Rachelle Gardner

When you’re a debut author trying to break in to traditional publishing, one of the most important things to remember is this: Minimize the obstacles. You already know it’s not going to be easy to break in, so you want to avoid making it even more difficult on yourself. This is why agents give so…

People frequently ask me about a typical day for an agent. I think most agents will tell you — there are no typical days!  With a large number of clients, working on a variety of projects, all in various stages of writing or publication, the days provide endlessly changing excitement. Of course, I’m sure there are…

I was having lunch with a writer friend of mine, and she didn’t seem like she was in the best place emotionally. “I’m starting to question whether this is really my calling,” she said. “Why?” I asked. “Because some days… it just isn’t fun.” (She said this with a straight face.) “Hmm,” I said. “Is…

Hi Rachelle, I’m 62 and about to retire; I’m preparing to dedicate my retirement years to writing full-time. I wonder whether “age discrimination” would enter into my efforts to get published. I realize the quality of the product is the most important thing, but do you think my age would detract from consideration of my…

Blog reader Laurie wrote: A friend of mine has an agent interested in her first novel, but the agent has not made an offer of representation.  Instead she has asked my friend to hire a book editor (done), beef up her blog and platform (done), and finally get blurbs from famous authors (on an unpublished…

Lately I’m getting more frequent emails from my authors, reporting that they found another piracy website illegally offering their books. Everyone wants to know what to do about it, and understandably there’s a lot of hand-wringing over potential lost revenues. So I want to (briefly) address the topic of book piracy. I spent significant time…

In yesterday’s blog comments, Marielena wrote about the responses she was getting to her query letter. She said: I know it’s probably individual to each agent, but what makes a book “not a good fit” — is that a polite way of saying the book still needs work? That’s a good question, Marielena. Yes, it’s…

Writers often ask whether it’s okay to do simultaneous submissions, meaning sending your query to multiple agents at one time. Just to ease your mind, most agents agree that it doesn’t make sense not to do simultaneous submissions. It’s too inefficient to send something to one agent, then wait until they respond before sending to…

In a blog discussion about author platform, reader Carol commented: “What challenges me is creating my brand. I write contemporary women’s fiction. Branding seems easier with non-fiction where you’re an expert on something. How do you do that with fiction?” Carol and other novelists: I advise you to STOP thinking about branding. If you’re blogging…

*It’s All About the Numbers* When we (agents) submit proposals to publishers, we pay special attention to the part of the proposal that explains who the author is and what makes up their platform. And what publishers want to see is your platform expressed in numbers. So from the beginning, you as an author should…

Updated January, 2024   Online resources Query Tracker Manuscript Wish List Publishers Marketplace Duotrope   Print resource for the faith-related market The Christian Writer’s Market Guide   In-person option: Writers Conferences 60 conferences in 2024    

I hear a lot of writers complaining about their book promotion, bemoaning how their publisher didn’t do enough marketing or PR for their book. They say things like “publishers don’t market books anymore.” But I’ve been in publishing since 1995, and this has been the single most common writer complaint for as long as I…

1. Definition of a platform? It’s the way you, the author, will get your name and your book in front of potential consumers. It’s the way you will bring sales to the table. It’s a group of people who are likely to buy your book, if you should ever publish one, because they already know…

Agents frequently hear questions like: Have you let many books slip through your hands that went on to be bestsellers? and… How do you feel when a book to which you said “no” goes on to success? Most editors and agents have passed on books that went on to success (if not bestseller lists), and I think we…