Blog Archive
-
Agentfail Right Here
Apr 01, 2009
In the aftermath of #queryfail, there was some discussion of whether or not authors should start #authorfail, their own Twitter ranting of what agents do that make them fail in an author’s eyes. I’ve heard many times of authors who after having met agents, having corresponded with agents, or just having heard about agents decided […]
View More -
Specifics on What
Mar 31, 2009
In a recent blog post about how Timing Counts when sending your material to agents, I said, “At the time of the original query the proposal fit those guidelines. By the time it landed on my desk, however, the holes for that kind of book had been filled.” And based on that comment one reader […]
View More -
Writers Are People Too
Mar 30, 2009
While I did not participate in #queryfail, a few weeks ago I did follow some of the feedback/fallout in the aftermath. Much of which can be read here in Nathan Bransford’s comment section. I am not going to get in the middle of the discussion of whether or not those who participated in #queryfail were […]
View More -
What Can Authors Do to Sell Books
Mar 27, 2009
I suspect that after query letters, the most frequently asked question authors have and the most well-attended workshops at writers conferences are those about publicity. What does an author have to do or what can an author do to help sell books? When asking around you are going to hear a million and one answers […]
View More -
Getting a Job in Publishing
Mar 26, 2009
Spring is in the air and so is college graduation, and with impending graduations I’m getting a lot of questions from students with dreams of working in publishing. Typically what they want to know is how I got into publishing and what they can do if they are interested in publishing. Since I’m on the […]
View More -
I Don’t Get Twitter
Mar 25, 2009
I like to think that I’m technically savvy. I’m usually the one people come to for help with their computer (Apple only) problems, I have the blog, the BookEnds Web site (although someone else manages those for me), and a Facebook account, but when someone asked me recently if I was thinking of opening a […]
View More -
Just Do It
Mar 24, 2009
I was talking recently with a new author, someone who had just completed her first book and was cautiously trying to figure out what to do next. One of the things she said was that she had decided that in order to get published she was going to have to know editors, and since she […]
View More -
Liking Your Clients’ Work
Mar 23, 2009
I think one of the biggest fears/paranoias of authors is what happens next. I was recently asked how I handle a client’s next project if I don’t like it. Do I simply send it out anyway, do I throw the client to the curb and how does that project come about? First things first. I […]
View More -
Paper v. Electronic
Mar 20, 2009
Through the comment section a reader recently asked why so many agents request hard copies of a manuscript via snail mail when most editors prefer email. Now the first thing I need to tell you is that all editors and agents are different and we do different things for different reasons. But there are a […]
View More -
Michele Dunaway: Ten Lessons
Mar 19, 2009
Michele DunawayTwins for the TeacherPublisher: Harlequin American RomancePub date: March 2009Agent: Jessica Faust (Click to Buy) Author Web/Blog links: www.micheledunaway.com & www.micheledunaway.blogspot.com I hit a milestone this month, and it wasn’t a birthday. I saw the publication of my twentieth book, Twins for the Teacher. It seems like yesterday, not October 2000, that my first […]
View More -
What Are Conferences Really About
Mar 18, 2009
It’s conference season. At least for me it is. For the next few weeks I’m going to be very busy literally jetting around the country attending and speaking at various writers conferences, which, along with a reader’s question, has me thinking about the way we think of conferences. Why do we go to conferences? I […]
View More -
Timing Counts
Mar 17, 2009
A while back I posted a series on the query letters that first introduced me to a number of my clients. One of the comments I made on J. B. Stanley’s query was that while the hook grabbed my attention four years ago, if she submitted today I’m not sure it would even be a […]
View More