Blog Archive

Reading with Your Own Vision

Oct 17, 2016

I’m not sure this happens to standard readers (those who never read novels for a living), but it is something that happens to me all the time, and something I suspect probably also happens to other agents and editors. It’s not uncommon for me to sit down with a submission and, after reading the query, […]

Pour Yourself Some Wine and Get the Work Done

Oct 14, 2016

Like many of you I spend most of the day at my desk. Unless I’m scheduled for a midday editor lunch/meeting, I’m usually chained to my computer–writing blog posts, editing manuscripts, answering emails, brainstorming titles or just catching up on publishing news. I have to admit though, historically some of my best work has not […]

ONE FETE IN THE GRAVE by Vickie Fee

Oct 13, 2016

The new cover for Vickie Fee’s third book in the Liv & Di Mystery series!

Have You Done Anything to #BeatRejection?

Oct 13, 2016

Just over a year ago I did the #BeatRejection Challenge. It must be something about this time of year and the change in the air, but recently I was thinking that I needed to take a look at the challenge again. I’m not doing 30 days. It was a little too stressful. Not the challenge […]

Paws and Effect is a #NYT #Bestseller!!

Oct 12, 2016

Huge congrats to Sofie Kelly on another NYT bestseller in the Magical Cats Mystery series!  So proud!!

Submissions 101

Oct 12, 2016

Lately I seem to be getting a lot of how-to questions when it comes to submissions. Let’s break this down and make it easy on everyone (everyone who bothers to search and read the blog that is). 1. Query only one book at a time. It’s okay to mention that you have other books written, […]

Happy #PubDay to Barbara Early for Death of a Toy Soldier!!

Oct 11, 2016

Congrats to Barbara Early on the launch of her new series, the Vintage Toyshop Mysteries, with Death of a Toy Soldier! “This first-in-series from Barbara Early is an engaging romp sprinkled with humor, warmth, and romance. An absolutely delightful cozy mystery!” –Julie Hyzy, New York Times bestselling author of the Manor House mysteries and the […]

Editors Everywhere Beg You to Need Revisions

Oct 11, 2016

As I’ve discussed earlier, managing the emotional side to revisions can be a tough job. How do you face all of those red marks (purple in my case) without feeling like you’ve failed your editor and potentially your readers? I had this exact discussion with a client the other day and I told her to […]

Good Morning

Oct 10, 2016

Selling Your Book and Other Tips on Query Writing

Oct 07, 2016

Queries and the blurbs required to write them are the obsession of unagented writers. The blurbs also become a struggle for published authors, because whether we want to admit it or not, blurb writing is something you’ll always have to do so if you haven’t honed the art, hone it now. A recent query gave […]

The Juggling Act of Being an Agent Blogger

Oct 06, 2016

As you’ve likely noticed, most of my blog posts are based on my own experiences as an agent. To successfully keep up this blog I’ve had to rely on my clients and other authors to supply me with material. Without them I wouldn’t have any experience as an agent. Well, except for the post I […]

The Future of Series in Publishing

Oct 05, 2016

I love when readers inspire blog posts. Truthfully, I need as much inspiration as I can get. This one came out of a comment on the post I wrote about Series and Trilogies back in September. Oh, oh, oh, great post! It got me started on a subject I’ve been frowning on for a while […]