on Amazon every day, and a growing number are mass‑produced or algorithmically generated. For working authors, differentiation isn’t just about craft anymore; it’s about visibility, connection, and trust. Author‑entrepreneur Joanna Penn suggests we “double down on being human.” Here are strategies from NINC […]

The post Don’t Compete with AI—Out-Human It appeared first on NINC.

If you’re writing a story, you’ll need secondary characters to flesh out the world you’re building. Otherwise, it’s a pretty dull world. You need sidekicks! Sidekicks are indispensable for asking or answering questions of your heroes. At the very least, they give your main characters someone to interact with. Are there differences between sidekicks, ensembles, […]

The post Sidekicks & Ensembles: Protecting the Hero and Each Other appeared first on NINC.

“Grief is the ultimate thief of creativity.” —Sweta Vikram According to the Hospice Foundation of America, grief is “a reaction to loss, and like a fingerprint, it is different for everyone.” The anticipation of or death of a loved one or an animal companion, the loss of a relationship, a job, or your independence, perhaps […]

The post Grief and Creativity appeared first on NINC.

The most important thing we can do as authors is to write the next book. The second most important thing is to let readers know about it. One way to do that is through advertising, but it has become rather expensive in recent years. As costs increased, advertising became a larger line item on my […]

The post Work Smarter: Repurpose Content ~ How Veteran Authors Can Save Time and Sell More Books appeared first on NINC.