Blog Archive
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Reader Questions: Agent Involvement
Apr 04, 2007
I would like to know more about how involved agents get in their authors’ careers. How much of an author’s short stories, novels in progress, novel ideas, marketing plan, etc., do you like to see? Would you prefer your author to keep you in the loop about these things, or do you expect an author […]
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A Submission Reminder
Apr 03, 2007
While I know I’ve said this before, it obviously bears repeating. Whenever, anytime, every time, you send a submission to an agent, make sure to include a professional, detailed cover letter. To make it simple for you, here’s what I advise. Every query, proposal, full manuscript, or attachment you send an agent should include the […]
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Guest Blogger Debbie Allen on Shameless Self-Promotion
Apr 02, 2007
While there are many things that we can knowledgably talk to you about when it comes to publishing, there are many more times when it’s better to bring in a real expert on the subject. So over the course of the year we are going to try to have a number of guest bloggers come […]
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BookEnds Talks to Peter Brandvold
Mar 30, 2007
Peter Brandvold, a.k.a. Frank Leslie Book: The Lonely Breed Publisher: Signet Pub date: March 2007 Agent: Kim Lionetti (Click to Buy) Peter Brandvold has written over thirty western novels for Berkley and Tor/Forge under his own name. He’s starting the Yakima Henry series of novels under the name Frank Leslie for Signet. He’s also reviving […]
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What I’m Reading
Mar 29, 2007
I’m always asked whether I still read for pleasure and the answer is yes . . . and no. I do still love to read, but almost everything I read now, even if it’s for pleasure, is also research. I’m always trying to keep an eye on what’s out there and put into perspective what […]
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Reader Questions: Web Sites for the Unpublished
Mar 28, 2007
At what point do you recommend a career-focused but not-yet-published author set up a website? Last year I snapped up my domain name and set up a very simple, inexpensive site, but I’m not doing much with it. Hmmm . . . should I be? I’ve done a number of posts on Web sites and […]
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Reader Questions: Foreign Settings
Mar 27, 2007
I’m working on a novel set in London (where I’ve lived for a while) and wondering how British I can make my own writing and the dialog before it’ll be considered too much. Not very. I can’t give you specific guidelines as to how much you can use dialect or phrasing, but there’s a common […]
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Blog Updates
Mar 26, 2007
Some of you may have noticed minor changes to the blog’s appearance. Following the comments of one of our readers, we’ve made the switch to the new version of Google Blogger, which we hope will make reading the blog and accessing older blog posts easier than ever. All of our posts are now archived under […]
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Reader Questions: Editing Help
Mar 26, 2007
A lot of writers seeking publication have asked me what to do about editing their finished manuscripts. Sure, they’ve handed it over to good friends who tell them it’s the best thing since pepperoni pizza, but where can they turn for real editing? Could you give some advice on where aspiring writers can turn for […]
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BookEnds Talks to Sandra Beckwith
Mar 23, 2007
Sandra Beckwith Book: Publicity for Nonprofits Publisher: Kaplan Business Pub date: June 2006 Agent: Jacky Sach (Click to Buy) BookEnds: What do you think distinguishes your work from other similar books? Sandra: Publicity for Nonprofits: Generating Media Exposure That Leads to Awareness, Growth, and Contributions provides more hands-on, “here’s how to do it” information than […]
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Dress for the Job You Want
Mar 22, 2007
Cynthia Shapiro is a client of mine and the author of Corporate Confidential, a book I recommend to anyone working in the corporate world. Not only is her book a fascinating read, but it contains invaluable information that could save your job. It could also save your writing career. Recently I was reviewing Corporate Confidential […]
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Give Me Conflict
Mar 21, 2007
As many of you know, when you write a query letter—whether it’s e-mail, snail mail, or a cover letter attached to a proposal, heck, even a cover letter attached to a requested manuscript—you have three seconds to grab an agent’s attention. Think of that, three seconds to convince me that I want to drop everything […]
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