Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
I’m not a novelist. I never will be. But on a regular basis I get to watch fiction writers spin their magic.
Well, it seems like magic to those of us who don’t have the gift …
Stephen King
The Office
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
One of my treasures is The Writer’s Desk, a book of duotone photographs of writers in their private workspaces taken by renowned author photographer, Jill Krementz. Next to each photograph is a paragraph or two written …
Four Elements That Make a Book a High Concept
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
If you had 1-3 sentences in which to convince someone to buy your book, what would you say?
Your answer reveals your manuscript’s high concept. High concept is a phrase used in the film industry for …
Why Sales Numbers and Platform Aren’t as Important as Publishers Think
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Wendy apologizes that you aren’t reading a blog post from her today. She’s traveling and posting blogs, remembering what day it is, that sort of thing, flitted right out of her brain. She’ll be back next …
Why Sales Numbers and Platform Aren’t as Important as Publishers ThinkRead More
Support Your Indie Bookseller
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
A week or so ago I had the pleasure of sitting for a leisurely hour or two on a sunny veranda overlooking Florida’s intracoastal waterway with Cynthia Callender, marketing and publicity director at Vero Beach Book Center…
Balancing Passion, Hope, and Delays
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Writing is an interesting journey of delays and successes, good and not so good feedback, more work, and then hurry up and wait. All are intrinsic to this career. Combine these factors with the attributes of a …
Helpful Books for the Writing Process
Blogger: Michelle Ule
Janet’s traveling to various publishing houses this week; so I’m filling in for her while she’s in all-day meetings.
Last week I wrote about the genres you should read as a writer (all of them); this week …
Learning to Write from the Masters
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
The other day I read one of my client’s manuscripts and came to the conclusion that the opening paragraphs were convoluted, forced, and confusing. I wrote to him to suggest he delete those first paragraphs; the …
Success: It Goes Beyond the Book
Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Location: Books & Such main office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
We’ve been looking this week at the elements that make a book successful. And we’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about the importance of the author’s …
Writing Within Your Brand
Blogger: Rachel Zurakowski
Location: Camping near Mt. Shasta, Calif.
Weather: Hot! In the 100s.
When an author has established a brand and has an audience, the author needs to work hard to stick with the brand for future projects. That …