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Agents
|Ask the Agent: Banking on Potential
I was so tempted to blog about the Olympics today… I can’t help it, I’m watching it as I write this! I loved all your comments on Friday, bringing out all the ways the Olympic journey can be compared to writing and publishing… or anything we work hard at and strive for. BUT… I’m not…
Read More A Writer's Life, Q4U
|Let the Games Begin!
Happy Friday everyone! I am SO excited that the Olympics start today. I’m going to be glued to my TV for the next two weeks. You KNOW I love a good competition. I’ll be focused on gymnastics, diving, swimming, and track. What are YOUR favorite Olympic sports? I was trying to come up with a…
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|Projects Under Consideration
When I reported my stats last Friday, you may have noticed I have 50 “Projects Under Consideration” and you may have wondered exactly what that meant. Well, I’ll tell you. But keep in mind, all agents do things their own way, and I don’t know if anyone else does this, so this is just ME.Basically…
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|Endless Tinkering
Here is a typical email I receive from writers who’ve submitted a partial for consideration, or clients whose proposals are about to be sent to publishers:Dear Rachelle,I’m SO sorry to bother you and I hope it’s not too late. I was looking over my manuscript and I found a typo on page 3. I left…
Read More Writing
|More For Unpubbed Novelists
It seems the biggest concern many of you have about this business is the difficulty of making the leap from being an unpublished novelist to being published. This comes out in all kinds of worries, like this one from Courtney:They say it’s very rare for a [new writer] to land an agent, let alone sell…
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|Writing Doesn’t Matter?
I’m going to address some of the comments that came in last Friday on what was surprising to you about the publishing industry.So I want to start with this one simple truth: If you are an unpublished fiction writer, trying to get published, then the writing matters more than anything.The first comment on Friday’s post…
Read More A Writer's Life, About Me, Q4U
|Q4U: Stuff We Can’t Live Without
I thought it would fun for everyone to share the things that make our lives easier. Internet resources, technological gadgets… what are some things that make your work life or personal life easier, more organized, or more secure?Here are a few of my favorite things:Jott: When I’m out and about, I call Jott from my…
Read More Submitting
|Making it Easy to Say No
Awhile back, someone asked me, “What are the Top Do-This-and-You-are-Dead mistakes people make in pitches, queries, and book proposals?” My answers:a Bore me.a Pitch something I don’t represent.a Pitch something that sounds derivative, been-there done-that, nothing unique.a Show me that your writing isn’t yet up to publishable level.a Approach it with the attitude: What the…
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|Ask the Agent: Finding Time to Blog
“If you’re so busy as an agent, I’m wondering how you have time to write a blog too. Is it really not as busy as all the agents claim?” No, agenting really is an all-consuming job. But here’s my secret: I have a nanny for my kids, a housekeeper to keep things clean, I serve…
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|Getting an Agent… Later in the Game
I’ve just sold my second novel (unagented) to a major publisher, and have signed the contract. Would it be prudent to look for an agent? Do you think the publisher would mind one coming on board at this late stage? Do I need one? Good question. Since there are so many reasons people desire to…
Read More About Me, Agents
|Off to Florida
I’m heading out to the International Christian Retail Show in the hot and humid city of Orlando, Florida. Thank heavens I’ll be inside with air conditioning most of the time. (My hair hates humidity.) Tomorrow I leave the house at 5am. When I arrive, I’ll head straight from the airport to the Chi Libris retreat…
Read More Writing
|Craft vs. Story (in fiction)
Yesterday we had some discussion in the blog comments about craft, or writing technique, vs. having a great story. Obviously, the formula for a good book includes both. Craft refers to all the mechanics of fiction: plot, characterization, dialogue, pacing, flow, scene-crafting, dramatic structure, point-of-view, etc. Story refers to the page-turning factor: how compelling is…
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|Q4U: Fiction and Ministry
Wow. What a nice, long weekend. BUSY but great! Hope you all had exactly the kind of Fourth you most enjoy. Me, I had a crazy day with the family, starting with the pancake breakfast down at the church, then the big holiday parade, then the street fair. Back in the afternoon for a brief…
Read More About Me
|Independence Day: A Non-Writing Related Post
Today our country celebrates its independence. I was thinking about how independence for a country is a wonderful thing. But as individuals? Not so much. The Christian life is all about my dependence on God. Marriage is about interdependence with my husband. Parenting is about my children’s dependence on me, and allowing them to be…
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