Blog Archive

  • BookEnds Talks to Livia J. Washburn

    Oct 26, 2006

    Livia J. Washburn Book: A Peach of a Murder (A Fresh Baked Mystery) Publisher: Signet Pub date: October 2006 Agent: Kim Lionetti Livia J. Washburn has had the privilege of being a professional writer for over twenty years. She lives in a small Texas town with her husband, James Reasoner, and two daughters. Awards received: […]

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  • Nielson’s Numbers

    Oct 25, 2006

    You’ve probably seen this on other blogs since it’s old news and all over the Internet, but for those of you who haven’t, these are interesting statistics that really show what we’re all up against in this business. In 2004, Nielsen Bookscan tracked the sales of 1.2 million books in the United States and here’s […]

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  • Growing Numbers

    Oct 24, 2006

    As a published author, how do you know you made it? When can you sit back and relax a little and stop worrying that the party will end and someone is going to tell you it’s time to go home? At what point are your numbers good enough? Many published authors spent years just getting […]

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  • Romance in the News

    Oct 23, 2006

    As you all know (or should know by now) I represent a great deal of romance and obviously read a great deal as well. I love these books, as do the millions of fans who spend $1.2 billion a year on romance novels. So why is it that romance writers—no matter how successful—editors, and agents […]

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  • BookEnds Talks to Andrew Holtz

    Oct 20, 2006

    Andrew Holtz Book: The Medical Science of “House, M.D.” Publisher: Berkley Pub date: October 2006 Agent: Kim Lionetti Andrew Holtz, MPH, a former CNN Medical Correspondent, is an independent journalist in Portland, Oregon. He is a board member and past President of the Association of Health Care Journalists. Author Web site: www.holtzreport.com BookEnds: Describe your […]

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  • SFRWA

    Oct 19, 2006

    Last weekend I was invited to San Francisco to speak with the RWA chapter there. First of all let me say that this is a brilliant idea. For those chapters (or writers’ groups) unable to put together a conference (which is very costly and time-consuming), inviting an agent or editor to speak at a chapter […]

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  • Coping with Rejection

    Oct 18, 2006

    How do you do it? As an agent I face rejection every day on behalf of my clients, and I have to say, it hurts. When I take on a project or agree to submit something new on behalf of a client, I am doing it because I truly believe it’s a book that needs […]

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  • A New Record

    Oct 17, 2006

    We’ve all talked a lot about what we require and/or ask for in query letters and submissions. We’ve done a number of posts on what a proper and successful query letter should look like and articles on how to make queries work to your advantage. Just recently, though, I got the most mind-boggling submission letter […]

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  • Author Beware: Submission Quality

    Oct 16, 2006

    Over the years, as an editor and agent, I have built a pretty good-sized author beware file. This file is made up of the letters and e-mails I’ve received from authors that I know I want to avoid. From time to time I’m going to dig out one of those letters and post some of […]

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  • BookEnds Talks to Margaret H. Bonham

    Oct 13, 2006

    Margaret H. Bonham Book: Bring Me Home: Dogs/Cats Make Great Pets Publisher: Howell Pub date: August 2005 Margaret H. Bonham is a multiple award-winning author in nonfiction and fiction, with 22 books published or under contract. Author Web site: www.shadowhelm.net BookEnds: How have people responded to your books? Margaret: Overall, the response has been really […]

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  • Using Referrals and Requests

    Oct 12, 2006

    When it comes to submitting your work to an agent, the golden ticket is always the referral—when a friend or colleague kindly passes on your name to her agent, makes the introductions, and the agent asks to see more of your work. The most common (and most trusted) referrals are those I get from my […]

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  • NJ Romance Writers

    Oct 11, 2006

    Last Saturday I attended the NJ Romance Writers Put Your Heart in a Book conference. I’m a regular. I’ve learned that if I don’t make it to the conference those Jersey girls will hunt me down and get me into a meeting to speak, and some years they’ll have me do both. They keep telling […]

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