A couple months ago, my daughter decided to wear some jeans instead of her usual leggings and she spent a little time picking out her outfit for the day. She felt a little unsure of what she was wearing, but …
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The Unintended Consequences of the Phrase “Book Baby”
In honor of Mother’s Day weekend, let’s discuss a popular, but loaded term in the writing world that means something good, but can have some unintended, negative consequences.
What’s the phrase? Book Baby
Perhaps you’ve heard the following examples:
I …
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Comes and Goes
Comes and goes? How does that subject line relate to writers and the publishing industry?
Sometimes a word picture or metaphor will communicate a hard-to-understand truth, which is why this blog post relies on two.
Much of the issue that …
Moneyball for Authors
Like many of you, I’ve been operating in this space as an author for many years, and now I have the privilege of being an agent. What I’ve seen is that it’s very difficult to make a sustained income as …
What Now?
Remember those days when we worked so hard to get published? Did you ever think that publication would only be the beginning of a new set of worries? As aspiring writers we were fixated on the prize– representation and an …
What Happens after a Book Launches?
This week I received an email from one of my clients, Chase Replogle, whose first book, The 5 Masculine Instincts: A Guide to Becoming a Better Man, released on March 1. I’ve asked his permission to share our email thread …
The Power of Story
I am a speaker who became a writer. I learned early on that the way to make a message sing and flow was through the careful placement and execution of good stories.
Weekly I stepped on the stage of a …
Is a book title important in your query letter?
During some conference appointments, I’ve heard authors say they didn’t work very hard on their title because they’ve heard that the publishing house will change it anyway. While the title is frequently changed by the publisher, there’s good reason to …
Eight Questions to Get to Know Your Audience Better
Who is your book for?
While this isn’t intended to be a trick question, the quizzical looks that I often receive from writers during pitch sessions suggest otherwise.
After a few moments of chin-tapping or staring into space, here are …
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Slice and Dice
When your work in progress is too long, as in WAY too long, how does a writer slice and dice words that are just shy of precious?
A client who gave me permission to share this but will remain anonymous …