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The Pen & Laurel Blog
Practical, no-fluff guides on ghostwriting, editing, and self-publishing — written for authors who are still deciding, not just ready to buy.
Latest Articles
Start here, wherever you are in the process.
- 01Working With a GhostwriterHow Much Does a Ghostwriter Cost? A Realistic Pricing GuideWhat actually drives ghostwriting costs, and how to get pricing that fits your specific book.September 13, 2026
- 02Editing & Manuscript PrepDevelopmental Editing vs. Copyediting vs. Proofreading: What Your Manuscript Actually NeedsThe three stages of editing explained clearly, in the right order.September 13, 2026
- 03Getting StartedHow Much Does It Cost to Publish a Book? A Realistic BreakdownEditing, design, formatting, ISBNs, printing, distribution — what each piece actually costs.September 14, 2026
- 04Genre Craft GuidesAnatomy of a Thriller: A Structure Guide for Your First Thriller NovelTicking clocks, escalating stakes, and the midpoint reversal, explained.September 14, 2026
- 05Launch & MarketingThe 90-Day Book Launch TimelineWhat to do 90, 60 and 30 days before your book goes live — and in the 30 days after — so launch day isn't the first time anyone hears about your book.September 15, 2026
- 06Launch & MarketingDo Authors Really Need a Website? Yes — Here's WhySocial media accounts can vanish, get suspended, or change their rules overnight. Here's what an author website does that a social profile never will.September 15, 2026
- 07Launch & MarketingHow to Build a Press Kit That Gets Your Book CoveredWhat journalists, podcast hosts and reviewers actually need to say yes to covering your book — and the press kit mistakes that get a pitch ignored.September 15, 2026
- 08Rights, Legal & MoneyCopyright vs. ISBN: You Need Both, Here's WhyCopyright and an ISBN do two completely different jobs — one protects your work, the other identifies it in the marketplace. Here's what each actually covers.September 15, 2026
- 09Rights, Legal & MoneyHow Foreign Rights Deals Actually Work for Indie AuthorsForeign rights aren't just for traditionally published bestsellers. Here's how translation and territory deals actually get made, and what's realistic for an indie author.September 15, 2026
- 10Rights, Legal & MoneyWhat a Literary Agent Submission Package Should IncludeAgents reject far more submissions on the package than on the writing itself. Here's exactly what belongs in a query letter, synopsis and sample pages.September 15, 2026
- 11Rights, Legal & MoneyHow to Get a Literary Agent: A Step-by-Step GuideA step-by-step guide to finding literary agents, researching your list, querying in batches, and evaluating an offer of representation.September 28, 2026
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