Rachelle Gardner

This isn’t one of those posts that I’m excited about, but a few things have come to my attention recently that made me want to remind you all to beware of certain practices by literary agents that may be unethical, questionable, or represent a conflict of interest. Of course, every case is different, and just because…

This quote is specifically about screenwriting, but applies to novelists as well. Literary talent is not enough. If you cannot tell a story, all those beautiful images and subtleties of dialogue that you spent months and months perfecting waste the paper they’re written on. What we create for the world, what it demands of us,…

Recently I asked my followers on Facebook what question I should answer in my next “vlog,” and the overwhelming response was “What is High Concept?” Here’s my three-minute response,with a written recap below. High concept is primarily a term used in pitching movies but these days, we find it a helpful shorthand to describe a…

I received a query that pitched six completely different kinds of books: A social commentary. A historical novel. A “road” story travel memoir. A compilation of short stories. A contemporary novel about a class action lawsuit. A history of Harley-Davidsons. There is absolutely nothing I can do with this, and it’s a quick pass. First,…

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*The Definitive Guide* Query letters are a recurring theme here since every writer needs one, and there are hundreds of posts online full of query advice. But I wanted to give you a simple, straightforward set of instructions. Queries should include the following three elements: Something about the book – enough to make the agent want more  Something…

Today’s thought is primarily for novelists: A scene will not be vivid if the writer gives too few details to stir and guide the reader’s imagination; neither will it be vivid if the language the writer uses is abstract instead of concrete. If the writer says “creatures” instead of “snakes,” … if instead of the desert’s…

There are several books available on writing book proposals. My favorites are: Write the Perfect Book Proposal by Jeff Herman. I like this one because it contains ten real-life proposals that sold. The Literary Agent’s Guide to Writing a Non-Fiction Book Proposal by Andy Ross. This one’s short and to-the-point, and the last time I…

How about some critiques of those elevator pitches? I’m impressed and amazed at how many of you contributed them in the comments to my post last Wednesday. Obviously I won’t be able to critique most of them, but hopefully you’ll get something out of these few that I’m going to address. A couple things before…

What do you think of agents entering the self-publishing fray? Several high profile literary agencies have formally expanded their businesses to include a “self publishing” division. (Waxman, DGLM, and Bookends.) And while you may not have heard other announcements yet, you can bet that every single agency is considering ways to keep up with new developments and…

In this age of social media and 24/7 connectedness, people are getting in touch with me via phone, texting, email, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. It’s terrific having all these ways to communicate but I think we need some guidelines! I’m fine hearing from people through any of those media, and if you’ve texted me or…

I feel like I’m living in the Twilight Zone. I only hope I can find my way back to normalcy soon. Thursday I flew to North Carolina for a conference. During my flight I was using my laptop to tweak my PowerPoint and my handouts for my workshop. When I got to the hotel and powered up…

As many of you know, I make it a priority to get enough exercise. It doesn’t always come easy (sometimes I slack off) but I try to find ways to motivate myself. Unfortunately my mind is always full of all the reasons I “can’t” exercise. I have way too much work to do.  My family…

As more and more people venture into self publishing, I’ve noticed that for many, it’s a rude awakening how much help they actually need even though they’re thinking of it as a DIY project. I think that’s because, with traditional publishing, most writers are somewhat shielded from the number of people whose work touches their…