Blog Archive
-
Your Idea of Bad Books
Jun 13, 2008
Not too long ago I did what turned out to be an incredibly interesting post on bad books. What made this post so interesting to me was not of course what I had to say, but the reader feedback. I think there were a lot of good things said there. What struck me right away […]
View More -
E-Publishing and Amazon’s Kindle
Jun 12, 2008
When the Amazon Kindle was first launched the publishing world was buzzing. It’s pretty, it’s convenient and it’s the best e-reader yet to be released. But what is this really going to mean? Should authors start thinking about selling older books? It’s funny that whenever a new venue for publishing emerges (a new house or […]
View More -
Questioning Agents
Jun 11, 2008
I’ve been reading your posts about questions a writer should ask an agent before accepting an offer, and finding it very enlightening! What I’m wondering now is, is it acceptable for an author to contact an agent and ask some of these questions before submitting work, particularly if the agency is new? I’ve been to […]
View More -
Michele Dunaway on Voice
Jun 10, 2008
Michele Dunaway Out of Line Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises Pub date: June 2008 Agent: Jessica Faust (Click to Buy) Author Web/Blog links: www.micheledunaway.com & www.micheledunaway.blogspot.com I’ve always been a lousy joke-teller. But anyone who hears me talk about what’s happening in my life usually ends up rolling on the floor clutching his or her stomach since […]
View More -
A Question of Genre
Jun 09, 2008
I receive a lot of questions about genres, like how you define a certain genre or what is going on with certain genres. I’m going to try to address some of the questions I receive, as briefly as I can, and ask that you feel free to ask and discuss genres in the comments. Genre […]
View More -
The Art of Persistence
Jun 06, 2008
I received a question recently from a reader who was asking how persistent she should or needs to be when it comes to her queries. She had e-queried Agent X in late December and again on April 14th, but has yet to hear anything back. She assumes her query ended up in a spam filter […]
View More -
Taking an Agent’s Advice
Jun 05, 2008
I recently received an email from a writer asking for some advice. She is writing (and submitting) a historical romance and has been told by two different agents that she should narrow her point-of-view focus to two characters and eliminate all others. The author feels this would make the story long and boring and wonders […]
View More -
Why Do You Seek Publication?
Jun 04, 2008
I’ve done a number of posts on what keeps writers going, and more often than not the answers are that you need to write and have to write. But my question today is a little different. What makes you seek publication? I understand that as writers you feel the pull to write in much the […]
View More -
When to Cut Ties with Your Agent
Jun 03, 2008
I’ve talked a lot about the author-agent relationship and imagine that there are a lot more posts on that topic in my future. I’ve certainly covered how to fire your agent when she is ignoring you, but what about the agent who is paying attention to you, but just can’t seem to sell your work? […]
View More -
The Use of Clichés
Jun 02, 2008
I was asked recently by a reader about the use of clichés. She used the example of the protagonist waking up in the morning and starting the day, looking in the mirror and criticizing her appearance—she had heard these were taboo. I personally have never heard of anything being taboo, but will say these sound […]
View More -
Word Count Rules
May 30, 2008
Word count is one of those things that’s always a huge issue, for published and unpublished authors. I regularly have discussions about when a book reaches the point of being too long or how short is too short. Of course there are “rules” all over the Internet on the subject (including on this blog), but […]
View More -
Are Agents also Managers?
May 29, 2008
I received a question from a reader who has self-published his book. He’s had some great success, including book signings, a write-up in the local paper, and airtime on local TV. His question is, “I am so busy with answering phone calls, booking appointments (not complaining), that I haven’t had time to really concentrate on […]
View More