Letters From Libby James
I help writers strengthen their writing and creative practice, navigate the publishing world, and turn their art into an act of rebellion.
Don’t just take my word for it
I love recommending books, but maybe you haven’t always thought my selections were dope. For those with other tastes, I have put together a list of books big name authors have publicly endorsed. These aren’t just books their publishers encouraged them to review, but ones they have given a special shoutout to in an interview, article, or speech. "It wasn't until I started reading and found books they wouldn't let us read in school that I discovered you could be insane and happy and have a good...
Congratulations on the Good Art
The creative world just lost a good one. Susan DeFreitas crossed over to what’s next after a short, fierce battle with cancer. Susan and I circled each other for years. We attended the same college a couple of years apart and had mutual friends. Somehow, we became acquaintances through social media, engaging with each other’s content over time. I had always hoped we’d find a way to collaborate on a bigger scale. She was a brilliant editor and a beautiful writer. You can support her young...
Same Old Story, Your New Twist
It’s all been done before–so what? You know those stories where the premise feels like it’s been done a million times? The "trapped in a room" kind of thing? It’s easy to think there’s nothing new to say with them. But there’s something about these familiar scenarios that works, and it’s not the premise that’s tired, it’s how we tell the story. You can take the same basic plot and give it a totally different life. The thing that makes these stories stand out, even when the framework is the...
Fanfiction in the Gray Area: Writing, Selling, and Staying Legal
Fanfiction is older than the internet, older than television, older than the idea of intellectual property itself. Storytelling has always been a cycle of inspiration, reinterpretation, and reinvention. Virgil remixed Homer. Shakespeare lifted from history and folk tales. Cervantes was so incensed by an unauthorized sequel to Don Quixote that he wrote his own. People have always taken stories they love and reshaped them. But in the modern era, copyright law complicates this age-old practice....
The Makings of a Perfect Book Boyfriend
Do you remember your first book boyfriend? I remember being a girl and being so mad at Jo. How could she pick Friedrich over Laurie in Little Women?!?! I thought, what is she thinking?!? Now that I am an adult, I realize she made the right choice for her and as an adult I rather have Friedrich over stupid Laurie. You’ll find my other first book boyfriend in the pages of Anne of Green Gables. “We are going to be the best of friends. We were born to be good friends, Anne. You’ve thwarted...
The Pros and Cons of Traditional Publishing and Self-Publishing
So, you’re thinking about publishing your book and wondering which route is the best one for you, huh? There’s a lot of noise out there when it comes to publishing options, and I’m here to break it down for you without the fluff. Whether you’re considering traditional publishing, self-publishing, or something in-between, let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons of each so you can make the right choice for your book – stick with me until the end for a special treat. If you don't want/need...
This one is for the lovers
I'm not in the mood for romance these days, but what the hell-it's Valentine's Day. Some of you may crave love stories that dig deeper, twist darker, or pull you apart before stitching you back together. If your vibe isn't predictable romance arcs and you want something stranger and more honest, here are six books to mess with your heart: 1. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn What happens when love gets tangled in ambition, family loyalty, and the circus? Dunn’s cult classic explores the grotesque...
When Stories Wear New Skin
The adaptation for The Hottest State by Ethan Hawke was one of the times I felt the film version more so than the book. I liked the book a lot when I read it 25 years ago, but I didn’t have that kind of love loss for another handful of years. I finally watched the film not too long after my own big heartbreak in my early 20’s, and I thought, Yes Mark Webber, that is exactly what I feel. Exactly. I reread Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel again recently. This is one of my favorite books...
You’re Going to Embarrass Yourself in This Business
Let’s get this out of the way: you will embarrass yourself. It’s part of the deal we make as creatives with the universe. Putting our art out there is putting ourselves out there. Since we’re in this together, I’ll go first and tell you about some of my embarrassing moments in the writing world: I misspelled a word on the back cover of my novel. Sure, it was spelled correctly in British English, but the book was about the American Civil War. Not my proudest moment as a writer or editor. The...
On my own with my art
When I was first on my own again, living alone after fourteen years, I worried I wouldn’t like my own company anymore. How would I fill the hours with my art if I couldn’t be alone in the silence? Once upon a time, I adored solitude. But now, I wasn’t sure. In that fear, I sat with a deeper question: how would I fall in love with this jaded, middle-aged artist I’ve become? And who was that girl I used to be? The lyrics to Miley Cyrus’s Used to Be Young still taunt me, like a reprimand I can’t...
I help writers strengthen their writing and creative practice, navigate the publishing world, and turn their art into an act of rebellion.