Read.
It seems obvious. If you’re a writer, you have to read!
I know most of you are readers. But I’m regularly surprised at how many writers confess to not reading widely in the genre they’re writing. Or any …
Blog
Work/Life Balance — What Not to Do
Oh, that illusory work/life balance… even more challenging in the age of Covid. An old Susan Branch calendar had a quote I love: “I’m trying to arrange my life so I don’t even have to be present.”
Bingo! That’s what …
Authors’ Magical Thinking
I’m sympathetic regarding what a pain it is to create a proposal. When I was writing books, I felt grumpy when I had to do a proposal. That’s when I dipped into what I call Authors’ Magical Thinking.
That’s when …
What to do with mixed feedback on a manuscript.
Blogger: Rachel Kent
What do you do when one critique partner loves your book and the other just doesn’t get it? Or when two editors at different houses ask you to change different parts of your manuscript and you aren’t …
All the Good Worry Accomplishes
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Image courtesy of Pixabay
Let’s face it. Authors are not immune to worry. It’s natural. Except for the completely confident or the delusional, writers worry that their words won’t matter, that no publisher will want them, that …
Should Authors Stay in Their Lane?
Blogger: Rachelle Gardner
These days authors are expected to have a “platform” and engage with others in the public space, which typically means online in social media, blogs and podcasting. In our current cultural climate — the first half of …
The Lost Art of Hand Selling
At a recent staff meeting, Janet Grant filled us in on a Bookspan/Publisher’s Marketplace webinar she attended a week or so ago. She took great notes on many topics but one point stood out to me. The presenter observed that …
The 10-Novels Rule
In the past week I’ve read more than 650 pages of royalty statements for our clients from a variety of publishing houses. Such an activity gives me a bird’s eye view of how the industry is doing, as I’m looking …
Bribing an Agent Isn’t the Way to Representation
Blogger: Rachel Kent
Awhile back, we received a package filled with goodies for one of the agents at the agency. This gift was from a writer who emailed a query for a project and mailed the box to go along …
Promised Yourself Last Summer
We’re on the cusp of another summer. In parts of our country, that means the grills are being uncovered after a long winter’s hiatus. In other parts, the grills are being pulled back under the pergola for a little …