Getting your book published is all about timing and tenacity. Agent Clare Conville and publisher Francis Bickmore ask: is your novel ready to become a commodity?

With digital printing and online publishing tools, it's never been easier to publish your own novel. Author Roderick Gordon shares his story and offers advice to debut novelists …

Every successful writer knows that revising is a crucial part of the creative process. MJ Hyland explains how to go about distilling your novel to its essential core

More than any trick or technique, what makes suspense so enthralling is empathy – crafting characters your readers can truly connect with, says Mark Billingham

The concept of plot has its detractors, says Kate Mosse – but every writer needs a taut framework of cause and effect on which to hang their words

You need to immerse yourself in the world in order to describe it truthfully, says Adam Foulds. Choose your words precisely and they will propel your plot forward

Dialogue is the lifeblood of your novel – the credulity of your characters depends on it. DBC Pierre shares his hard-won techniques for writing fluid, believable conversation

Your 'voice' lies somewhere between your conscious and subconscious mind. Finding that place is a challenging exercise in self-confrontation, says Meg Rosoff

Learning to distinguish between point of view and objective truth is the writer's first step towards creating authentic, resonant work, writes Rachel Cusk

Strong characters are crucial to fiction. You can borrow traits from real life, but the best characters are born of a deeper human understanding, writes Andrew Miller

Mired in research? Fearful of failure? Procrastination is the writer's biggest enemy. Fight it, urges Jill Dawson – a series of false starts is better than no start at all