Blog Archive
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Thanksgiving
Nov 25, 2009
Here in the United States we’re coming up on Thanksgiving weekend, a long weekend for everyone, and for that alone we should all give thanks. However, instead I wanted to give thanks to something that’s near and dear to all of our hearts. Books. Because of books I have been able to explore worlds and […]
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Time Is Money
Nov 24, 2009
I have just signed with a well known commercial agency. The trouble is, the manuscript isn’t finished yet. I met the agent at a writing convention, and pitched them the book. They asked me to send them the first three chapters as soon as possible. They offered me representation straight away and I signed the […]
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What Will You Do to Publish?
Nov 23, 2009
There’s a difference between writing and publishing. It’s something we’ve discussed before and something that will inevitably come up over and over again on this and other blogs. Writing is a craft or a hobby, publishing is a business and for many your career. One of the distinct differences I see between authors, those I […]
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Pseudonyms
Nov 20, 2009
Over the years I’ve received a lot of questions about pseudonyms, mostly related to query letters or at what point in an author’s career a pseudonym should be chosen. One of the things I’m not sure many authors understand is that a pseudonym isn’t always a choice you get to make yourself. Many times when […]
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My Dream Client
Nov 19, 2009
I’m often asked what my dream client would be, I think, primarily, from those hoping that when they do get an agent they can do nothing but make the agent happy. Well, just like all of you have different visions of what your dream agent would be and do for you, I think all agents […]
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The Benefit of Critique Groups
Nov 18, 2009
A while back on the blog one of my readers said something about critique groups that really got me thinking. Her comment was that while she loved her critique group she didn’t always trust their feedback. She had mixed feelings about that since she has learned a lot from them, but wasn’t sure they were […]
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Writing Without Chapters
Nov 17, 2009
I’m writing a light fantasy, and was wondering if having chapters is absolutely necessary. So often do I read that people have to send in “their first three chapters” or some such thing. I never think in chapters, and just write as it comes to me, frequently alternating between different points of view. Do I […]
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Trusting Your Editor
Nov 16, 2009
In an article I posted on Editing and Authors, one reader commented that she was having trouble trusting editors and agents. Her question was, How do you trust an agent or editor when they make an obvious (not subjective opinion) mistake? How do you communicate with them professionally if you feel like you can’t say […]
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A Query Hiatus
Nov 13, 2009
Since the beginning of October I have officially been on a query hiatus. In my ten years as an agent it’s something I’ve never done and was very reluctant to do. Yes, part of the reason for my reluctance is fear that I’ll miss out on something great, but another part is the fear that […]
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An Author’s Diatribe Against Publishing
Nov 12, 2009
***Warning to all reading this: It’s full of sarcasm and nothing but a rant, but I had a really good time writing it. Not too long ago somebody (I’m not sure if it was a man or woman, or even using her real name, so we’ll go with “she”) thought it would be a good […]
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An Author’s Credentials
Nov 11, 2009
When you’re reading query letters for fiction books, does the background – or lack thereof – of the writer ever help or hinder a request for a partial? I realize with my query letter it probably helped considering I have a background in the subject matter I’m addressing, but what other things are you looking […]
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It’s Not for Me
Nov 10, 2009
If you were to put a percentage on the reasons you most often reject queries, what would they be? (ie: the writing, the premise, the wrong genre, etc.). Knowing that feedback from agents regarding rejections is next to impossible, considering their excessive workload, I’m just trying to get a feel for the most common problems. […]
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