Posts

I’m blogging at Books & Such today. Here’s a preview: A blog reader wrote: 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…

There’s a new writer blog in town, The Write Life, and I’ll be posting there occasionally. Today my topic is 13 Ways to Impress a Literary Agent. Click over to read! Here is an overview of The Write Life blog: We understand that integrating writing into your life is about more than sitting down to…

I’m blogging over at Books & Such today. Here’s a preview: One of the primary advantages of having an agent is that you have an advocate who can handle all the negotiations with the publisher and navigate difficult territory, allowing you to maintain a positive working relationship with everyone at your publishing house. This positive…

When an agent or editor requests your partial or full manuscript, it’s nerve wracking to wait and wonder, day after day, if they’re reading it and whether they like it. If they finally decide not to offer representation, it hurts and you just want to know… why? Most agents try to offer some kind of explanation…

Over many years of editing books, it seems I have become a heartless eliminator of exclamation points!!! Seriously, I developed a hatred for them! People tend to WAY overuse them! Not to mention italics and bold, and that oh-so-effective use of ALL CAPS!!!!!!! Here’s a hint to avoid coming across as amateur: Use the above…

I’m blogging over at Books & Such today. Here’s a preview: This week, we’ve been telling you about our experiences at the ICRS convention where we spent the bulk of our time talking with publishers and editors about you — our clients. These meetings put us in the same position you’re in at a writer’s…

Have you ever hated your work-in-progress? I’m blogging about that phenomenon at Books & Such today. Click HERE to read it.

A blog reader wrote, “The topic of posting a rough draft of a novel has become a hot topic with my writing friends. Some of us do it and others don’t. I’ve heard different opinions on this when it comes to publishing. Some folks claim an agent wouldn’t touch the project, while others say having a blog…

I’m blogging over at Books & Such today. My post is titled “Where the Rubber Meets the Road.” Here’s a preview: When I decided to become a literary agent, I received advice from several wise people who knew what I was getting into. They told me it would be a steep learning curve, it would…

I’m blogging over at Books & Such today. Click through if you want to know how to read more books… and How Good Books Can Lead to Spotless Floors.

If you’re anything like me, you want to keep up with blogs that interest you, yet it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the sheer volume of information available on the web. To make sure you’re not missing anything important yet avoid being crushed by the number of blogs, you need an easy way to keep…

If you’ve been writing books for long, you may have come across the challenge of keeping the details straight so that you can be consistent throughout the book. If the hero has blue eyes on page 1, he shouldn’t have green eyes on page 50. If your non-fiction book capitalizes “Servant Leadership” in the first…

I’m blogging at Books & Such today. Here’s a preview of the post: As everyone in publishing deals with a rapidly changing environment, replete with opportunities as well as disappointments, it’s easy to lose sight of the overarching truths that can serve to keep us centered. I think it’s important to go back to basics…

Many of you have been reading my blog for a while, but you might not be aware of how much information is available in my archives. Just as a refresher, I wanted to highlight some posts you might find helpful. Have you seen my DEFINITIVE post on How To Get Published? Do you need to…