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What’s a Slush Pile Anyway?
If you’ve been around publishing for long, you’ve probably heard of the infamous slush pile. Where did that term come from? It generally means the stacks and stacks of manuscripts that come in over the transom. The stacks that editors and agents do their best to read, skim, glance at, or at the very least,…
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New for 2009…
Hey everyone, I’m now on Twitter. Click here to follow me. My Twitter updates will also be on the sidebar of this blog. Because I KNOW y’all want to know what I had for breakfast and when I’m going to scrub my toilet. AND because I just couldn’t figure out what the heck to do…
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It Came In Over the Transom
The following is another re-run. Enjoy! When publishers or agents receive unsolicited manuscripts, we say it “came in over the transom.” Ever given much thought to what that actually means? There’s a varied folklore surrounding the phrase, but here’s what I’ve pieced together. A “transom” is a crosspiece, usually made of wood. The word has…
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Rejection Is Not For Sissies
I’m on vacation… but due to the wonders of modern technology, the blog is NOT on vacation. This is a re-run. “When am I going to stop feeling so bad about rejecting people?” My husband muted the football game. “What?” “When am I going to get a thicker skin? When is it going to get…
Read More | A Writer's Life
Encouragement and Courage
Happy holidays! Can I just say how amazed I am that SEVEN people sent me queries on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? What’s up with that? Does an agent’s in-box EVER get a rest??? Apparently not. Well, I’m on vacation now so anything that comes in will be unanswered until January. The following is a…
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"We’re Out of Christmas Toys!"
Written and typed by Lauren, age 9* “The toys are all gone,” cried the elves. They all ran around looking for Christmas toys. “We can’t be out of everything! We are out of screws so we can’t build dollhouses for girls and Nerf guns for boys. Santa is going to be sad.” Just then Santa…
Read More | Announcements, Contests, Just for Fun
Contest Finalists… and Holiday Schedule
Good morning and happy Hanukkah! We have contest finalists today… and we’re VOTING. A big thank-you to everyone who scribbled down the first thing that came to mind worked long and hard to compose your beauiful haiku for the 17 Syllables Contest. Here are the five I’ve chosen as finalists. VOTE IN THE SIDEBAR. One…
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The Great and Powerful Oz Has Spoken
So, you know I’m not the Wizard of Oz, right? And I’m not God? Okay, good, just checking. Because sometimes I get these letters from people that seem to imbue me with powers that I just don’t have. Like this one I received in response to a very kind rejection letter I’d sent (this is…
Read More | A Writer's Life
10 Really Good First Novels
Looking for some terrific holiday reading? Need some inspiration to get that first novel finished? Here is a list of 10 great books that were the first novel published by each of these authors. (In some cases, the only novel they published.) This isn’t meant to be discouraging. Every writer has a first book… sometimes…
Read More | About Me
Gingerbread and Parties and Snow, Oh My
First I want to say thank you to everyone for telling us about your holiday wishes on Friday’s post. It was fun reading all of them! Glad I’m not the only one who wants a maid, a new office set-up, or a new computer. In the end, it’s so great to know that God’s taking…
Read More | A Writer's Life, Q4U
A Holiday Q4U
Here we are in the Christmas season, and many of us are struggling to find just the right gifts for those on our lists… for just the right price. But today, let’s dream a little… and let’s take a moment to be utterly selfish. If money were no object, what is the ONE THING you’d…
Read More | A Writer's Life, Agents
More Wise Words from Agents
News about the poor economy continues to rock the headlines, including more announcements from publishers about belt-tightening and cost-cutting. I think it’s important for writers to look at market realities and understand that this isn’t going to be an easy road. (But really, when was it ever easy?) To find success, we may need to…
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10 Ways to Be a Dream Client
1. Reveal that you’re related to Harper Lee and that she has finally decided to publish her second novel and she wants you to recommend a good agent, preferably someone you’ve worked with and whose first name starts with the letter “R.” 2. Make sure spellchek is on when writing. 3. Start a blog dedicated…
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Responding to the Difficult Economy
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.Charles Swindoll The biggest news in our world today is the economy, and many are suffering the effects. Last week we were bombarded with news of difficult realities in the publishing industry. What should our response be? I…
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