Q4U

Q4U: What Gives You Hope?

It’s no secret that things are changing so fast in the publishing industry – along with the entire culture – that it’s difficult to know where we’ll be in a year, let alone five or ten years from now. Some people are pessimistic about the future of publishing, but I don’t listen much to the…
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What Should Your Agent Know About You?

Right now I’m putting together some tools that will help me be more effective at long-range planning with my clients. I want to make sure my vision for the client’s writing career matches their own vision, and that together, we intentionally work towards the client’s long-term goals and dreams (as opposed to a book-by-book “let’s…
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Enhanced E-Books

The subject of ebooks is old news by now, practically passé. These days the talk is all about enhanced ebooks – a sort of multimedia reading experience that could be part game, part movie, part interactive learning experience, and no doubt, part advertising. Imagine reading a novel and being able to click on links throughout…
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What is Success?

In the past on this blog, we’ve discussed why we write in terms of our internal motivations. But what about our external goals? What would it look like to “arrive” as a writer? What are you striving toward? What is the definition of success? Tell us why you’re doing this… not just because you’re a…
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The Perfect Day

I’ve been looking forward to this long weekend – I’ll be busy Saturday and Sunday, but on Monday (Labor Day) I’m taking the day off. Because it’s my birthday. When I’m looking forward to a day off, I sometimes find myself overly stressed about how to make it a “perfect day.” Sounds dumb – does…
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What Does an Agent Offer?

I’m gathering information about what works for writers in the agent/client relationship. So here’s a question for all you agented authors out there: What do you appreciate most about your agent? I’m interested in hearing all kinds of opinions. Some areas you may consider addressing: -The working relationship-Your agent’s style (i.e. more businesslike; more relational,…
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Wishing I Didn’t Love Krispy Kremes

If you’ve been reading this blog long, you might know that I love reading memoirs. I almost always have one (or more) on my nightstand. I recently finished Lit by Mary Karr, Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor, and She Got Up Off the Couch by Haven Kimmel. Love ’em. Can’t get enough. So imagine…
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Q4U: Avoiding Writing

A few days ago, a commenter on this blog wrote, The Xbox 360 is the greatest writing-avoidance device ever created. How many book ideas have died at the feet of “just one more game” of Guitar Hero, Mass Effect, or Bioshock? Well I wouldn’t know an Xbox if it dropped on my head, but it…
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Q4U: Too Much Information?

I’m wondering if the plethora of publishing blogs and the wealth of advice available for aspiring writers is making it more difficult for you, rather than easier. It seems the more information and advice we give via our blogs, workshops, webinars and books, the more writers clamor for even more detailed advice. It also seems…
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A Monkey Could Have Written That

One of the frequent complaints I hear from writers is that there are so many bad books out there. If you want my opinion on that, read my post “All Those Awful Books.” Today let’s put a positive spin on those books you don’t think are well-written. Instead of whining about it, why not try…
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You Da Bomb

A friend wrote me awhile back and complimented me on my blog, saying, “I don’t know if you realize this, but you really are a writer.” Well, I had sorta thought I was a writer. Yet I loved hearing someone else say so. It was a great compliment. It got me thinking about how important…
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Art vs. Commerce

We’ve been talking about contradictory messages all week, so for our last day, I wanted to address a topic that is integral to the life of anyone trying to create something artistic – and then sell it. There’s a constant tension between art and commerce, isn’t there? How do you balance the amount of time…
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Think About this One

What’s more important? Being happy with your work, or getting it published? Tell me. I’ll be interested in your answers (and no, this is not a test). See you on Monday! P.S. Today’s question was suggested by @LeftyWritey on Twitter.
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What’s a Nice Writer Like You Doing in a Place Like This?

Ninety-seven comments, woohoo! Every once in awhile I get exhausted and over-scheduled and I wonder if I should stop writing the blog. Or at least post less frequently. Usually that thought lasts about five seconds because I can’t quit. I can’t help it -I love blogging, I love connecting with you, I love the conversation,…
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