Blog Archive

• Nonfiction Book Proposals

  Apr 24, 2019

  As BookEnds builds our nonfiction list I am getting an increasing number of questions about what goes into a nonfiction book proposal. Prescriptive nonfiction, unlike fiction or memoir, is usually sold on proposal. Typically because you are selling the author’s platform as much as you are selling the idea. It’s not as much about telling […]

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• The Baggage of Your Previous Agent

  Apr 23, 2019

  Anyone who has ever had a previous relationship (agent, dating, marriage) has had baggage. Not all bad baggage, but baggage nonetheless. Previous representation leaves an author with experience and knowledge that others might not have. Bad experiences leave them cautious. As an agent, knowing something about your past, and your baggage, helps me be the […]

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• Welcome to BookEnds, Ross Healy!

  Apr 19, 2019

  What book do you wish you had written, and why? The Happy Prince. It’s not a book, but a short story and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. I often go back to Oscar Wilde’s short stories or poems in between other books, partly due to nostalgia and partly due to how beautiful they are. […]

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• Evaluating Your Social Media by the Numbers

  Apr 18, 2019

  It’s impossible to discuss social media without discussing the number of followers you have. It matters. Or does it? Some agents who say it’s important how many followers you have. Most agents disagree. I’m in the category of most agents. If you are writing fiction it does NOT matter. I do recommend you have social […]

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• The Art of Promoting Your Book

  Apr 17, 2019

  All good businesses need a strong marketing plan and good promotion. Your author brand and your business as an author is no different. We all know that social media plays a huge role in promotion. It does for BookEnds and it does for authors. Before the existence of Twitter or Facebook, we had the blog. […]

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• Who You Spend Time with Matters

  Apr 16, 2019

  I believe in the theory that you are most influenced by the people you spend the most time with. Whether its business success or personal health, who you surround yourself with has an impact on your thinking and even your doing. If you don’t know what I mean just take a look around. The most […]

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• Kate H. Stark on The Call!

  Apr 12, 2019

  It was a dark and stormy night… Ha, ha, ha.  Just kidding.  It was actually a beautiful day in Richmond, Virginia.  I was at home and in a particularly great mood.  A friend had stopped by and we were chatting in the kitchen.  I left the room briefly to gather a few things in preparation for […]

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• Paying Back Your Advance

  Apr 11, 2019

  Despite the verbiage we use in publishing about “selling a book,” an advance is what a publisher pays for your book. It is an advance against your future earnings. Which means the publisher will expect you to “pay it back.” A wonderful reader reached out via email to ask, Do I ever have to pay […]

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• An Interview with Kate Douglas #BookEnds20

  Apr 10, 2019

  Kate Douglas signed with BookEnds in 2001 when we were just a fledgling agency. In fact, while we opened our doors in 1999, we still considered ourselves a book packager and didn’t make the decision to become an agency until 2001. So really, Kate was one of our first clients. JF: What made you decide […]

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• The Pros and Cons of the Stubborn Writer

  Apr 10, 2019

  I’ve never thought of myself as a particularly stubborn adult. Determined yes, but stubborn… Well, let’s just say, I think I’ve learned to manage it differently. As a child my stubbornness knew no bounds. Nothing could stop me when I was determined. Whether it was making $100 at a lemonade stand or arguing with an […]

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• How Much to Reveal in Your Query

  Apr 09, 2019

  One of the biggest questions querying authors obsess over is how much you should, or need to, reveal to an agent. A comment on Social Media Tips for Authors, asks, I did have an agent represent my first book which was not picked up by a publisher and is now on Kindle. Is this something […]

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• This Month from BookEnds & BookEnds Jr… April 2019!

  Apr 08, 2019

  April is a big month at BookEnds, and we’re combining BookEnds & BookEnds Jr this month for one big giant super post. With that, we’re so excited to announce all the new books being published this month from BookEnds authors, as well as some fantastic books to look forward to, and some great new clients! […]

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