The WriterCon Newsletter (April 2026)

Hey Friends! Hope you’ll forgive me if I rattle on a bit about my new book—because it hits the stands today! Take it as a lesson in “departing your genre” or “marketing nonfiction.” Seems like I’ve been waiting for this book to land for roughly a million years, or at least two, since the idea was but a glimmer in my wacky eye. I had no idea whether I’d be able to sell a nonfiction book (that wasn’t about writing) or whether anyone would be interested in reading it. But here it is, and judging from pre-orders and Amazon rankings, there is an audience. It was #1 in its category a week ago!

Some of you will remember my last legal thriller, Justice For All, which touched on the “art vs. commerce” conflict with a comic creator as Daniel Pike’s client. While researching that, I became intrigued with the story of Superman’s creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who gave the world the first superhero, gave life to a floundering industry (comic books), and were not treated right in the aftermath.

I became particularly interested in Jerry Siegel (on the left in the photo above), the writer, because I saw so much in his life that I recognized. He’s a writer, after all, and I love writers. He was a precocious reader and knew at an early age that he wanted to be a writer (like I did), so he started mailing work out. He was publishing before he’d reached a double-digit age! (I got my first rejection letter when I was eleven, which I can prove, because I still have it.) He was enthusiastic and naive, having no idea what he was getting into. Superman was a hit—but he lost control of the character. He made some money in the short-term, but after being away for several years serving his country during WWII, he came back to find himself marginalized and worse, learned that the company had used his ideas and scripts (previously rejected) without his knowledge or consent. He sued, lost, and got fired, leading to decades of scrounging for work and living on the brink of poverty.

This is not how it should go for creatives, especially the ones who create characters, entire genres even, that bring so much joy to the world. (And in Superman’s case, make about $450 million a year.)

I couldn’t find an immersive biography of Jerry that took into account all the information that has surfaced in recent years, so I wrote one. And while investigating, I discovered many new facts, documents, interviews, and spoke to people who had never spoken on the record before (like Jerry’s daughter and grandsons). My legal background also helped me untangled the web of lawsuits spanning seventy years (which should have been resolved in an afternoon).

That’s why I wrote The Superman Wars. And that’s why I hope you’ll read it, even if you’re not into comic books, because that’s not what it’s really about. It’s about an eleventh grader who came up with a genius-level idea—and suffered for it rather than benefitting. If we want a world that is friendlier to creatives, if we want to continue to have innovative creators and creations, then we must recognize the problems and do something to fix them for the next generation of creatives.

Here’s a link to a great article in Women’s World about the book.

Here’s a link to an interview I did for The Gritty Hour.

Click here to order your copy today! And PLEASE tell all your friends about The Superman Wars!

I love this Retreat! I love the conference too, but it’s hectic and I’m pretty much busy working the whole time. The Retreat has a slower pace and a small group of writers in attendance, which allows me to work with people individually and give feedback to everyone there. This year I’ll be joined by Lauren Smith (USA Today bestseller), John Wooley (great writer of almost everything), and Hunter Strickland (a terrific young agent looking for more clients). We’re returning to Canebrake Resort because it’s beautiful and exclusive—I rent the entire joint just for us.

Hoping for some feedback on your work-in-progress? This is where you get it—in one of the most gorgeous, inspirational settings on earth. Click here for more details.

And of course, the annual conference will return. This is the Big WriterCon event. Last year we had almost 300 people attending. This year I expect more (we’re already ahead of last year’s registrations). Over 60 speakers. More than 100 breakout sessions. Superstar presenters covering every aspect of writing. Contests, manuscript reviews, private consultations! Here are a few of the headliners:

This is one of the biggest and (imho) best conferences in the country, and definitely the warmest, friendliest conference designed to give you what you need to boost your career. Sign up now to take advantage of the Early-Bird prices. Click here for more information.

MARTY LUDLUM is an award-winning mystery writer who dreams of spending his days sipping tea and reading in a quiet English village. Marty's first novel (At First I Was Afraid) won First Place in Mystery from BookFest, and was a finalist for Oklahoma's Fiction Book of the Year. Marty's second book in the Disco Divas series is due next month. Here’s his article.

Beginning writers make a frequent mistake of making their characters perfect, ideal, angelic.

News Flash: Perfect is boring.

Perfect people have no problems, no conflict, nothing to keep the readers interested.

So I don’t spoil any novels, I will use television shows and movies as examples. (Yes, I know most of the tv shows and movies come from novels, but go with me on this).

One of my new favorites on tv: Best Medicine.

Yes, it is a medical show, and the main character (Martin Best) is a doctor, but from there the writers got creative. Martin is super tacky (which is near and dear to my cold heart), but he’s also a surgeon who is afraid of blood. Now that is a problem, and as the only physician in Port Wenn, he is going to have to face that issue in every episode. And he doesn’t eat sweets (I wonder if starvation will be a theme in future episodes). The small village, Port Wenn is also far from perfect. While picturesque, it has dwindling population, a school about to close, and an electrical system held together with duct tape. More problems.

Another of my favorites: High Potential

The police department’s cleaning lady has an IQ of 160 and a knack for solving crimes. She is hired to help the police, but as a consultant only. Is she perfect? Oh please. She is a sassy single mom with three high maintenance kids, a helpless ex, and judging from her fashion choices so far, must be color blind. Lots of potential there.

The more flawed they are, the more interesting they are. Perfect is so boring.

I don’t want to sound like the TV Guide (Do they still print those?), so I’ll give you some quick examples.

Doc, a high caliber surgeon with trauma induced amnesia, so she is missing the last eight years of memories. That’s a problem.

Monk, the defective detective. Tony Shalhoub stars as a brilliant investigator, who is plagued with phobias and eccentric behaviors. He’s a fountain of problems.

The same is true in movies.

James Bond, the super spy with a strong moral compass, but no human attachments.

Jason Bourne, the super spy who cannot remember who he is, but his deadly skills are still alive.

Han Solo, the rogue Star Wars Romeo, only looking for profit and pleasure, but comes around to do the right thing.

Deadpool. Yeah, to me, this guy is perfect. To others, perhaps he has some faults.

Sometimes the flaws are accented by the pairing of characters.

Will Trent: A dyslexic cop and Angie, his girlfriend (??) are both emotionally damaged.

The X-files: Mulder and Scully are the perfect pair, each with flaws that are highlighted and perhaps offset by the other.

Sometimes it is an entire family with flaws.

The most (im)perfect group: The Addams Family. Wow. Each one is weirder (more weird?) than the previous one. That is some innovative writing.

The Kardashians. To be honest, I’ve never watched a single episode. I think it is about a family of sex workers? (No idea, really.) It seems to be popular. They have many flaws.

In classic television, especially family-oriented shows, we didn’t talk so much about human flaws. Think of The Brady Bunch and The Waltons. They were a family of perfect people (loyal, kind, honorable) but thrust into imperfect situations.

Without strife, there are no stories. Nothing for the reader/viewer/listener to grab ahold and hope for a resolution.

CHIPS, Ponch and John, patrolling California’s highways for the good of humanity. The show did have a great deal of success (I watched it every week), but it had a problem. The two main characters were perfect, too good. That meant the writers had to rely on arrestees for flawed characters. This made Ponch and John two dimensional. Interesting, but unlikely to result in a string of sequels. I challenge you to think of anything about either main character besides their jobs. I’ll wait here…

If your story revolves around a villain, your cup runneth over. Evil people are always flawed. Hannibal the cannibal, Frankenstein, Dracula. Characters filled with flaws provide for generations of stories. Seriously, how many times have you seen a movie about Dracula or in later generations, vampires that live among us? Too many to count.

The same with Frankenstein. How many remakes? How many variations on the exact same plot? Horror in black and white, updated for color, updated for special effects. Make it a comedy (Young Frankenstein), make it a musical (Rocky Horror Picture Show).

Why does Rocky Horror continue to be a cult classic? Partly the cheesy original is shown somewhere near a college campus every Saturday at midnight. Partly the music makes you dance. Mostly, all the characters, even Brad and Janet, (dammit) are just a little off center.

No one wants to see perfect people going to the grocery store. Boring.

Readers want to cheer for (or against) a character who is a little like them, flawed.

Each of us are in our own ways flawed. That is what makes us interesting.

News

Author Jim Hanas (who previously worked in the marketing department at HarperCollins) launched a website called Small Press Insights that lists the top-selling small-press books on Amazon. He updates the list daily.

Contest for Translators

Janklow & Nesbit has debuted the David Bellos Translation Prize for translations into English. Translators can enter with an excerpt from a novel originally written in any (non-English) language. The winner will receive £2,000 in prize money plus an offer of representation.

Agent Opportunities

Gemma Paynter, previously at Harlequin, has joined P.S. Literary Agency. She is looking for fiction and nonfiction. Click here for submission guidelines.

Katie Ferriello has joined Mansion Street Literary Management as literary agent, focusing on romance, fantasy, and children’s literature. She’s looking to build her list. Learn more here.

Publisher Opportunities

Teacher Created Materials is launching a new imprint called Curiosity Unlocked Books that will publish fiction and nonfiction for young readers up to age 12. Click here for more info.

Skyhorse Publishing has launched a cookbook imprint called Golden Grove Publishing.

The WriterCon Facebook Page

For more breaking news from the publishing world, join our Facebook group! Doesn’t cost a thing and guarantees you’ll know about important book news when it breaks. My favorite part of the page, though, is seeing how many WriterCon writers are successfully publishing and marketing their books. Click Here to Join.

On a recent podcast we interviewed David L Robbins, author of War of the Rats and many other bestselling military history books. We discussed some recent news stories of interest to writers, like the number of books published last year (just try to guess) and a new bestseller list for BookTok! Click here to listen!

Till next time, keep writing, and remember—you cannot fail if you refuse to quit.

William Bernhardt

willbern@gmail.com

www.writercon.com