Rachelle Gardner

“Writing makes a person very vulnerable. It opens you to public criticism, to ridicule, to rejection. But it also opens conversation and thought. It stirs minds, and touches hearts. It brings us into contact with our souls. So how can it possibly be a waste of time, an idle act, a mistake, a betrayal of…

(Repost)I’ve been extra busy lately, what with all the holiday activities, and I haven’t been preparing my blogs in advance like I normally do. So yesterday I was sitting at my desk pondering the 177 emails in my box, and the manuscripts that needed reading, and the proposals I’m preparing for submissions, and amidst all…

The Internet lit up yesterday with the new development over at Amazon—the fact that they’re now giving authors their sales information from Bookscan. If you’re an author with an account at Amazon’s Author Central (if you have a book on Amazon, you’d better have an Author Central page!) then you can now access your sales…

This one’s for non-fiction authors—it doesn’t apply so much to novelists. Ever see the movie Little Miss Sunshine? Richard (played by Greg Kinnear) is a wanna-be motivational speaker who knows that it begins with a book, which turns into speaking, which turns into DVDs, etc. (At least that’s what he thinks.) After his agent, Stan…

There comes a time in every writer’s life when the current book—the one that’s contracted, written, revised and at least partially edited—becomes the single most hated thing in the world. All I really need to say about this is: That’s normal. Almost every author I’ve worked with has told me at some point that they…

A client recently wrote me: I’ve finished my book and delivered it to the publisher. What should I be focusing on right now?That’s a good question. At this point, a writer should be thinking about two things: marketing this book (building your platform), and beginning work on your next book, whether or not it’s contracted.…

Somebody asked me recently, “What turns you off in writers’ blogs?” They wanted to know if there were certain things I saw that would make me not want to represent someone, or at least make me wonder whether I should. So I thought about it, and here are a few of my answers: → A…

I’ve written about royalty rates several times, and I usually avoid using actual numbers because royalty rates are varied across types of publishers, types of books, and book formats. But people keep asking me, so I’ll try to explain a little more clearly here. Royalty rates are calculated either on the retail (or cover) price…

One of the things I often discuss with my clients is their writing and publishing schedule—making sure their manuscript due dates are spread out enough so they can meet their deadlines. This requires honesty and self-awareness from each writer, because they have to be able to realistically predict how long it will take them to…

Blog reader Sue Harrison said: I’ve found myself in a frustrating situation with a publisher regarding the definition of “out-of-print” [and not being able to obtain] a reversion of rights to two of my novels. These novels have earned back their advances but are no longer available to the public. I’m guessing this situation has…

1. A day without sunshine is like night. 2. On the other hand, you have different fingers. 3. Forty-seven percent of all statistics are made up on the spot. 4. Ninety-nine percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name. 5. Remember, half the people you know are below average. 6. He who laughs last,…

I love answering questions about writing and publishing. For example, blog reader R.D. Allen asked: Once you have an agent, do you have to query them the same way for your next books as you did the first? And my answer is this: It depends on whether your agreement was that the agent would represent…

A couple times recently I’ve asked you questions that encourage you to decide why you’re writing. (See If You Had to Choose, and What is Success?) I’ve been asking you to identify the goal at the heart of your writing journey—are you seeking to reach a wide audience with your words, or is it more…

Denise Grover Swank asked: What should an author do if they are offered a contract from a small publisher but don’t have an agent? → Do your best to understand it. Be ready ahead of time by reading (and maybe even printing out and keeping in a notebook) all the blog posts you can find…