Blog Archive

What To Do When You Queried too Soon

Oct 31, 2018

It happens to the best of authors. You finished the book, edited, and queried. You were ready and your book was ready. And then, suddenly, somewhere along the line, you realized this book was nowhere near ready. You realize that you queried too soon. Question: I sent queries last summer to approximately 50 agents. I […]

Using Other Books as a Study in Writing Technique

Oct 30, 2018

We learn a lot from observing others. I’ve often thought the most value you can get from a critique group isn’t the critique on your own work but listening to others talk about the work of others. I’ve learned more from the rejections and revisions editors have done on my clients’ books than I ever […]

Welcome to BookEnds, Karole Cozzo!

Oct 26, 2018

If you’re not reading or writing, what would we catch you doing?  Most of the time you’ll find me attempting to manage my chaotic household (husband, two kids, dog), something I fail at on an ongoing basis! During the day, I work as a School Psychologist at a local high school. In my spare time, […]

Setting Sales Expectations for Your First Book

Oct 25, 2018

Publishing is a business and in any business what matters most are sales. When a contract is first offered, the advance and other aspects of the deal are based on the potential for sales numbers. Later in an author’s career, sales of previous books will play a role in whether or not a new contract […]

Choosing Comp Titles Outside the Genre You’re Writing

Oct 23, 2018

I seem to be getting a rash of questions lately about the etiquette and importance of comping books (using competitive titles in your query). This latest asks if you can comp books outside of the genre you are writing in. Perhaps in a follow up post, would love to know your thoughts on comping outside […]

Oct 19, 2018

Thank you for bringing the offensiveness of my comments to my attention. You’re right. I can and will do better. I sincerely apologize to everyone I offended and I’m sorry it had to be pointed out to me. I am committed to learning from this experience and I’m truly sorry for the hurt I’ve caused. […]

Welcome to BookEnds, Sally Deng!

Oct 19, 2018

Tell us a bit about your drawing process. Where do you draw, and how often? I have a studio space that I share with a friend. If I am working with an art director, I have a pretty straight forward process which consists of: read a given article, do a few sketches, show them to the art […]

Good Agents Won’t Judge Your Bad Agent Experience

Oct 18, 2018

Having an experience with a bad, meaning unscrupulous, agent, can be completely debilitating for an author. I get it, you have searched long and hard and the minute you finally find the agent who is going to take your career to the next level you find out, probably too late, that the agent was never […]

THE LAST WIFE by Nicola Marsh

Oct 17, 2018

Conference Tips Every Literary Agent Wants You to Know

Oct 17, 2018

I have attended a lot of writers conferences of all sizes and focuses and after 20+ years of doing this, I had decided it was time to retire from the conference circuit. And then I attended the Alaska Writers Conference and they did everything right and I fell in love with conferences again. Alaska Writers emphasized learning and […]

Welcome to BookEnds, Eva Mays!

Oct 16, 2018

Today I’m really excited to welcome Eva Mays to the BookEnds family! Eva’s story checked all of my historical fiction boxes: it focuses on a time period often overlooked, it centered on a strong female main character struggling to make difficult choices, and it created a world that was rich with historical detail while still […]

Query Mistakes that Won’t Lead to Instant Rejection

Oct 16, 2018

I feel like agents (on Twitter and otherwise) love to focus on the mistakes authors make that lead to rejection. And according to hashtags like #100Queries there are a lot. I’d like to spin this conversation in another direction. I’d like to focus on those mistakes you’ve made, will likely make, and everyone makes and […]