Posts

What’s the difference between a person with a story to tell, and a writer? What’s the difference between a person with something important to share, and a writer? This is a tough one. I honestly think that everyone – yes, every single person – has a story to tell. Everyone has something valuable to say.…

Last April, Michael Hyatt ran a series of blog posts about the importance of the Competitive Advantage. I can’t possibly summarize it all, but there are a couple of really important thoughts I want to share with you. It seems the biggest worry of the unpublished author is (understandably), “Will there be room for the…

Today we’re going to talk about platform for fiction writers. As I mentioned a couple of days ago, a platform isn’t necessary in order to sell your novel to a publisher (although it’s a definite plus). Publishers and agents are still looking for great stories. If you’ve written a wonderful novel, everything else is icing.…

I’ve had some people tell me lately that they’re starting to hate that word platform. I’ll let you in on a little secret: I feel the same way. I sometimes wish the whole idea of platform would just go away and we’d be free to simply publish the books we love. Like you, I wish…

I seem to receive more questions about platform than anything else, so I’m doing 3 whole days of posts to try and clear up some mysteries. What is a platform? Your platform refers to the means by which YOU will help sell your book by your presence in the media and/or the public sphere, or…

When you submit your proposal to an agent or publishing house, you may wonder how they make their decisions as to which books to reject and which to accept. Obviously there are numerous considerations that vary from person to person, from publisher to publisher. But there is a simple three-tiered approach we all use to…

Today I’m flying from Dallas to Seattle, where I’ll be this whole week. For the next five days, I’m posting previously written columns you may have missed. Most of the week we’ll be talking about platform. Hope you find this helpful!

Okay, this might seem like a really nitpicky complaint. I’m sorry. But here goes, a mini rant. Trust me, it’s just one more way I’m trying to help you, dear writers, understand how to begin creating a positive, professional image for yourself, from the very first time you come in contact with an agent or…

Who will be in the Top 3 of American Idol? Give us your prediction! My daughters and I had a hard time coming to a consensus, but here is our guess: Adam, Allison, and Danny. However, I absolutely love Alexis. I’m thinking she might be in the top three. But who would she replace? Danny?…

One of the things we often discuss on this blog is the long and often circuitous route to publication. From when you first decide, “I think I’ll write a book!” to the time you have a publishing contract, years can elapse. I had a startling reminder of this a few months ago when I was…

Last week, you may have noticed some interesting happenings over on Twitter. Several agents participated in “queryfail” day. They posted “turnoff” lines from query letters, in hopes of helping to educate writers about what we don’t want to see in a query. At first, I wasn’t going to participate, concerned that people might think we’re…

So, you know I love writing this blog, right? I enjoy the dialogue with writers, and sharing tidbits of information, and hearing about your experience as a writer in this crazy publishing world. But I have to tell you my #1 frustration with this whole thing. It has nothing to do with you. Nope. It’s…

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re dreaming of getting that first book deal. But what are you doing to prepare for the reality of being a contracted author? When you sign with a publisher, you’ll have new demands on your time. The publisher will act like they own you and every minute of your…

Lately I’ve been incorporating interval training into my workouts. When I’m at the gym, I use the interval setting on the treadmill. When I’m outside jogging with Reagan and my iPod, I alternate a faster and slower pace. Since it’s annoying to look at my watch, I use music to time my intervals. I might…