Improbable Press Blog

By Yvonne Knop I can with absolute confidence say that my debut novel would have never signed a traditional publishing contract without the help of others. And I don’t mean the cute 'Could you read this blurb and say what you think?' kind of help but the 'Could you read my manuscript a fourth time and edit it with me?' Kind of help. I am talking about engaging in writer’s groups on social media, calls with strangers online to talk about plot holes and character flaws, beta readers who tell you that chapter XY could be deleted, editors that tweak...

By Ali Coyle Sometimes, I write some short fanfiction, check it over a couple of times for wrong words and post it over on AO3. I love that gratifying hit of seeing a new chapter or a new work appear on my dashboard. Even better, I love seeing the first few kudos and looking forward to maybe getting a comment or two. Almost always, when I read my fic over a few hours after publishing it, I see mistakes. For example, I’m particularly blind to spotting if I’ve mistyped 'form' when I meant 'from,' or putting British spelling and American...

By Dr Matthew Yap Potential Hell Discovered Probably Highly Depressed Pounds Head on Desk Permanent Head Damage These are some of my favourite PhD acronyms. They certainly make more sense than Doctor of Philosophy. I chuckled when I first heard these acronyms years ago. But having recently completed my PhD, I can attest that they’re all accurate descriptions of the postgraduate experience. During my third year as a postgraduate, I considered writing a PhD survival guide. I put the project on hold because research and writing were all-consuming. Now that I’m done, I hope to demystify the PhD for anyone...

Oh the boons of age! You've learned Some Things. You do fewer Unwise Things. This means you can maybe say, "Hey, dear writing friend! What you just did in front of me and my sandwich? It's Unwise! I used to do it and suggest you don't!" The thing I'm talking about, the unwise thing, is asking editors to tell you why they rejected your work. Why Your Story Was Rejected: 2 Reasons an Editor Won't Tell You I know it doesn't feel great not knowing. Yet as a working editor I also know there's at least two good reason we...

Secret time: We don't always love our book's cover right away. As a writer for whom covers have been created, and an editor who commissions covers for others, I know this is so very true. Book Cover Expectations: Let's Go Back In Time When I was a teen, Casey Kasem hosted a weekly top 40 radio show; I listened for years before I finally saw a photo of Kasem himself, and: No. Nope. Nada, that's not what Casey Kasem looks like. Except. Except what did I think he looked like? I don't know. I'd had no idea I even had...