Publishing

As I said yesterday, it was fun and enlightening to read your answers to Friday’s questions. One thing surprised me: the number of people who are still thumbs-down on Kindle. Now admittedly, it’s not for everyone. But it is a legitimate and valuable tool for people who read a lot. To all of you who…

As we all settle into this new year, many of us are thinking about our resolutions, our goals, our dreams. What will we do this year that brings us closer to what we desire? This year, many of us will move ahead with concrete milestones that show we’re reaching our goals. Many of us will…

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,…

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…

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…

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…