Nathan Bransford

You Tell Me: what's your writing tic? Mine is characters exchanging too many meaningful glances. I always have to chop them when I'm self-editing.

Precise verbs are crucial. When they're buried in filler, books feel muddled. "Nathan was running" becomes "Nathan ran." Why say "walked happily" when you can say "bounced"? Cut as many "saw," "watched," and "eyed" as possible. One reaction verb will do. Avoid gesture explosions.

When I'm line editing a manuscript, certain phrases nearly always get cut. "Started to" and "began to..." "There was..." "Suddenly..." "The sound of..." "Decides to..." Little redundancies pile up over a novel and can add tens of thousands of extra words.

You Tell Me: plotter or pantser?

Sometimes you just need to step away from writing. If you really, truly need a break, take it. Trust that nothing is lost. It's all an ebb and flow, and you can always come back. Writing will be there when you need it.

Why is everyone reading the same books, publishing's blockbuster model, YouTube gets in on the audiobook action, and more of the best writing and books links from the past week! nathanbransford.com/blog/2026/10...

When is it time to leave your agent? Good reason: you can't get in touch with them, and they don't have an explanation that satisfies you. Bad reason: the book didn't sell. Even the best agents strike out sometimes. If you have concerns, express them first.

Submitting to publishers without an agent? Many publishers, especially the major ones, won't accept unagented submissions. But if an editor asks for your book, send it. If you get an offer, it's okay to use it to try to find an agent.

You Tell Me: what's the hardest part of writing a novel for you?

If an agent asks for an exclusive on your manuscript, you're within your rights to politely decline. If you grant one, 30 days is a reasonable period. Absolutely avoid an open-ended exclusive that ties you up forever.

I discovered the contact form is broken on my editing page. If you tried to reach out to me in the past few weeks and haven't heard back, please contact me here (where the form works): nathanbransford.com/about

If an agent offers you representation, thank them, then set up a different time to talk. Take your time to make sure it's the right fit, and follow up with the other agents considering your manuscript. It's a crucial business relationship! Trust your instincts.

You Tell Me: what's your current book's word count?

Terror and joy. Confidence and self-doubt. The best artists live right in that uncomfortable middle. You have to be scared of what will happen if you don't do your best, and strong enough to put yourself out there anyway. You don't ever get comfortable. You do it because you love it.

Sally Rooney's books pulled from the UK over her support for Palestine Action, how a novel about quilting became an unlikely bestseller, publishing staffers revolt over AI, and more of the best writing and books links from the past week!

Proper formatting is by far the easiest thing you can do to make your manuscript look professional. Times New Roman, 12 point. Double spaced. One inch margins (and double-check that, because some programs default to 1.25 or 1.5). For new chapters, use the page break function.

Think of a synopsis as a longer plot summary that includes how the book ends. Unless otherwise specified, the default is usually 1.5 to 2.5 pages, single spaced, third person present tense. Be very specific about who is doing what and why.

Sally Rooney's books will no longer be for sale in the UK because of her ongoing support for Palestine Action, an organization proscribed by the UK government under the Terrorist Act after they spray-painted RDF planes.

You Tell Me: what's the best writing advice you've ever received?

Five openings to avoid: A character waking up, a character looking in a mirror, extended dialogue with insufficient grounding, action with insufficient grounding, and character does X and oh by the way they're dead. All extremely common among unpublished authors and extremely difficult to pull off.

Updated and expanded my post on how to properly format a manuscript, including a properly formatted sample you can download:

Rough word count ranges (opinions vary!): MG 30k to 60k, YA 60k to 80k, Commercial 75k to 100k, Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Historical 80k to 120k. 120k a general upper limit. Most long books are not debuts. Exceptions abound.

You Tell Me: when do you follow advice about your writing, and when do you ignore it?

Something we don't talk about enough: chance is BIG in publishing. You can write a great book and nail the pitch, and the timing and luck might not be there. All you can do is keep moving forward.

Goodreads' new 0.5 and 0.25 ratings "gives you “more ways to say exactly what you mean” because, after all, nothing captures your experience with a 400-page novel like a really thoughtful fraction." - @roncharles.bsky.social GOT 'EM

Anne Carson wins the Nobel, National Book Awards shortlist, dispelling Cormac McCarthy's myths, and more of the best writing and books links from the past week!

Before you send a query, ask one more question: does this thing sound like I had fun writing it? If you have fun writing it, they'll have fun reading it. And yes, you may need to fake your fun because writing queries is... usually painful.

A framework for nailing the last line of a query's plot description: PROTAGONIST must DO X in order to GOAL, or else CONSEQUENCES. Give a sense of what's at stake as the novel heads toward the climax.

You Tell Me: how do you mentally process your rejections?

The key to a good query letter: summarizing through specificity. Queries go flat when they describe events in an abstract, summarizey way. Replace the generality with how it actually happens in the book and punch up the flavor.

Every writer needs editing prior to seeking publication. Full stop. A paid edit can help, but they can also be very expensive. Can't swing it? Here are some tips on what to do and what not to do.

Send query letters in batches of ten to twelve at a time. When you get a rejection, send a new one out. If you're not getting any requests with your first 15 to 20 queries, take another hard look. Going at a steady pace gives you time to revisit your query and adjust your approach as needed.

You Tell Me: how do you revise?

There is no such thing as an overnight success story. The truth is a lot more banal: it takes a lot of work. Every endeavor worth doing takes time. Rather than wishing for lightning to strike quickly, enjoy seeing it flash in the distance and know that your time will come.

Dystel, Goderich & Bourret resign from the AALA over ethics changes, supply issues are dogging publishers, the rise of LitRPG, and more of the best writing and books links from the past week!

A few reminders: There are no emergencies in book publishing. No agent should charge you to consider your work. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Don't rush, and exercise common sense.

I can't remember where I saw it, but someone recently said some readers want books to be mirrors and others understand them as windows, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head ever since.

If you've sent out 12 to 15 query letters and haven't received a single request after a few months, there's probably something wrong with the query or the project, and it's time for a rethink of your approach.

You Tell Me: how do you deal with writer burnout?

Too many authors approach the agent search asking: will this agent like me? I instead encourage authors to think about whether you like the agent. You're searching for a long term business partner. Prioritize agents you have a good feeling about, and plan to cast a wide net.

Most rejection letters are pretty worthless on their own. Effusive personalized rejections and form rejections are just different flavors of "not for me." But there are a few cases where they're helpful. I updated and expanded my post on how to interpret rejection letters:

Most literary agents filter thousands of submissions a year and take on a handful of new clients. But for the writers who make it through, the agent is the author's advocate, and a good one can propel your career.

You Tell Me: how do you know when your novel is finished?

Don't ever ask somebody whether you should keep writing. These are *your* dreams. Even the best-intentioned person can blow you off course by projecting their own hopes and insecurities onto your situation. You're the only one who can answer. (Though personally, I'd err on the side of keep going.)

Court docs show OpenAI and Microsoft employees knew their book piracy was illegal and could harm authors, is the enigmatic manuscript thief back, where are all the young writers, and more of the best writing and books links from the past week!

Opportunity can't knock if it can't find your door. Every author needs a website. The must-haves: your name, a biography, and a way to contact you.

Writing jacket copy? You have about seven lines to work with. Don't rely on someone clicking that tiny "Read more" link. Jacket copy is a different beast than a query letter. Avoid spoilers, and you can be a bit more of a hype machine.

You Tell Me: how do you deal with the "Am I Crazies" when you're deep into a work in progress?