Opyrus Blog for Authors and Writers

Twenty years ago authors were stuck with the traditional publishing world, with corporate gatekeepers who decided whether a book was publishable or not. Today's indie publishing world has changed all that, allowing the readers themselves to become...

The hit series The Americans just wrapped up its final season, going back to 1980's Washington D.C. and the Soviet Union one last time. This hit show about a family that includes two embedded Soviet spies has been called one of the best-written...

It's called the hook: that sparkling first sentence that grabs your reader and convinces her that she HAS to keep reading your book. Authors have been known to spend hours trying to create the perfect hook for their book, often longer than the rest...

Margaret Atwood began her literary life as a poet, but it's as a novelist who wrote fiction with strong social commentary that she's become world-famous. Her book The Handmaid's Tale was made into a movie in 1990 and is currently in its second...

Being a freelance author gives you freedom to work wherever you are. Why limit yourself to spots that can support your laptop? Sometimes it's nice to just hit the road and work wherever you land, without carrying a lot of gear. Here are five...

Some new authors think they can't afford to hire an editor. They think they can publish their book just like it is, and maybe work on editing in the next edition. The truth is, you can't afford not to! Your first books are the first time millions of...

Joining a local writing group is one sure-fire way to up your author game, but what if you don't have one in your community? This is a unique opportunity to create a writing group that's perfect for your needs. The members of a writing group can be...

Elmore Leonard, the prolific detective fiction series author, was never shy about telling other authors what he thought of the writing profession. Here are some of his to-the-point tips for writing great novels. 

Amazon's CreateSpace publishing arm no longer offers author services such as book design, professional editing, and book marketing. For those authors who relied on Amazon for all aspects of their book publishing career, this means having to scramble...