• Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against PublishAmerica

    Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware I can't count the number of questions I've received over the years from unhappy PublishAmerica authors, wondering whether a class action lawsuit against PA has been/might be/ever will be filed. Frankly, I w...

  • Pictures From My Garden

    These photos were taken in late May–not a lot in bloom yet, but plenty of variety in foliage shape, texture, and color. In my part-shade garden, foliage is the backbone. This is a photo-stitch, so it’s not quite accurate, but it gives you an impression (click on the images for larger views): You’re standing at the right rear corner of the photo above, next to the garage, looking left: A view from the bench at the left rear corner of the back garden: Standing at the rear of the back garden, looking toward the right corner: One of the foundation beds at the front of the house: The bed by the driveway, to the right of the house (can you tell I love hostas?) A color combination I especially like, showing that you really don’t need flowers to make your garden pop:

  • BEA Report

    Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware BEA 2012 was fantastic! I got home Wednesday evening--I'd debated spending an extra day, but now I'm glad I didn't because I woke up Thursday with a migraine and spent much of the day with an icepack on my ...

  • PASSION BLUE Cover Reveal (Plus a Giveaway)

    ******************************************** The giveaway is closed. Congratulations to the winners: Catherine Stine of New York City, and Brian Bedard of Brockford, MA. ********************************************* I’m proud and thrilled to reveal the gorgeous final cover for Passion Blue! (Click on the image for a larger view. For info about the book, plus reviews and excerpts, click here.) I’m incredibly pleased with the way it came out. Historical novels for teens often have bland, predicable covers that announce  “I’m a historical novel and I’m going to teach you something,” and I hate those interchangeable big-dress  covers you see so often in adult historical fiction, where the models have their backs turned or half their faces missing. But I think the designer, Sonia Chaghatzbanian, did a fabulous job of suggesting the period without pigeonholing the genre. The photo model has a perfect face for Giulia, my heroine–not exactly pretty, but strong, striking, and determined. I love…

  • Publishers Weekly Moves Into Self-Publishing

    Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware A couple of years ago, I blogged about the launch of PW Select, an online supplement to the regular PW magazine. PW Select, which is published quarterly, allows self-published writers to buy brief listing...

  • Two Surveys

    Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Two fascinating surveys appeared this week. They look at opposite ends of the writing business, but dovetail in interesting ways. (This is going to be a long post, so please bear with me.) The Writers' Wo...

  • Another Honor for Writer Beware

    Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Once again, the Writer Beware blog has been chosen as one of Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers (the list appears in the June 2012 issue of the magazine, and can be downloaded here if you're...