With NaNoWriMo looming ever nearer, I would like to hear your best tips, tricks, habits, and techniques for staying chained to the keyboard. [more inside]
posted by BitterOldPunk on Oct 22, 2009 - 26 answers

Which author comes closest to Cormac McCarthy? [more inside]
posted by Bacillus on Oct 21, 2009 - 19 answers

I need a book recommendation for my girlfriend; her favourite book is Yann Martel's "Life of Pi". Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by mizike on Oct 7, 2009 - 28 answers

Book festivals? National Book Festival? What to expect? [more inside]
posted by notcomputersavvy06 on Sep 25, 2009 - 4 answers

Can you help me remember the name of a book I read 15 years ago which had a character repeatedly using the catchphrase "What the fuck, it's only a buck" when wasting money? [more inside]
posted by arniec on Jun 23, 2009 - 3 answers

I need a recommendation for an instructional book on putting together a memoir. I already have a good portion of it written. The area I need help with is what to do with the various experiences that I've written about. Right now it's a bunch of stories with a central theme. I need to pull it together and make it a book in other words.
posted by adfeb on Mar 1, 2009 - 2 answers

ID That Story: novel (novella? short story?) in which a man is standing in line. Pretty much the entire story is his experience while waiting in line. It's a future/dystopia story. The man is waiting in line to make a complaint. He falls in love with the girl in front of him, though she's not allowed to turn and look at him. It's a parable about overpopulation. It was probably written in the 60s or 70s. That's all I remember.
posted by grumblebee on Nov 20, 2008 - 8 answers

I've been asked to contribute to a collection of op-ed/essays/creative nonfiction type stories, to be published together as a book. I have no idea how this stuff works, but I know the release form says I won't get paid. Anybody have any experience with this kind of thing? Is this a normal clause for a first-time author who barely even counts as an author? [more inside]
posted by ultraultraboomerang on Sep 29, 2008 - 6 answers

Tété-Michel Kpomassie: where is he now? Whatever happened to him? I can't find other books by him after An African in Greenland; I've read he eventually received French citizenship and lives there now - but what does he do? He must have written other books or articles, right? Anyone know?
posted by luriete on Sep 3, 2008 - 3 answers

The rights to my ~400 page pop/technical book reverted to me when the publisher went bankrupt. How can I best monetize the second edition? [more inside]
posted by lothar on Jun 11, 2008 - 4 answers

An agent is interested in my book but says that they only have an "optional" contract- authors can sign it or not, given their preference. Should I give them my book? [more inside]
posted by arnicae on Apr 13, 2008 - 15 answers

I've been reading 'New Kings of Nonfiction' by Ira Glass and love it. I want to read more articles and books in this vein. [more inside]
posted by reenum on Feb 27, 2008 - 7 answers

How can I get B-List Celebrities to give me a quote for the back of my book? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 22, 2007 - 15 answers

I have a small book coming out in a few months, and will most likely be asked to sign a number of them for family, friends, complete strangers. However, my signature is a indiscernible squiggle. Should I practice a special signature for the book, or maybe buy a small embosser to use with the signature? Any examples of out of the ordinary author signatures people have are welcome. [more inside]
posted by inthe80s on Aug 8, 2007 - 20 answers

How do you get a book published by a (semi) major publisher as a first time author? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 8, 2007 - 13 answers

Should I bother with a publisher? How much do nonfiction authors make off a book deal these days? [more inside]
posted by antipasta_explosion on Feb 12, 2007 - 8 answers

Unprofessional behavior and bad PR in the book world... am I better off taking my book back from this publisher or sucking up their bad behavior and just being done with it? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 12, 2007 - 9 answers

I have found a ton of information both here and other places about the outline of a NOVEL, but not other types of books. What would be the general structure of an outline for a book that is: 1/3 history, 1/3 case-study/interviews/current applications, 1/3 how-to and NOT a novel. Useless information included inside :-) [more inside]
posted by sandra_s on Aug 15, 2006 - 4 answers

I am going insane trying to find this book. The author was interviewed on Fresh Air (it might have been a repeat, but played not that long ago). In order to help you help me, there is . . . [more inside]
posted by Medieval Maven on May 23, 2006 - 7 answers

What's the title/author of the children's book where a kid makes an airplane out of cookie dough and goes exploring? If I remember correctly, the illustrations were quite plump and billowy.
posted by pmbuko on Jun 3, 2005 - 12 answers

Can anyone suggest the title/ author of a book I once heard about? It contains dozens of conversation starters - things like (and I paraphrase): "If you were offered to live forever, but only on condition that you were ugly, would you take it"?
posted by skylar on Apr 5, 2004 - 7 answers