Search Results: query
| Publishing
Email Protocol
Since we all deal with so many pieces of email everyday, I think it’s important to be able to use it efficiently and effectively. Many people don’t use email in a professional capacity very often because their job doesn’t call for it; if this is you, it might be helpful to go over the basics…
Read More | Publishing
The Book’s the Thing
I’ve been thinking about all the information for writers available now on the internet. It’s great for writers because although getting published has never been more challenging, there has never been so much information available about how to do it. But there are so many people giving advice that it must get overwhelming sometimes. Getting…
Read More | A Writer's Life
Always Working, Even at the Gym
If you follow me on Twitter you probably know I have this annoying little habit of going to the gym all the time. Either that, or getting outside for a run or a hike. Yeah, I admit it, I love my exercise. But NOT for the reasons you might think. I mean, physical health is…
Read More | Publishing
Let’s Git ‘Er Done
Last Saturday night, Brian and I went to the Christmas party and awards ceremony of the Wescott Fire Department, where Brian is a lieutenant and volunteer firefighter. (Brian’s paid job is firefighter for the Colorado Springs Fire Department.) The ceremony was presided over by Fire Chief Jeff Edwards, a highly respected leader who serves not…
Read More | About Me
The Power of Words
I’m glad we had a good conversation on the blog yesterday. Yes, a few people got snarky. But I only had to delete a couple of comments. I thought we had some necessary dialogue, and it was enlightening. Do I agree with all the commenters? No. Do I like everything I read? No. But I…
Read More | Publishing
(Possibly) Bad Advice I’ve Heard Lately
Like most of you, I do a fair amount of reading on the web. I keep up with what’s going on in publishing and I like to read what industry professionals are saying. However, sometimes I cringe when I read advice that doesn’t square with what I’ve experienced. It might not be wrong, per se,…
Read More | Agents
The Process of Getting an Agent
Several people have asked me lately how the process of getting an agent works. Not from the writer perspective, but from my perspective. It varies from agent to agent, but here’s an approximation of how it looks if you submit to me. You send a query. It sits in my inbox until I get to…
Read More | Writing
Back to Basics
One of the questions writers ask me is “How do you know in the first couple of pages whether you’re interested in a writer?” Sometimes I stumble when trying to answer because there’s no pat answer. It’s a combination of strong writing, a topic or setting that interests me, a character (or two) that I…
Read More | Agents, Publishing
Protocol – When an Agent Offers to Rep You
A couple of quick notes:(1) I’m all caught up on responding to queries, so if you sent one prior to October 10th and haven’t heard from me, you may resubmit if you like. I am NOT caught up on reading requested partials and fulls.(2) Shark Tank is on tonight! Set your DVR or write yourself…
Read More | Agents
Random! Questions! Answered!
Over the weekend I asked my Twitter followers to send me questions. Here are some of them, with my brief answers. Kennectto asked:Do publishers sometimes accept queries and/or manuscript ideas from writers without agents? Some publishers accept unagented queries and proposals, but most of the majors don’t unless an editor met the writer at a…
Read More | About Me
Go Ahead – Prove Me Wrong!
On Friday, in his This Week in Publishing post, Nathan Bransford gave a nod to my post last week on proactive vs. reactive protagonists. (Thanks, Nathan.) One of the commenters on Nathan’s blog said: Whenever I read something like: “you have to have a proactive protagonist,” I immediately want to go out and write a…
Read More | Submitting, Writing
Tell Me the STORY
One thing I’ve noticed lately in fiction pitches – verbal pitches or queries – is that some writers want to tell all about the theme or the emotional journey of the story, but they have a hard time conveying the actual story. Every novel has a theme. There’s a character arc, in which a character…
Read More | Publishing
What’s In, What’s Out
Many of my blog readers have expressed frustration about current trends in publishing. Memoir is out unless you’re famous.Chick lit is dead.Literary fiction doesn’t sell.Nobody wants books over 100k words. Yep, these are all trends. And if you send me a query for a book in any of these categories, I’ll probably send a pass…
Read More | Contests, Just for Fun
A Blog Challenge for You
I sort of stole this idea from Nathan Bransford but he’s a pretty cool guy so I don’t think he’ll mind. (Think of it as flattery, Nathan.) You’ve no doubt noticed that I often use guest bloggers, usually on Thursdays. I typically get the guest posts from amongst my clients and other friends in the…
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