• Mar 20, 2024
The Real-World Impact of Character Names

“What’s in a name?” Roses, sweet smells, yada yada— but really, how do you decide what to name your characters? Maybe you’re one of those authors whose characters spring forth fully formed from your head, à la Zeus. (Are you there, dad? It’s me, Athena.) Maybe you love names, scouring baby books for meaningful names; and maybe you hate naming your characters.

  • Mar 13, 2024
Microaggressions & Names: The Importance of Pronouncing Names Correctly

Is your name easy to spell? Easy to pronounce? Here’s how to tell: go to a coffee shop. Tell them your name, and watch for that tiny flicker in the barista’s eye. Erin’s writing this one, and guess what? The worst I’ve ever gotten was Aaron.

  • Mar 4, 2024
Embrace the Quack: Using A Rubber Duck to Unstick Your Writing

We’ve all been there—staring at a blank page, fingers poised over the keyboard, that cursor blinking on an empty page like Sauron’s eye. Okay, maybe that’s a bit over-the-top, but talk to any reader you know who has stared at a blank page for hours, and you’d be surprised how many of them would agree!

  • Jan 24, 2024
In Defense of Bad Book Beginnings

We all know the trope: Jessica woke up to her alarm clock. She stood in front of her full-length mirror in her bedroom and noted her icy blue eyes. Her luxurious chestnut hair glistened in the morning light. And on and on and on. It’s a faux pas at this point to start your story with the character looking in the mirror; some editors even say that it’s a red flag for a beginning writer.

  • Jan 17, 2024
Sensitivity Readers Aren't Scary

“If you want to feel afraid, you sure can. We will sit with you and be your friend. You can be a rough draft of a person.” - Sachiko Suzuki At Salt and Sage Books, we are obviously on Team Sensitivity Reader. We think that hiring a sensitivity reader is one of the most empathetic, thoughtful, and supportive things that you can do as an author, especially if you care about social justice, inclusion, and equity.