Myths

Publishing Myths

Busting Publishing Myths

One of the  best things about the Internet is that it’s so easy to find information. One of the worst things about the Internet . . . is that it’s so easy to find information. Much of the information is misinformation. So let’s bust some myths. Myth: Getting published is a catch-22. You need to be published…
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Myth Busting – Our 3rd and Final Day

Money! Marketing! and More! Myth: It’s all about the bottom line. Truth: Yes, in the end, the publisher exists to make money. And the people who have the most say in whether your book gets published are the directors of sales and marketing. Everyone is looking for the books they can sell. And yet…those on…
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Myth Busting – Day 2

Myths About Agents Myth: Agents don’t read submissions. Truth: Most agents who are accepting queries actually read and consider them. If they don’t want to read queries and they don’t need new clients, they’ll usually close to queries (like I have). Myth: Agents have reading software that scans query letters. If the query contains a…
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Myth Busting – Part 1

One of the great things about the Internet is that it has made it so easy to find information. But the downside is that it’s just as easy to find misinformation. With authors, agents, and publishing people out there on blogs, loops, and forums, constantly talking with one another and often contradicting each other, it’s sometimes…
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Myths We Believe

Next Friday I’m teaching “Breaking Through Publishing Myths” at the Northern Colorado Writers Conference. What myths about publishing did you believe until somebody set you straight? What are some things you’ve heard about publishing that you think might be a myth? I want to address real concerns of writers out there today. And as a…
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Heard it Through the Grapevine

(Repost)I’ve been extra busy lately, what with all the holiday activities, and I haven’t been preparing my blogs in advance like I normally do. So yesterday I was sitting at my desk pondering the 177 emails in my box, and the manuscripts that needed reading, and the proposals I’m preparing for submissions, and amidst all…
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Mythbusting

(Encore presentation.) There are always myths floating around in publishing, so today I’m going to try and explain just a few of them. Myth: Publishers & agents know exactly what they’re looking for.Back in 1964, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart was wrestling with what defines obscenity and pornography, and in his famous quote, he said…
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Myths vs. Facts of Publishing

The comments on Friday’s post confirmed that myths about publishing are alive and well, as they always have been. Of course, every myth has its basis in some kind of fact, and it’s not always easy to tease apart the truth from the lie. I’ll address a few common myths here, but just realize, for…
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Q4U: Gossip, Rumors, and Myths

Almost everyday a writer tells me they “heard” something about the publishing industry – something they don’t like, something that scares or discourages them, something they’re not sure is true. In an age where so much is being shared on the Internet, you have access to a lot of great information but also a lot…
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