INKWELL
Google Print • the most overrated books • grammar check: possession • your thoughts on the future of books • successful habits of debut authors • Your Assignment #192

WRITE BETTER
12 Random (But Useful) Thoughts About Dialogue
By Michael Levin
A veteran writing coach offers clever tips for keeping your characters' conversations lively.

Break Into True Crime
By Fred Rosen
Real-world crime is full of evil plots and characters. And turning a news story into a book may be easier than you think.

Fiction Essentials
By Nancy Kress
Try these tips to quicken the pace of your story—essential for certain genres.

Freelancer's Workshop
By David A. Fryxell
Six tricks to ensure you hit that word count every time.

Writing Clinic
By G. Miki Hayden
This critique explains how to remain true to your work and still write what publishers want to buy.

The Last Word
By Jack Clemens
David Sedaris uses precise language, wit, humor and a bit of arrogance to write hugely popular personal essays.

GET PUBLISHED
The State of the Industry
By Tom Connor
This special report on the publishing industry gives you good advice on what to expect now and in the future.

"I Couldn't Put It Down!"
By Susan Delay
Four agents offer insider advice on how you can write a page turner.

This Writer's Life
By Kevin Alexander
Our columnist blames his publishing woes on ... the post office?

WORK SMARTER
New Column!
Mind Your Business
By Tom Connor
What? You sold your first book and didn't land a six-figure deal? Here's the truth about advances and foreign rights.

Questions & Quandaries
By Brian A. Klems
"I" vs. "me," double spaces and long-distance agents.

Read Like a Writer
By Linda Busby Parker
You (should) read a lot. Use that time wisely. A careful reader can easily pick up trade secrets from writers they love.

STAY INSPIRED
New Column!
Book Buzz
By Maria Schneider
Finally—a book club for writers who read. We interview Brian Strause and discuss his new book, Maybe a Miracle .

Waiting to Excel
By Barbara Demarco-Barrett
Follow one writer's three lessons in publishing perseverance.

The WD Interview: Jane Smiley
Jane's Addiction
By Maria Schneider
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley talks candidly about novels, passion, maturity and regaining the will to write.

PLUS …
Editor's Letter
Reader Mail

THE MARKETS
It's easy to go from reliable freelancer to repeat offender. Here's how to keep a good gig.
Breaking In: Activist mags need journalists with solid critical-thinking and reporting skills.

5 Questions for: Jonathan Karp, publisher and editor of Warner Twelve .

January Markets
41 listings for book publishers, agents, contests and consumer and trade magazines.