the secret to writing so others will like it

Write something to suit yourself and many people will like it; write something to suit everybody and scarcely anyone will care for it. 

Jesse Stuart

The fact that I have made a living in the world of publishing for some thirty odd years is proof that I have acquired, written, edited, published, and sold what others wanted and asked for many times. I have helped publish a number of very successful books and series that were not necessarily what I might be looking for as a consumer and reader myself—a new devotional for mothers is a good example—but I knew that the material would meet a real need for many others.

why do authors use initials instead of full name?

When Cuts Like a Knife was first introduced, my sister Susan asked me, “What’s with the initials on the cover of the book instead of using your full name?”

My first response was it seemed to have worked out fine for Joanne Rowling—and no, no one has been able to confirm whether her middle name is Kathleen or Katherine. (Do you know why?)

 That raises a bigger question then why I went with M.K. rather than Mark. Why did Joanne become J.K. To my knowledge she’s never answered that question directly.

So I’m left to assume that she used initials to make her author name gender neutral, which sort of makes sense for the launch of a series categorized as children’s literature.

how much do authors make?

With the number of author and reader friends I have, I thought a quick snapshot of how much money author's make would be fun and enlightening.

Dana Beth Weinberg is analyzing the responses of five thousand authors to the Digital Book World and Writer's Digest Author Survey. To read her comments click here.