Monthly Archives: May 2010

A friend of mine was really excited. Yet-to-be-published, she’d signed with an agent to prize-winning stars. When attending writer conferences, she’d mention to insiders the name of the agent who represented her, and they’d literally look at her in awe. … Continue reading →

This you need. It’s the difference between interesting a publisher even for a moment, or winding up in the slush pile. A rock-star-written foreword lends your book cache, giving you the A-lister’s seal of approval. It also goes a long … Continue reading →

You’ve committed to 50,000 words. Now how are you going to fill those pages? A yikes moment, for sure, but there’s no reason to panic. Once you’ve fleshed out your outline, it’s time to start gathering material — a lot … Continue reading →

Writers by their very nature like to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and let their thoughts out. I’m not calling them all introverted…but they tend to shy away from speaking opportunities. I won’t mention names — but … Continue reading →

Agents are busy people. So if you’re getting the run around — “I haven’t had time to read it yet” or “I just returned from maternity leave” — it’s time to move on. That means ask everyone you know if … Continue reading →

Maybe you have this dilemma. More than anything you want to publish a book. But how do you break the barrier, from unpublished to writer to author? Seemed like a mystery to me. But I uncovered the formula. What you … Continue reading →

Several years ago, I met with an agent, eager for his feedback on a book proposal. He didn’t wind up representing me, but he did give me perhaps the best advice I’ve yet to receive on writing a proposal. The … Continue reading →

What do publishers want? I happened to speak with a literary agent today, and he reiterated what I’ve heard and read many times before. Publishers are looking for: * Celebrity status * A terrific idea * Good writing Can you … Continue reading →

You have an outline. You’ve checked out the competition. It’s time to explain why your book is needed now. Perhaps you haven’t even considered this question before today. But publishers will want to know. If you’re writing about an area … Continue reading →

You’ve written a well-thought-out outline for your book, and are excited to take the next step. If you haven’t already, it’s time to check out the competition. This is easy to do on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. See which … Continue reading →