James D. Best

The trade paperback edition of Crossing the Animas is now available. You can buy it at Amazon here . You might be surprised by the ...

I read that railroad construction is all the rage in Western novels. I suppose Hell on Wheels spiked the popularity of trains, but I ...

I write novels. Seven and counting. (Plus six nonfiction books, if I include my ghost writing assignments.) I’ve previously written only on...

Coming Soon in Audio Jim Tedder has agreed to narrate The Return, A Steve Dancy Tale and has already completed 6 chapters. This is exc...

Agatha Christie as a Young Woman Agatha Christie is often listed as the bestselling novelist of all time. If the list is for fiction ...

At long last, Jenny’s Revenge, A Steve Dancy Tale is available in trade paperback format. This has been a long process that had mostly to ...

Six tips on writing from Pulitzer Prize winner and Nobel laureate John Steinbeck. Abandon the idea that you are ever going to fin...

Denver & Rio Grande Railway I started the next book in the Steve Dancy Tales . When I say started, I mean barely begun. I have a ...

Hemingway never published advice for aspiring writers, but he spoke or wrote enough about writing that Larry W. Phillips was able to ...

Orwell's Rules 35 cents for a Masterpiece Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to see...

Fame is but 70,000 words away Recently I talked with an aspiring writer who felt unsure about her first novel. She asked how I starte...

Thomas Sowell also recommends giving books for Christmas. Here is an excerpt from today's column. Christmas Books, by Thomas Sowel...

The Author’s Academy is a subscription website dedicated to teaching “authors how to write, produce, and market their books successfu...

The Fictional Café has previewed the first chapter of Jenny’s Revenge , the fifth novel in the Steve Dancy series .  If you enjoy ...

In a Barnes & Noble Book Blog, Stephen King presents 20 writing tips. Most famous writers offer ten or perhaps a dozen tips, bu...

I write historical novels. Most of my books are Westerns, and I strive to properly reflect the lifestyle, technology, and politics of the e...

An Editor on the Comstock Lode by Wells Drury Previously, I wrote that Mark Twain is my favorite Western writer . Twain actually ...

Mike Shatzkin Mike Shatzkin has posted a discerning article about how print books are different than digital books. It’s common ...

I’ve contended that word of mouth is the greatest marketing tool available to authors. Word of mouth includes book clubs, online recommenda...

I carry my Kindle with me almost everywhere I go. Now, instead of fuming at airport security, I read or shop for my next book. If my wife a...