This week I had a “Twitterview,” (which is an interview over Twitter) and I wanted to talk about it here because I thought the idea was so clever.

Guest post by Mary Babic, from A Writer’s Assistant

Happy 50th birthday to writer Neil Gaiman! Being the innovative dude that he is, he created a Twitter hashtag (#neil50) that has made the rounds this morning.

When proving copyright on a work, it is important to document the date the work was created. “Poor Man’s Copyright” is when an author mails himself a copy of his work and keeps the envelope sealed. The date of the postmark is intended to prove copyright.

I caught some interesting statements floating around the blogosphere from my author friends recently at the news that Janet Evanovich signed a four-book deal with Random House. She had been with St. Martin’s for years and has been selling her “Stephanie Plum” mystery series like hotcakes. She’s hot. No doubt.

Amazon.com has helped level the playing field for the publishing world. Small publishers can have their books listed right alongside major publishers. Amazon’s large inventory makes it a key distributing source for many smaller or self-publishers. It’s worth having your book listed there if you’re serious about selling copies.

Of all the questions I get from people who wonder about writing (freelance, novel writing, blogging, or otherwise), is how much people really make.

When people think of self-publishing these days, they usually call to mind the services of a vanity press. But several authors are starting their own small publishing houses to get their books out to the market.

I was so sad to hear about the death of Stephen J. Cannell this past weekend.

There’s a stereotype about writers that’s hard to shake from your subconscious; namely, that they’re a bunch of boozy sad sacks who suffer so much for their art that they usher themselves into early, bitter graves by addiction to their vices.