Publishing

As you know, Friday was QueryDay on Twitter. I think it went exceptionally well. Lots of great questions from authors, lots of agents and editors chiming in with answers. An incredible wealth of information was passed around! Several people asked me to compile my tweets from the day. So here they are. Just a whole…

Okay, now that we’ve all had sufficient time to totally deconstruct QueryFail and AgentFail (and hopefully recover), I wanted to let you know that today is QueryDay on Twitter… and yes, I’m participating. Why, oh why, would I do such a thing? Well, here’s why. In the interest of grace, and second chances, and the…

Today I’m going to give my thoughts on several questions I’ve been asked the last couple of weeks. Kathleen Elizabeth asked: Should you be basically finished writing your novel before you begin the search for an agent? → If you’re previously unpublished: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. The novel should be finished, edited, polished and…

People are always asking me, What are the signs of a good agent? What should I expect? Always one to provide answers, here is my list of the 10 main things you should expect from your literary agent. 1. Expect your agent to have a cell phone from all four major carriers so no matter…

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…

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…

Take five minutes to watch this… I think you’ll be fascinated.

Being Proactive about Your Cover and TitleOftentimes I hear that an author is frustrated because they don’t like the title or cover the publisher chose for their book. While you probably won’t ever have the final say over your title or cover (unless you’ve already sold millions), here are some ideas that may make the…

by Greg JohnsonPresident, WordServe Literary People ask me all the time if today’s tough publishing climate is a good time for newcomers to get noticed and get published. Let’s start with some obvious negatives: → Publishers are cutting their lists and delaying books until the economy turns (and they may stay lean thereafter… this may…

Yesterday I was chatting with my friend, literary agent Sandra Bishop, and we found ourselves pondering whether it was our imaginations, or have the number of incoming queries really skyrocketed over the last couple of months? We’re both receiving incredible numbers, and as my post yesterday illustrated, most of them are simply not ready for…

Thanks For Participating! I’m pretty stunned by the plethora of responses to Friday’s post. Who says we’re not supposed to talk about politics or religion? Apparently everyone likes to talk about it. I appreciate the numerous well-expressed thoughts you shared. Thanks for the conversation! I’d like to thank Michael N. Marcus, who so kindly gave…

The publishing sky isn’t falling! At least not as far as I can tell. Last week there was some good news from the publishing world: Amazon’s revenue beat forecasts and jumped 18% in the third quarter of 2008 compared to the year before. (Read the article.) Fiction reading apparently had a significant increase from 2002…