Blogger: Rachel Kent
Writing a nonfiction book that has been on your heart is great, but figuring out if that book has an audience and who those readers are is essential before you decide to pitch your project to publishing …
Book Proposals
Manuscript Checklist
Almost all of the writers conferences are over for the year. Now begins the busy time of refining, rewriting, editing, and polishing to make your manuscript ready for agents’ and editors’ scrutiny. I’m going to point out a few things …
Don’t Say This In Your Query
Blogger: Rachelle Gardner
“Ever since I was a kid, red velvet cake has been my favorite.”
I know you’d never put that in your query (unless your book is about red velvet cake). But agents typically want you to include …
Why Are All These Things Necessary in My Book Proposal?
Blogger: Mary Keeley
When teaching a workshop on book proposals, I often see deer-in-the headlights expressions staring back at me as I list the necessary information writers need to provide. Granted, it’s an involved list of components. But as I …
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Starting a New Manuscript: Encouragement and Tips
Blogger: Rachel Kent
It’s that time of year again! The children are going back to school and summer is just about over. I know many of you are going to be starting in on new writing projects since you’ll have …
Don’t Forget the Reader Benefits
Blogger: Mary Keeley
If you visit our blog regularly, you probably noticed that Rachelle and I switched blog days. Beginning this week, you can enjoy Rachelle’s blog on Wednesdays, and I’ll be blogging on Thursdays because this pattern works better …
The Best of Times. The Worst of Times.
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
Back in the days when I was writing and submitting my work, hoping to catch the interest of an agent or editor, I would spend hours trying to strategize the perfect time for my query or proposal …
A Case Against Shortcuts for Writers
Blogger: Mary Keeley
I’ve found that if I have a good view of the big picture for something, it is easier to understand how, and more importantly why, the individual pieces fit into place the way they do. For …
What to Do When You Get THE CALL
Blogger: Mary Keeley
No, it isn’t Friday yet. Beginning this week, Rachel Kent and I are switching blog days because we think it’s going to work better for our schedules. That means from now on Rachel will be blogging on …
Publishing: Them vs. Us
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
One of the most frustrating attitudes that has grown out of the new publishing paradigm is a them vs. us mentality. If you’ve spent any time at all reading writing blogs it won’t be long until …