Blog Archive
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BookEnds’ Favorite Things, Part 2
Dec 19, 2006
When Kim came up with the suggestion to do an entry on our five all-time favorite books, I knew it was going to be a struggle for me. I’ve never in my life been able to come up with favorites. Everything, every favorite I have, depends entirely on my mood. From my favorite snack to […]
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BookEnds’ Favorite Things
Dec 18, 2006
Well, who says Oprah’s the only one that can list her favorite things! (No giveaways here. Sorry.) I guess it’s no mystery that books are at the top of our list, but each of us has varied tastes and preferences. In October my client Jolie Mathis wrote an entry on the Berkley Babes blog that […]
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A Publishing Slow-Down
Dec 15, 2006
We always hear that in publishing nothing happens in the months of August and December. If that’s truly the case I’m terrified (and excited) to see what’s going to happen in January. Thanksgiving came and went and I haven’t been able to take a breath since. I just finished negotiating contracts for two different cozy […]
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Business Plans
Dec 14, 2006
Another year is coming to a close, and with the coming New Year it’s time for BookEnds to evaluate how the old year has gone and to make our plans for 2007. When BookEnds first began in 1999 we started with something every business should have, a plan. Together Jacky and I sat down to […]
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Your Professional Blog
Dec 13, 2006
In a continuation of yesterday’s post about making the decision to start a blog, I wanted to take from a number of discussions I’ve had lately, both live and online, about what a blog should be, especially those belonging to professionals. Having a blog has been an interesting experience, and while I think a number […]
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The Decision to Start a Blog
Dec 12, 2006
The proliferation of blogs is amazing. From agents to editors to almost every published author it seems new blogs are popping up daily. So it’s not surprising to note that lately I’ve been having regular discussions with my clients about the necessity of a blog and what it means to start one. A blog is […]
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Is My Agent Holding Me Back?
Dec 11, 2006
Here’s another good reader question that came from our recent request: I’d like your opinion on agent/writer relationships. I love my agent but she has very definite ideas about the career path I should be on. I write in a variety of sub-genres but my agent really only likes when I write my erotic paranormals. […]
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BookEnds Talks to J. Lee Butts
Dec 08, 2006
Jimmy (J. Lee) Butts Book: Ambushed Publisher: Berkley Pub date: December 2006 Agent: Kim Lionetti Author Web site: See J. Lee Butts’s bio Awards: 2005 Western Writers of America Spur Award Nominee BookEnds: Describe your book in 50 words or less. Jimmy: Ambushed is the fourth in a series of stories about the life of […]
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Reasons to Hate Exclusives
Dec 07, 2006
Yesterday I posted my thoughts on how to handle a request for an exclusive, and since I’m slow at coming down off my soapbox, I wanted to give you my top five reasons for why writers should avoid offering exclusives at all costs. 1. Offering an exclusive limits you to the possibility of working with […]
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Handling Exclusive Requests
Dec 06, 2006
We got so many great questions in response to a recent request to readers. Here’s just one of many I’m going to address: What would you recommend in this scenario? An author queries twenty agents or so. Half a dozen respond with requests for partials or fulls. One agent requests an exclusive for three weeks, […]
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Been There Done That
Dec 05, 2006
Here’s another question that came in when we asked readers to post questions to us about BookEnds, the publishing industry, or anything else they might be wondering. Gradually we’re working to get through those questions and answer them as thoroughly as possible. I am an African-American woman working on a culinary themed cosy mystery. I […]
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Query Turnaround Time
Dec 04, 2006
Recently we asked readers to post questions to us about BookEnds, the publishing industry, or anything else they might be wondering. Gradually we’re working to get through those questions and answer them as thoroughly as possible. I know it varies for every agency; what is BookEnds’ average turnaround time for queries? Actually it varies from […]
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