Kelly Simmons reviews the three core rules of writing a successful query--keep it short, don’t sound like an a**hole, and don’t become an automatic no--and shares guidance on how to make your query stand out in a busy agent's inbox (including emojis!).

Pauline Wiles discusses why authors intent on reaching new readers should not be investing their time writing blog posts for their own website, and shares ideas for alternatives that will offer better returns in terms of building your reader community.

Common wisdom is to write what you know, and incorporating your day job into your books is an obvious method. But how do you do that and maintain confidentiality and professionalism when your job is as sensitive as a funeral director and undertaker? Todd Harra describes how he has walked that fine line in this episode.

Brian Meeks talks through his revision of one of Matty's book descriptions to illustrate the copywriting methods that have enabled him to turn browsers into buyers on the online retail platforms.