Write Stupid. Edit Smart. Get Published.: A Master Class for Serious Writers

Wherever you are in your author’s journey, this book is like teaming up with a personal writing coach who has more than a quarter century of editorial and publishing advice.

Thousands of writers--from first-time authors to #1 New York Times best-selling authors--have learned from Lisa Mangum’s masterful literary advice and inspiration. Now she’s collected the best of her writing and editing tips in this helpful book that covers the entire writing and querying process, from nurturing a story idea all the way to submitting a polished manuscript.

In the first half of the book, Lisa guides readers through the various steps of the writing process, including starting the story in the right place, developing characters with high-stake goals, mapping character relationships for increased conflict, and introducing tension and plot twists. She also shares tips and tricks for nailing a satisfying ending as well as helping authors discover their own unique voice that can help them break through writer’s block.

With her decades of experience, Lisa then takes writers on a behind-the-scenes tour of the many levels of editing, including a handy flowchart that unravels the mystery of where the commas go in a sentence.

Finally, she helps writers prepare to ＂get published＂ by deconstructing what makes a query letter catch an editor’s eye and how to answer the all-important question: ＂What’s your book about?＂

Packed with Lisa’s own personal stories of encouragement and inspiration, Write Fearless. Edit Smart. Get Published. is a literary adventure that’s as fun as it is informative.

Lisa Mangum has worked in publishing for more than twenty-five years. She has been the managing editor for Shadow Mountain since 2014 and has worked with several award-winning and New York Times best-selling authors. Lisa is also the author of four national best-selling YA novels (The Hourglass Door trilogy and After Hello), several short stories and novellas, and a nonfiction book about the craft of writing based on the TV show Supernatural. She regularly teaches at writing conferences across the country as well as hosts a writing weekend twice a year in Capitol Reef National Park. She lives in Taylorsville, Utah, with her husband, Tracy.