Blog Archive
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Reader Expectations
Feb 26, 2009
When talking about sex in your books one reader commented (and I will paraphrase) that one of the difficulties writers face is that the sexiness factor of your first book often determines what level of sexuality readers expect from you in subsequent titles. She’s right. The difficulty you all face when getting published is living […]
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Error-Free Manuscripts
Feb 25, 2009
I got a question recently from an author who was distraught about a recent submission he had made. Two different agents had requested his manuscript, and like any good author he carefully went through the work, edited and revised and made sure he had sent his best work out. But, as we all know, mistakes […]
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Query Statistics
Feb 24, 2009
I took a little extra time when reading queries the other day and actually tracked what I was reading, because from the feedback I’m getting from you, you always like a little peek into what we do with our queries. At the time I sat down to track and read my equeries I had about […]
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Networking through Submissions
Feb 23, 2009
I have always believed that networking in publishing is done with each and every query letter or submission you send out, that making a connection with agents doesn’t mean you have to attend conferences or meet them in person, it can happen and, frankly, should happen, through the work you are giving them. Which is […]
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Agent Recommendation
Feb 20, 2009
I get asked a lot if, after a rejection, I have a recommendation for another agent who might be a better candidate for the book. I also get asked in the “real world” if I have recommendations for agents of children’s books, science fiction, or other genres I don’t represent. And sadly, the answer is […]
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A Query Overview
Feb 19, 2009
Some time ago I did a week’s worth of posts on query letters, and for a while now I’ve been putting together (in my head, of course) a response to many of your questions and thoughts on the queries I posted. One of the reasons I chose the queries I did is because they were […]
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Devil’s Advocate
Feb 18, 2009
I have to admit that I was rather surprised by the number of comments Jessica received in her “Well Played” post from writers who felt she should have offered representation on a proposal she liked but for which she didn’t feel she was the best agent. A lot was said about the writer’s point of […]
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Subjects in Writing to Avoid
Feb 17, 2009
I’ve mentioned in passing a few things that agents often don’t want to see any more of because we’ve seen so much of it before. In one of my more recent posts I briefly mentioned Greek gods and insurance adjusters. Those “reasons for rejection” prompted a reader to ask me if I could give a […]
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Writing Sex
Feb 16, 2009
I received a question recently that I think is more for authors than it is for me. However, I’m going to attempt to answer anyway and then open up the boards to you, because I think in many cases the best answers to the questions I receive can be found in the comments section and […]
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Living in a Portable World
Feb 13, 2009
It’s always interesting to me to talk to authors and find out about their processes. When do they write? How do they write and where do they write? Well, some of you might be surprised to note that these days agents aren’t much different. I have a wonderful office painted in blues and greens, a […]
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Rules of Writing
Feb 12, 2009
I have a new rule on my blog and that’s that you can’t ask me any more about the rules. I don’t want to be asked questions like whether or not the hero’s story can be the opening scene in a romance or how many pages of action an action-adventure needs to have. I don’t […]
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Meeting Clients
Feb 11, 2009
I’ve seen a lot of questions and comments about authors actually meeting with their agents and some concern that when an author does get an agent she doesn’t have the money to fly to New York to sign the contract. Well, don’t worry. It is possible to go your entire career without ever meeting your […]
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