Blog Archive
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The Secrets of Lost Stones is an Amazon Bestseller!
Aug 30, 2019
Huge congratulations to Melissa Payne, author of THE SECRETS OF LOST STONES, for hitting the top 20 bestseller list on Amazon! Get your copy now!
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New Client Alert- Megan Lynch!
Aug 30, 2019
Name:Megan Lynch What you Write: Middle Grade Ghost StoriesAgent: Moe FerraraWhy BookEnds? As a querying writer, I loved how respectful the agents at BookEnds were of writers. They seemed to honor what a scary thing it can be for us to give our work to strangers and they gave generous, constructive advice. Tell us a bit […]
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New Client (& Deal) Alert- Olivia Blacke
Aug 28, 2019
Name: Olivia BlackeWhat you Write: I write quirky, unconventional, character-driven Cozy Mysteries.Agent: The fabulous James McGowanWhy BookEnds? After reading many heartfelt and informative interactions on Twitter from BookEnds agents, I realized BookEnds was my dream agency. I asked around, and several friends (and wildly successful authors) highly recommended them. It turned out to be the best decision […]
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Break-Ups Happen
Aug 28, 2019
As with any new relationship, entering into an author-agent agreement is one of hope for forever. The ideal is that we’ll grow old together and sell many books. Of course we all know the ideal, in dating, marriage, and publishing isn’t always the reality. While there are many wonderful tales of authors and agents who […]
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A Buzzworthy Launch for Heather Webber!
Aug 27, 2019
Heather Webber’s women’s fiction debut, MIDNIGHT AT THE BLACKBIRD CAFE published to incredible praise on July 16th, and we wanted to share some of that with you. From an exclusive cover reveal on USA Today, To getting picked up on Bustle, And The Odyssey… and Booklist! Readers of Sarah Addison Allen and Joshilyn Jackson will […]
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Step-By-Step: Handling an Offer of Representation
Aug 27, 2019
You’ve been querying for a long time. Agents have requested your manuscript. You’ve been patient and you’ve worked hard. And then it happens. You get the call from an agent offering representation. You’re stunned, verklempt, and wondering what’s next. Handling an offer of representation can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be hard. While […]
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What to Expect When Submitting to Agents
Aug 26, 2019
Submitting to agents is a process and there’s a certain evolution that leads to eventual success. Long ago I wrote a blog post similar on the evolution of rejection. While some of this is still relevant, times have changed and snail mail is no longer the standard for submitting to agents (thank goodness). Based on […]
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How I Pitched Kia Abdullah’s Take It Back
Aug 23, 2019
The first time I read Take it Back by Kia Abdullah I was completely in love. I remember the butterflies in my stomach as if it were yesterday. I wanted to represent this book before I even finished reading. James was an intern at the time and read the book along with me. I think […]
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How I Pitched Faye Snowden’s A Killing Fire
Aug 22, 2019
When sending submitting a book every agent writes a pitch. This is no different from the author’s query. The truth is that agents will often use the author’s query as a guide to their own pitch. If possible, and I’ve done it, they’ll use the author’s query in its entirety. At the request of readers, […]
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Why We Don’t Give Feedback on Queries
Aug 21, 2019
In a perfect world, professional feedback would be a given. We would know exactly why our queries are rejected, how come we didn’t get the job or weren’t asked on a second date. And that feedback would always be useful and help us grow and improve But we don’t live in an ideal world. Even […]
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Why Your Query Blurb Isn’t Working
Aug 20, 2019
The query blurb–those three paragraphs that tell your book’s story and hook a reader to want more. The most important piece of your query. And often the only part of your query agents read. Your query blurb is 90% of why you’re getting requests or rejections. Of course, things like word count and genre fit […]
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Hashtags Every Writer Should Know
Aug 19, 2019
One of our most popular posts to date has been our Publishing Dictionary, and we got the idea to do something similar for the most popular and useful hashtags for writers. Below you’ll find the list of the top hashtags for writers. Are we missing something? Let us know in the comments! #AmWriting – a […]
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