Rachelle Gardner

11 Completely Non-Writing-Related Ideas 1. Be creative any way you can. Cook new recipes. Paint a picture. Design a garden. Compose a song. Build something with Legos. Organize the garage. 2. Pay attention. Observe the mannerisms of people around you. Listen to how they speak. Marvel at the way they’re dressed. Notice their shoes and…

We’ve talked a lot on this blog about trends in publishing, what’s hot and what’s not, and the fact that agents and publishers are always basing acquisitions for the future on what has sold in the past. Because of this, people are always asking me: So what’s hot? What are the trends? But I’m admitting…

I will not be accepting any queries in the month of July. Any I receive between now and August 1st will be deleted with no response and you will be blacklisted forever. Just kidding. I’ll delete any queries I receive after today, and hope to hear from you in August! Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

A friend wrote me awhile back and complimented me on my blog, saying, “I don’t know if you realize this, but you really are a writer.” Well, I had sorta thought I was a writer. Yet I loved hearing someone else say so. It was a great compliment. It got me thinking about how important…

An anonymous commenter on Friday wrote: “It’s hard to know if agents/editors are rejecting you because of the economy or genre or market or what. All they say now is they doubt they can sell it – well, then I don’t want a lazy agent anyway.” I’m sure most agents reading that would just have…

In the comments to Friday’s post, February Grace said: “I wish that there was a standard query procedure to follow. That’s all. A uniform cover letter plus a sample from the work or synopsis or both.”First, I want to apologize on behalf of all agents, because apparently we’ve made it seem way too hard. It’s…

I appreciated everyone’s responses to my question on Friday about what frustrates you in the publishing industry right now. Everyone has valid concerns, many of which I share, and I’ll address some of them on the blog in coming days. I’m thinking that since it’s summertime (and the livin’ is, supposedly, easy) I want to…

Speaks for itself, doesn’t it? I think it points to an interesting topic: What’s frustrating you about publishing at this very moment? Have fun. And be nice! Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

Here are some quick answers to reader questions that don’t require entire blogposts unto themselves: If you have more than 2 POV characters, are your chances of publication lessened?→ Not unless your book is really bad. If you live near a major publisher, and your book takes place in the same area, does this help…

I have a confession to make: In addition to spending a great deal of money purchasing new books, I also love to hang out at libraries and used bookstores. It’s better on the budget, no doubt about it. But it’s more than that. There’s just something cool about holding a book in my hand and…

We’ve been talking about contradictory messages all week, so for our last day, I wanted to address a topic that is integral to the life of anyone trying to create something artistic – and then sell it. There’s a constant tension between art and commerce, isn’t there? How do you balance the amount of time…

Yesterday we started our week of discussing mixed messages, so today I want to continue by addressing some contradictory advice on signing with an agent. With so many agents and others writing blogs, it’s natural that many of us are saying things in opposition to one another. As a writer, it must be hard for…

I frequently receive questions about all the “mixed messages” writers get in the course of writing and publishing their books. So we’re going to spend this whole week talking about it. One of the kinds of mixed messages we have to deal with is getting contradictory responses to our work. You may hear one thing…

What’s more important? Being happy with your work, or getting it published? Tell me. I’ll be interested in your answers (and no, this is not a test). See you on Monday! P.S. Today’s question was suggested by @LeftyWritey on Twitter.