Hurry up and wait. Query and submission timelines.
by,
June 30, 2012

If you have a book manuscript and you think you are ready to pursue publication, there is a timeline you should consider before letting your horse out of the gate before the race even begins. I’ve seen too many great book concepts go nowhere, because when they send a query letter out, they don’t have a proposal ready to go. Yes, a book proposal. When… [Read More]

Dialogue Rules
by,
June 5, 2012

Writing dialogue is about capturing a character’s voice and revealing her or his motivations. Good dialogue engages the reader in a dynamic exchange between characters. It quickens the pace when there is no action and moves the plot forward. Bad dialogue only relays expository information, which doesn’t feel real to the reader who can’t believe your characters would talk like that to each other. Although… [Read More]

What’s an author to blog about? Keyword strategy in social media marketing
by,
June 2, 2012

If you are writer who seeks publication you probably know you need to blog. You’ve heard it’s necessary to build an audience platform. So you know WHY to blog. But HOW do you blog so you get found online? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a subject duller than watching paint dry for most authors. It doesn’t have to be. And it can’t be if you… [Read More]

Writer’s Secret: Good Reading Group
by,
March 27, 2012

If you are an author, you ought to be in at least one good reading group or book club. Writers read good writing. You’ve heard that before. You know it’s true. And yet, you’re afraid reading a lot of good books right now might be just one more way to procrastinate the hard work of writing. At least you’re honest. But I want to urge… [Read More]

Social Media are marketing research tools for authors
by,
February 25, 2012

Too often I hear an author say their social media efforts will come after the book is out. Too late. Authors, especially if they are working on their first book, need an audience platform built before they can interest an agent or an acquisition editor in their book concept. If you are a talk show host, national sports figure, political candidate, or star on stage or… [Read More]

Work Up Your Pitch
by,
January 3, 2012

Writing a query letter that hooks an agent or acquisitions editor for your non-fiction book concept is the golden key that opens the door to publishing. So how do you hook ’em? Think of your query letter as a sales pitch for the book. Accept the fact that those who read your initial correspondence are trained, so to speak, to judge books by their covers and make their  first impressions based on marketability…. [Read More]

Social Networks for Readers: Geek Out, Literati-Style
by,
July 7, 2011

Last week eBookNewser featured an article on ten social networks for readers. It seems online communities for readers are popping up everywhere in response to the e-book boom. Online writing and reading groups are less exclusive now; increased competition and advanced features means better options for reading and developing books across the web. Meaning more opportunities to find a website that complements the books you… [Read More]

Think you should self-publish? Think again.
by,
July 2, 2011

Authors and Publishers and Agents mash it up in new ways as the book business gets remade. The reallocation of risks and rewards happens as self-publishing, e-books, and the current economies of scale with new digital technologies encroaches on the crumbling financial houses of traditional publishing. Agents without advances these days from trade publishers now retool to manage and administrate the self-publishing initiatives of authors…. [Read More]