Daniel J. Tortora

Resources for Nonfiction Authors

100+ articles for authors on writing, publishing, and book marketing—by nonfiction editor and publishing coach Daniel Tortora.

Tips for Writing a Family History Book

Tips for Writing a Family History Book

How to write family history: how to organize, make the narrative flow, and make it memorable—and thoughts on hiring an editor, indexing, and publishing.

Authors, Writing, HistoryDaniel J. TortoraSeptember 17, 2022author tips, parts of a book, writing, family history, nonfiction

Authors: What Is a Manuscript Evaluation? How Much Does It Cost? And Hiring an Editor

Authors: What Is a Manuscript Evaluation? How Much Does It Cost? And Hiring an Editor

What is a manuscript evaluation? How much does it cost? Is it worth it? What’s the process? How long does it take? And tips for finding and hiring an editor.

Authors, Writing, EditingDaniel J. TortoraAugust 29, 2022author tips, manuscript evaluation, developmental editing, editing, first draft, nonfiction, self-editing, traditional publishing, self-publishing

How to Use Draft2Digital (Books2Read) Universal Book Links to Sell More Books

How to create and customize a universal book link for audiobooks, ebooks, and print books.

Authors, MarketingDaniel J. TortoraAugust 17, 2022book marketing, Draft2Digital, ebooks, print books, audiobooks, self-publishing, author tips, author tools

The 5 Best Self-Publishing Platforms, Compared

The 5 Best Self-Publishing Platforms, Compared

Comparing Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble Press, Kobo Writing Life, and Google Play Books—from the author’s perspective.

Authors, PublishingDaniel J. TortoraAugust 5, 2022Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Kobo Writing Life, Barnes & Noble Press, Google Play Books

Sell More Books with These Book Promotion Sites from Written Word Media

Learn all about Free Booksy, Bargain Booksy, New in Books, and other promo sites for authors and readers of print books and ebooks.

Authors, MarketingDaniel J. TortoraJuly 19, 2022book marketing, Amazon KDP, book promotion sites, nonfiction

What Is a 3-Em Dash? (and When to Use It and How to Insert It)

What Is a 3-Em Dash? (and When to Use It and How to Insert It)

When and how to use the 3-em dash (⸻) in your writing (in bibliographies).

Authors, WritingDaniel J. TortoraJuly 5, 2022writing, proofreading, The Chicago Manual of Style, author tips, copy editing