During the time between each Writer’s Digest Annual Conference I get the opportunity to work with and learn from our great WD authors on a daily basis, mostly through email and manuscripts. But, seeing them share their knowledge in person is an entirely different—and invigorating—experience.

Here are 7 reasons why I can’t wait for you to meet and learn from some of our favorite WD authors live later this summer in New York City.

1. Steven James is the perfect person to teach a class about public storytelling for authors, and once you see what he throws at you (literally!) you’ll understand why.
2. While editing Carla Hoch’s brand new book, Fight Write, I couldn’t help but envision fight scenes in my head and in her sessions you won’t have to imagine—you can watch, and even participate!
3. Jane Cleland, who just won her second Agatha Award for Best Nonfiction for Mastering Plot Twists (Congrats, Jane!), has sessions that build on two topics from that very book.
4. Zac Petit, once a full-time WD magazine editor, successfully made the switch to full-time freelance work after writing the book on it and he’ll share his secrets from both vantage points.
5. In addition to two regular sessions, Jordan Rosenfeld will host a day-long intensive built around her new book, How to Write a Page-Turner (the brilliant book that single-handedly made me blow my personal book-buying budget for the year—best research I’ve ever done!).
6. If you flip to pages 57-60 of The Byline Bible (which recently won an award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors), you’ll see an astounding list of 3-page essays from Susan Shapiro’s students that led to bigger opportunities and you can learn how to do the same in her session.
7. If you’ve read Writing Without Rules, you know Jeff Somers is both funny and likes to talk about things he’s done to make his agent, the incomparable Query Shark Janet Reid, shake her head. Join them for what I imagine will be the most informative stand-up session Writer’s Digest has ever seen.

Keep in mind, these are 7 of my reasons for you to attend. Check out our full schedule and I’m sure you’ll find at least 7 more of your own.

Write better. Get published. Build your network.

Writer’s Digest Annual Conference | August 22-25 | New York City

The post Seven WD Authors You Don’t Want to Miss at #WDC19 appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(While you’re at it, don’t miss out on our annual Holiday Gift Guide for Writers, which includes gifts and stocking stuffers from across the web!)

All Weekend (Dec. 7–Dec. 9): 2019 Writer’s Digest Daily Calendar – 50% off with coupon code 2019CAL

We are head over heels for our 2019 Writer’s Digest daily calendar because every page features a writing prompt, advice or wisdom from iconic authors, literary agents and publishing pros. All this weekend, get it for half price with the coupon code 2019CAL. Get it here.

Saturday, Dec. 8: Take 60% off Downloads

Saturday only, take 60% off downloads (including ebooks, digital magazine issues and webinars) in our store. No coupon required. Explore here.

We recommend: The digital edition of the 2019 Writer’s Digest Yearbook, featuring exercises, tips, advice, hot markets and a handy year-in-review.

Sunday, Dec. 9: OnDemand Webinars Are Only $29.99

Sunday only, all of our ondemand webinars (great recorded talks by authors and publishing experts) are on sale in our store. No coupon required. Explore here.

We recommend: How to Write Short Stories and Use Them to Further Your Writing Career with James Scott Bell

Monday, Dec. 10: All eBooks Are Only $4.99

All Writer’s Digest eBooks are only $4.99. That includes books by Chuck Wendig, Jordan Rosenfeld, Susan Shapiro, Jane K. Cleland, Dan Koboldt, and William Kenower—plus our annual Market Books! Get ’em here. 

We recommend: Putting the Science in Fiction, edited by Dan Koboldt

Tuesday, Dec. 11: Buy the Deluxe Edition of Writer’s Market and Get a Free Webinar

If you buy the deluxe edition of Writer’s Market 2019 today, it comes with a free webinar—”Querying 101: Putting Your Best Book Forward.” Get it here.

Wednesday, Dec. 12: Take 15% Kits and Bundles with Code KITSDEC

Today only, take 15% off All Kits and Bundles (packs of books, conference sessions and writing resources) with coupon KITSDEC in our store. Explore here.

We recommend: Fiction Writer’s Essential Library

Thursday, Dec. 12: Take an Extra $20 Off Our Memoir Kit with Code MEMDEC

Writing your life story may be one of the most rewarding writing endeavors you will undertake. With this kit from Writer’s Digest, learn to write your life story or memoir in a way that will delight and engage readers for years to come. Get it here with code MEMDEC.

Friday, Dec. 14: Save an Extra 30% Off Storewide with Code HOLIDAY19

Finally, to round out a great week, you can take an extra 30% off already discounted goodies with code HOLIDAY10. Shop here.

We recommend: Chuck Wendig’s Damn Fine Story

The post Season of Savings: WD Books & Writing Resources on Sale This Week appeared first on Writer's Digest.

The full hop series included:

• Putting science in rocket science with Jamie Krakover
• Enclosed ecosystems and life-support with Philip Kramer
• Arthropod-borne disease with entomologist Robinne Weiss
• Failure as a profession with structural engineer Eric Primm
• Hot vents and dead whales with marine biologist Danna Staaf
• Microbes, microbiomes, and gene editing with Mike Hays
• Let’s put science in your fiction with Rebecca Enzor
• Spy Toys: How to See in the Dark with Judy L. Mohr
• The adventures of Commander Cold with Terry Newman
• Hot vents and dead whales with marine biologist Danna Staaf
• Cyborgs and cybernetics with Benjamin C. Kinney

Plus, readers were given the opportunity to win one of 10 copies of the new book. Check out the winner list below:

1. Nikky Lee
2. Jacqueline Houtman
3. Leya
4. Jill Murray
5. Bethany Simonsen
6. Neha Merchant
7. Anne Marie Scott
8. Mel Ashford
9. Jeannette Bedard
10. Cassandra Darensbourg

Congratulations to the winners!

Check out the blog posts in the list above, and learn more in Putting the Science in Fiction!

The post Putting the Science in Fiction Blog Hop: Winners Announced! appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Wattpad works because it makes it easy for readers to fall in love with your words.

I should not be writing this. When I joined Wattpad in 2015, I was skeptical. No, wait; that’s not doing it justice. It was more than that. Try “suspicious.” Post my stories for free? Why? What kind of scam is this?

I’d written what was some of my best work, or so I assumed, and put it up for sale using the usual self-publishing methods. Few readers cared. Even fewer picked up copies. Self-publishing, this panacea for jaded writers turned off by the typical grind, didn’t work. The small presses I signed with weren’t much better. The big, traditional publishers weren’t answering the door. To be blunt, I was stuck, feeling hopeless and more than a little frustrated with myself, my writing, and the publishing game.

So I had every right to be cynical back in 2015. Soon after my meltdown, I read an article about a writing conference featuring a website out of Toronto called “Wattpad.” The article detailed how writers post their works for free on Wattpad and then benefit from the readerships they build. Not “free*,” not “free,” and not even “free for a limited time.” Just free. Free-free. As in, forever free, until the sun turns into a red giant and swallows the Earth or I delete the story from Wattpad, whichever comes first.

Were I not so thoroughly finished with the “normal” rules of the writing game, I would’ve given in to my skepticism. But at that point in time, listening to the digital crickets chirp—or maybe laugh—at the frozen response to my fiction, I had absolutely nothing to lose. I shelved my skepticism for the time being, posted a couple of works, and sat back to listen to the echo of my writer buds: “This is against the rules. You’re not supposed to post your work for free.” There were, of course, exceptions but none reserved for this “What-pad.”

Like most rules about writing, this one was to be tossed into a meat grinder and scraped into a dog bowl. Posting those stories to Wattpad turned out to be the best decision I ever made. The reason is the same one that explains why Wattpad works. It’s a simple reason, really, and brilliant. But like so many brilliant things, the apparent simplicity disguises the genius beneath. Wattpad works because it makes it easy for readers to fall in love with your words.

…

Note the most popular digital properties and how they keep their users engaged. I won’t list them here, but I’m sure their names come quickly to mind. Whatever it is that they do, they work because they make it easy for their users to [fill in the blank]. This is the epoch of digital convenience. If it isn’t quick and easy, it won’t exist for long because either a competitor will come up with a better way of doing things or users will lose interest. There are simply too many alternatives.

I only belabor this point about ease and simplicity because it runs counter to the self-loathing and masochism of writers in general. If it isn’t hard, if the writer isn’t suffering, it must not be correct or worth doing, right? Though sometimes this is true, often it’s all in writers’ heads, along with everything else. But something must be doubly wrong if that simple, easy thing involves giving away content for free, right?

Recalling my skepticism from earlier on, the answer to that question was a resounding “Absolutely yes, something is wrong!” However, that was before that sixteen-word phrase became abundantly clear to me. There is, in fact, nothing wrong with giving content away for free. It’s been done before, and it’s being done right now, albeit in a different way. Wattpad doesn’t work without free content.

Let’s not confuse “free” with what it isn’t, though. “Free” reflects price, not value. The difference is that “price” is what a person pays and “value” is what a person gets, as Warren Buffett might say. That’s something that the Wattpad experience understands better than any other player in this social-reading experiment, and it’s another reason why Wattpad works.

Simply put, there is value in a reader paying attention to a story or a writer. It might not be measurable in strict monetary terms, but there is definitely a transaction occurring. A writer puts out work and receives two or two hundred or two million people’s attention in return. A reader devotes two minutes or twenty minutes or two hours of attention in exchange for entertainment. That this is wrapped up in a medium like Wattpad is innovative, but it’s nothing new. Broadcast media built an entire industry on this model, and radio and TV are still “free” to this day. Whether through ads, branded content, or up sells, the value is monetized, but it’s not for the sake of price.

What does this mean to writers on Wattpad? How can that value be exchanged for something that helps a career? That’s what this guide intends to dissect. By the time you’re finished with it, you’ll be in a much better spot to understand this burgeoning publishing model and how it complements, not competes with, the rest of the publishing and entertainment industry. The short version is, once again, those sixteen words: Wattpad works because it makes it easy for readers to fall in love with your words.

Learn more in The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad

The Comprehensive Guide to Building and Sustaining a Successful Career

Wattpad is the destination for a whole new paradigm in 21st century publishing. This online storytelling community is where sixty-five million monthly users (and counting) can read or post entire novels, short stories, fanfiction, poems, and more. In return for posting this content for free on the Wattpad website and app, writers can build a platform of passionate readers, better their chances at a contract with a publisher or agent, earn money through branded campaigns, and engage with their audiences in innovative ways.

To help you take full advantage of these opportunities, Wattpad staff, Stars, and Ambassadors created this guide to help you launch and sustain a successful writing career through the platform. Get a copy here.

The post The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad: How Readers Fall in Love with Your Words appeared first on Writer's Digest.