Catapult | Don't Write Alone

Cover Photo: This is an illustration of a woman holding a book in front of half her face. The book cover has a woman's and man's face looking at each other smiling. The woman's face on the cover matches up with the real womans face. In the background are drawings of heart shaped candy with "pros" and "cons" written on them.

Should I Self-Publish My Romance Novel?

For our Romance Week series, Bryn Donovan breaks down the pros and cons of self publishing as a romance writer.

Bryn Donovan

Feb 14, 2023

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: The background of this image is an illustration of stacked books. In front are Polaroid pictures of each member of the Catapult production department.

What Is Book Production?

A roundtable discussion with the production department of Catapult books.

Eliza Harris

Jan 30, 2023

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: This header image has a background illustration of many stacks of books. In the foreground, there are headshots of each of seven the participant's in polaroid-like frames.

Interning In the Publishing Industry

A roundtable discussion with Catapult’s current and past interns.

Alyssa Lo

Jan 26, 2023

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: An image of Cecilia Beard(@ceciliabereading), Nathan Shuherk (@schizophrenicreads), Emma Halverson (@the.ace.of.books), and Zoë Jackson (@zoes_reads)

How to Get Your Book on TikTok

The algorithmic behemoth can cause any book at any time to have a viral moment, selling out and back-ordering titles in mere days.

Cecilia Beard

Dec 15, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: This photograph shows a red mailbox with its door open and its flag up at the right side of a photograph. The background is a soft pink.

How to Build Your Author Newsletter

If you’re an author trying to promote your work, an email newsletter one of the most effective tools in your arsenal. Here’s a guide to get you started.

Nisha J. Tuli

Oct 13, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: This header image has a green background with a pattern consisting of stacks of books. In the center, we see three polaroid pictures, one for each publicity team member in the discussion.

How Do You Publicize a Book?

A roundtable discussion with Catapult’s publicity team.

The Editors

Oct 12, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: A four-panel image that shows the cover of the novel WITCHES on the left (a graphic of a woman in a blouse and skirt with a bird's head), and three panels for the headshots of Kendall Storey, Brenda Lozano, and Heather Cleary.

How Do You Publish a Book In Translation?

A roundtable discussion with Brenda Lozano, Kendall Storey, and Heather Cleary on why translation is essential to the literary landscape.

The Editors

Oct 05, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: This photograph shows someone holding out an empty wallet.

How Not to Lose Money as a Published Author

Writers are under increasing pressure to spend their own money while promoting their books, even if their book is published by a Big Four publishing house.

Elizabeth Blackwell

Aug 31, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: This photograph shows a woman sitting at her desk, her head head propped up by her raised arm. She's gazing into the distance with a dissatisfied expression on her face.

Writing a Cover Letter for a Job in the Publishing Industry

For Application Week, Catapult staffers share some of their old cover letters in hopes of providing insight into applying for positions in the writing world.

The Editors

Aug 19, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: This photograph shows three young men sitting on a picturesque rolling green hill. Sheep graze around them and there are blue mountains reaching up into fluffy white clouds in the distance.

A Person of Color’s Guide to Navigating Writing Residencies

For our Application Week series, Hannah Bae writes about applying to and attending writing residencies as a person of color—along with tips from about ten other writers who identify as BIPOC.

Hannah Bae

Aug 17, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: A panel of three women sitting at a judges' table in front of a window. One has a laptop in front of her, a second is taking notes, and a third is speaking.

How to Apply for Grants and Residencies

As part of our Application Week series, Jasmine Dreame Wagner writes about putting together your strongest proposal to get funding for your work-in-progress.

Jasmine Dreame Wagner

Aug 16, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: A photograph of the text of an algorithm, written out in white, green, purple and red text, against a black background on a computer screen.

How Do Algorithms Help (and Hinder) Book Sales?

As a marketing professional, I mastered the art of writing for algorithms. As a novelist trying to sell my books, it’s more complicated.

Cindy Fazzi

Jul 28, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: This photograph shows someone standing between library shelves. The books on the shelves are in focus, while the figure is kind of shadowy, as if lost in the stacks.

How Libraries Can Help You Earn Out Your Book Advance

While the systems and processes for how libraries acquire books differ from library to library, writers should know and should care about how public libraries purchase books.

Terah Shelton Harris

Jul 18, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: a magnifying glass placed on the open pages of a book

The Beautiful Ego Death of Having My Book Fact-Checked

Every nonfiction book should go through this vetting, and every author should have this experience.

Jaime Green

Jul 06, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: This photograph looks down at a pile of magazines spread across a bed. Someone is sitting on the bed, legs splayed, reaching out to pick up the next issue in the pile.

In a Digital Age, Why Still Read Print Magazines?

How do we as readers benefit from having a team with different creative specialties—writing, designing, editing, photographing, illustrating—work together to bring the story to life?

Hope Corrigan

Jun 28, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: This photograph is of a man sitting on a bench at the top of a grassy hill. He is reading a book contemplatively--he's leaning his chin on his hand and there is a slight frown on his forehead. The day is beautiful and sunny.

Writing for Yourself Versus Writing for an Audience

Was I being selfish and foolish by spending seven years composing the book I wanted to read, without considering why someone other than me might care?

Brian Gresko

Jun 01, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

How Do You Design a Book Cover?

A roundtable discussion with the design department of Catapult books.

Eliza Harris

May 25, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: A photograph of a public library building. Two white pillars are holding up a sign that says "public library" in bronze capital letters against a white background. Above the letters are a white peaked roof.

How Working with Libraries Can Help Sell Your Books

A librarian shares a step-by-step guide on how writers can grow their audience and promote their books by pitching a talk to their local library—and beyond.

Kerri Sullivan

May 04, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

These Essays That Started Out as Tweets Will Inspire You to Write—or Tweet, I Guess

“This article ended up being one of my favorite assignments ever—and all from a little bit of shameless public thirsting on Twitter.”

The Editors

Apr 29, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Cover Photo: This photograph is of a neon social media sign, built to look like a comment button that has a zero and a heart inside of it--no likes on this post!

Promoting Your Book When the World Is On Fire

Promotion—especially self-promotion—doesn’t always feel easy. So how do we do it? For Social Media Week, literary agent Mina Hamedi helps us make room for celebration.

Mina Hamedi

Apr 28, 2022

Don’t Write Alone | Shop Talk

Don’t Write Alone: Shop Talk