Rachelle Gardner

One of the most helpful blog posts I’ve read in awhile was yesterday on Michael Hyatt’s blog: 8 Blog Tips from Tim Ferriss. I’m going to try harder to put some of the tips into practice. But it was tip #6 that really got me thinking and re-examining. “Practice zero tolerance for negative comments.” I’ve…

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the difference between good projects and hot projects; and I followed it up with a post about why your project can sell even if it’s not “hot.” So that begs the question (which many of you asked): Should you try to write what’s hot? Should you be…

Drat, I simply couldn’t come up with a post for today. But I have a cool fireworks picture right? And ten really good excuses reasons for no post. 10. Way too busy Twittering and Facebooking. 9. Negotiating deals for four of my clients this week… it’s taxing, you know! 8. Sunshine beckons. Must. Get. Outside.…

First off (and before we get to today’s post)… HAPPY RELEASE DAY to Deborah Vogts, author of Snow Melts in Spring (Book 1 in the Seasons of the Tallgrass series). This is her first novel… and my first agented novel to be released. We’re both excited! Click the picture to buy the book, and visit…

Before I became an agent, I’d been editing and writing books for years, so I naturally approached agenting from an editorial perspective. Meaning: I look for excellence in the craft of writing, and I also use my editorial skills to help polish a proposal or a manuscript before we send it out to publishers. Because…

Katie asked: I have written three books that I’m hoping to finish revising this summer, all in the same genre. When I’m ready to start submitting, how do I decide which one to submit? And let’s say I submit a book to an agent, they say no. Can I query the same agent with a…

Once again, my blog is all about YOU. We’ve been talking a lot about self-promotion lately. Here’s your chance! Today’s assignment: Tell us about ONE book you’re writing, or have written. If your book is available for purchase, go ahead and include a link. Please stick to a maximum of 100 words per comment in…

Every time I post anything about building a platform, blogging, or creating an online presence, I inevitably get a few grumbles and complaints about why this is necessary. Some people want proof that all these activities can actually sell books. I also get “what-if” and “but-I” and every possible argument from writers who don’t want…

I’m amazed at how many party animals showed up at my little shindig on Friday… and kept coming all weekend! Thanks for coming, and thanks for leaving your contact information. I hope you take advantage of it, visit blogs, follow people on Twitter, and make those connections with other writers! That was a fun party.…

So, it’s Friday and I just feel like hanging out, shootin’ the breeze, and getting to know everyone. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Come on in, grab a beverage (cooler’s over there) and start mingling. How do we do that on a blog? It’s easy. In the comments, leave your blog and/or website URL, Twitter…

Yesterday I was talking to one of my clients, the uber-talented Patricia Raybon, about building an online presence and using blogging and social networking to build a platform (all the things we’ve been discussing on the blog lately). She said she’d been reading all the recommended websites about blogging, and even got the book Blogging…

Any of you who write a blog, or participate in blogs like this one, know that it feels like an ongoing conversation. I’m having this conversation with all of you; you’re talking to one another as well. It’s pretty cool the way we’re all sort of hanging out talking to one another every day. I…

Last week at the Write-To-Publish conference, the one topic that kept coming up in conversations, panels, and workshops was AUTHOR PLATFORM. Yes, the hated p-word! I explained again and again that publishing just ain’t what it used to be. Gone are the days when publishers were solely responsible for the marketing of a book. Today’s…

I’m a great believer in reading. Shocking, huh? I believe that you, as a writer, should read lots of books in the genre or category in which you are writing. If you write literary fiction, you should read literary fiction. If you write suspense, you should read suspense. It’s a great way to learn. I…