One thing at at time.
First things first.
Start now.

Over the years, I’ve had various sayings that have motivated me or helped me stay on task, but this is the one that works right now.

So what’s on your sticky note? What’s the one saying that helps you get through your days?

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What is the most important thing you expect from a literary agent?

(Let us know if you have an agent, or if you’re seeking one.)

Have a good weekend!

The post What Do You Expect? appeared first on Rachelle Gardner.

And that led me to wonder about your blog reading patterns in general. Do you have a regular time when you normally read blogs? Or is it random? Do you ever sit down to read blogs on the weekend? Do you only read at work (i.e. on the weekdays?) Do you read at home, or both?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Tell us about your blog reading patterns.

P.S. Just to answer my own question…my own blog reading is completely random. I read blogs in my Google Reader and I rarely read them at my desk. Most of the time, I read blogs on my phone at odd times like when I’m waiting in line at the post office, or waiting for my daughter to get done with gymnastics practice. So for me, whether people post on weekends or weekdays doesn’t make any difference.

The post When Do You Read Blogs? appeared first on Rachelle Gardner.

If you’re lucky enough to have played this game with kids, you’ve probably had to choose between lovely alternatives like: “Would you rather be hairy all over or completely bald?” or, “Would you rather be the most beautiful person ever but really dumb, or the smartest person ever but really ugly?”

My favorite question lately was, “Would you rather play World of Warcraft… or kill yourself?” (That was a tough one.)

But today’s question for you is not so hard. Here it is:

Would you rather give up writing for the rest of your life but have all the time you wanted for reading… or give up reading for the rest of your life but have all the time you want for writing? 

In other words… give up reading or give up writing?

Mwa ha ha ha ha……

Have a good weekend pondering that one!

If you haven’t yet, drop by my Facebook page and click “Like.”
www.facebook.com/agent.rachelle


© 2011 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

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I think the answer is that you have to learn any which way you can. You piece it together. You take the lessons where you can find them. This could mean:

→ You read books on writing, and books in the genre in which you write.

→ You’re a member of writers’ organizations and online forums.

→ You take workshops offered whenever and wherever you can find them.

→ You take creative writing classes, such as at a local community college (although I’ve heard these can be a waste of time).

→ You have a critique group (this may or may not help, depending on the qualifications of your critique partners, as well as your own personality).

→ You submit your project to agents and editors, hoping for scraps of feedback.

→ You pitch your project at conferences, again hoping for feedback.

→ You enter your manuscripts in contests, hopefully getting feedback as part of the contest results.

→ You take advantage of the “paid critiques” offered at most writers conferences.

→ You hire a professional editor to evaluate or edit your project.

→ You find someone to mentor you and walk alongside you for a time.

→ You simply write and read and write and read and trust your instincts.

Let’s try and help each other out with some advice.

How have you learned to write? Who gave you the most valuable feedback? What would you recommend to other writers?

If you haven’t yet, drop by my Facebook page and click “Like.”
www.facebook.com/agent.rachelle

© 2011 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

The post How Do You Learn to Write? appeared first on Rachelle Gardner.

Then in the comments, tell us either:

–Something interesting about your current work in progress (WIP); or

–Something interesting about yourself.

I look forward to getting to know you! Thanks and have a great weekend…

© 2011 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

The post Tell Us About Yourself! appeared first on Rachelle Gardner.

No matter what I blog about lately—no matter where we go in the blogosphere as a matter of fact—somebody always turns it into a conversation about two things:

(1) Publishing is dead or at least in its final death throes; and

(2) Everyone should pursue self-publishing and if you don’t, you’re an idiot with your head in the sand.

Let me just say this:

I completely disagree with both of those statements.

Yes, publishing is undergoing a tectonic shift, nobody is denying that. But the shift cannot be accurately described as “dying.”

And yes, self-publishing (or indie publishing or whatever designation you want to give it) is increasingly an attractive option for many people, which is a development I completely support. I am, after all, a person in business for myself and I can appreciate that entrepreneurial spirit! I’m totally on board with it.

But.

Many of us are still in traditional publishing, and doing great. Even more important, many authors would still prefer traditional publishing over the self-publishing route.

If that describes you, it’s time to speak up.

Q4U: Why are you pursuing traditional publishing?

Let’s be honest here. Don’t think about anyone else’s reasons. Don’t argue for traditional publishing as a concept and don’t try to convince anyone else of your way of thinking. This isn’t about an agenda. It’s about you.

Just tell us, straight from your heart, why you hope to be traditionally published.

Why?

And have a great weekend!

© 2011 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

The post Tell Me the Truth Now appeared first on Rachelle Gardner.

My question for you today is this:

What are your favorite things to see covered on my blog?

→ Future of publishing
→ Changing information about e-books/digital publishing
→ General information about publishing as it currently works
→ Information about how agents work
→ Encouragement for the writer’s life
→ Stories of other writers’ journeys

I’m not going to do a poll because I’d love to hear your thoughtful responses.

Thanks and have a great weekend!

© 2011 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

The post What Do You Need From This Blog? appeared first on Rachelle Gardner.

I got to thinking about all the ways I try to get out of my comfort zone, do hard things, conquer challenges that scare me. I purposely push myself to my limits and beyond sometimes, because it reminds me that I can always do more than I think I can.

I learned to scuba dive because I was afraid of the ocean—as a California girl growing up body surfing, I was tossed by the waves and sucked into the undertow one too many times. Becoming a scuba diver didn’t take away my fear but it always reminds me of how attentive we need to be to details—they can mean the difference between life and death.

When I was around 30 I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane at 12,000 feet, just because I knew it would scare me. For months afterwards, I kept telling myself whenever things were hard, “I jumped out of an airplane. I can do this.”

Sometimes I ski on black diamonds even though I’m not really good enough; I’ve taken rock climbing lessons although I’m terrified of ever climbing a real mountain; I’ve been whitewater rafting four separate times on Class III and IV rapids, which scares the daylights out of me every time. I like to do challenging hikes and runs, although I haven’t run a marathon and I doubt I ever will.

In all of this, I’m always seeking that moment when I come to the end of myself, when I no longer have the strength or the courage to go on. That’s the moment I have to reach down inside and find reserves I didn’t know I had. It’s also the moment I have to open myself up to the strength from outside of me, the courage from beyond, the reserves that only God can provide when there’s nothing left of me.

And in pushing myself to my limits in physical endeavors, I think I’m trying to prepare myself for the real-life moments where I’m going to come to the end of myself. The times when parenting is hard or work is hard; the times when tragedy hits, when grief overwhelms, when despair crushes the spirit. In those moments I want to already know what it means to come to the end of myself and then find out… there’s More.

I can do this.

What happens when you come to the end of yourself?

In what ways do you purposely push yourself beyond your limits?

Let’s talk… have a good weekend and I’ll see you Monday.

© 2011 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

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I agree the electronic age has made it easy for some to think they can write and get published without putting in the work and the time. Alas, I can’t fix the system or stop the march of time and technology. Nor would I want to.

A few agents have stopped taking email submissions and take snail mail only, but I’d never do that. The bane of my publishing life for 15 years was the physical space taken up by manuscripts stacked everywhere… desk, floor, home, car. And the difficulty of carting around gigantic stacks of paper to read in carpool line, dentist office, in bed at night.

All of that has been eliminated and it makes me so happy. My office is so much cleaner and easier to work in. I read manuscripts on my Kindle which fits in my purse so I always have them with me, no carting around messy bundles of paper in binder clips and rubber bands.

Not to mention that I don’t have to keep laborious logs of manuscripts and proposals, or worry about losing them – they’re always saved on my computer. Life is SO much easier electronically. So while it has caused problems, it has made life much better overall.

© 2011 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

The post Should Agents Stop Taking Email Submissions? appeared first on Rachelle Gardner.

How do I get published?

I have several templates I use to answer people’s questions, but I’m getting bored of my same old answers. So help me out here. What’s your single best piece of advice for the person at the beginning of the journey to pursue publishing?

Have a terrific weekend!

© 2010 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

The post Advice for Writers Getting Started appeared first on Rachelle Gardner.

The numbers Amazon is reporting are from Bookscan, which is an admittedly incomplete picture of your sales since Bookscan doesn’t report on the entire market. From Amazon: “BookScan combines sales reported by participating retailers, including Borders and Walden, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Target, and Buy.com. Some retailers do not participate, including Wal-mart and Sam’s Club. These data do not include Kindle or other eBook sales, used books sales, wholesale purchases, or sales to libraries.” Many Christian retailers are also not reported on Bookscan.

Nevertheless, this is revolutionary because it’s the first time authors have had access to their own sales numbers without going through the publisher or having a subscription to Bookscan, which authors can do for a reasonable price through some writers’ organizations. But now the numbers are just a click away, and they’re free.

I think access to information is a good thing. Understanding reality and hard numbers can help authors make better decisions about their promotional efforts, and how to spend their time. It can also help you keep a realistic picture in your mind of how your books are selling, and perhaps decrease unreasonable expectations.

However. Call me crazy but it seems to me most writers have enough to obsess over already—and enough things distracting them from the work of actually sitting down to write. How many writers will use this information wisely, and how many will find it to be just one more reason to stress out?

Q4U: Do you think having access to Bookscan sales numbers will help you, hurt you, or perhaps a little of both? How do you think you’ll use this new feature?

Here are a few articles in case you haven’t seen them yet:
TechCrunch
LA Times – the report
LA Times – authors respond
GalleyCat
CBS Business Network.

Have a good weekend!

Image from LA Times.

© 2010 Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent

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Once you have an agent, do you have to query them the same way for your next books as you did the first?

And my answer is this: It depends on whether your agreement was that the agent would represent a specific project, or if she would represent you. Most agents, I think, would handle things less formally once they already have a working relationship with you. Hopefully, you’d just be able to shoot them an email asking if they’re ready to talk about your next project. I have several clients who are working on second and third books, and we usually have quite a bit of back and forth and brainstorming on them.

Now it’s your turn: What questions would you like to see me answer on the blog in the next few weeks?

(I may answer some questions in the comments; others I’ll save for future blogs.)

Have a good weekend!

The post Ask Me Your Questions! appeared first on Rachelle Gardner.