The BEST writing advice I heard this year 📝

A roundup of all the best insights from this year's Chapter Break interviews

I’ve learned so much this year…

The thing I love most about this newsletter is getting to hear real, practical advice from incredibly talented authors and publishing professionals who know exactly what aspiring authors are going through, and this year was full of gold nuggets I’m going to carry with me.

This year, I’ve featured New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors and agents who have sold books to the Big Five, so what better way to close off 2025 than a recap of all their best lessons?

Here are the top 7 pieces of writing and publishing advice I heard this year. Whether you’re deep in revisions, holding down the querying trenches, or drafting up a storm, there’s something here for you to carry into 2026 and beyond.

1. No one else can tell your story

No matter how much we try to fight it, doubt always comes creeping in. “So-and-so is a way better writer than me,” or “so-and-so has a way more interesting life than me.”

Doesn’t matter. You still have something unique to say.

“[T Kira Madden] said I should write my story. I remember saying, ‘yeah, but plenty of people have had it worse than me.’ And she said, ‘but no one will tell it the way you can.’

“This was not obvious to me at that time in my life. I was twenty-six and still working through a ton of ‘stuff,’ and hearing this crystalized something for me and gave me permission to write the things I really needed to and share them. It’s not a measurement of suffering or whose story is most difficult or whose survival is most heroic. It’s simply that the way we tell a story is unique to us, and worthy of telling. She’s right. No one can tell the story the way I can, just as no one can tell the story the way she can, and every other writer.”

— Chelsea Bieker, national bestselling author of Madwoman

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Ready to take your story to the next level?

“I received truly professional and helpful feedback that helped me see where I could strengthen my story so it hits every note I want it to hit.

“Alyssa and her team provide a white glove touch rarely found in consultative services of any category. If you are serious about your story, you should seriously consider her services.”

— Edwin John Leskin, fantasy author

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2. Rejection isn’t personal, it’s business

Here’s one for all the querying authors feeling down about a growing rejection pile:

“Cultivate your patience, and learn to reframe rejection into something normal rather than personal. Everyone has constraints put on them. Editors might love your book but it’s not their imprint’s brand. It’s not personal. Sales people might love your book but the profit and loss statement doesn’t work out to benefit the publisher. It’s business.”

— Heather Cashman, Senior Literary Agent at Storm Literary Agency

3. If your first book fails, try, try again…

So many authors publish their “breakout” book after several pivots. So what do you do if your first book isn’t as successful as you’d hoped?