Writers make three common comparisons that quietly destroy their confidence — comparing their drafts to published books, to peers in their writing group, and to writers at a similar age or stage. Here's why those comparisons are unfair, and two useful comparisons you can make instead.

An author website helps readers find you, showcases your bibliography, and gives journalists and event organizers a place to pull your bio and press photo. Here's how to build one from scratch — what pages to create, what to put on them, and which platforms make it easy even if you're not a web designer.