Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
The other day, my assistant, Michelle, asked me how an editor’s role has changed since my first book released, which was in the mid-1980s. Some of my responses surprised her; so I thought it might be …
Nonfiction
Fresh Approach: How to Delight and Surprise Your Reader
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
One question I’m often asked is whether I see the same ol’ ideas in queries.
Indeed I do.
That begs the question: What can a writer do to be sure the idea he or she is …
Fresh Approach: How to Delight and Surprise Your ReaderRead More
Writing a Breakout Book: Icons
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Recently my book club took a Dashiell Hammett tour of San Francisco. We ate at John’s Grill (which appears in The Maltese Falcon, the book our club read in preparation for the tour). The guide …
Great Books to Read in 2017
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
As is my tradition over the last several years, today I’ll showcase some of the great books I read in 2016. Pull out your To Be Read List so you can make some additions!
I’ll give …
Deciding on Your Manuscript’s Structure
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
A strong structure invites the reader into your book. Your table of contents is a big selling point–not only for readers, but even before you reach that stage, for agents and editors too.
How do you …
Nonfiction Book Structure
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
One aspect of a nonfiction book that makes it salable is its structure. Sometimes I read a proposal or pick up a book, and a glance at the title, subtitle, and table of contents makes me …
A Writing Career Retrospective: Joanna Weaver
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
As we tumble into the fall of 2016 and continue the 20th-anniversary celebration of our agency, please join me in taking an instructive look at the writing career of one of my first clients, Joanna Weaver.…
Anatomy of a Successful Book
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Every writer can benefit from figuring out what makes for a successful book. If you understand what elements can add up to strong sales and reader interest, it can help you to forge a plan for …
Broken Book Structure
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
A book (either fiction or nonfiction) with strong structure sustains a reader’s interest, but broken book structure confuses the reader, bores the reader, or causes the reader to toss the book across the room.
Recently I …
Your Nonfiction Audience
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 …