Tag: author

Publishing Proposal Power: What Publishers Want

As resume writing is a path to a successful career, the publishing proposal is a gateway for being published, especially for fiction. Unfortunately, very few neophyte authors are experienced in publishing proposal writing.  Novice authors are rarely considered by publishers. Why should a publisher spend several thousand dollars on an unknown, unproven author? Since very … Continue reading Publishing Proposal Power: What Publishers Want →

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CAVEAT EMPTOR: DON’T BECOME A VICTIM TO PREDATORS

There may be more predators lurking in the dark corners of the writing and publishing world than there are in any other industry. No required education or certification process separates outstanding professional editors, agents and publishers from villains. Either you find the villain before you sign a contract, or they make easy money from you in return for... nothing.

Featured

CAVEAT EMPTOR: DON’T BECOME A VICTIM TO PREDATORS

There may be more predators lurking in the dark corners of the writing and publishing world than there are in any other industry. No required education or certification process separates outstanding professional editors, agents and publishers from villains. Either you find the villain before you sign a contract, or they make easy money from you in return for... nothing.

Featured

Platform Means Everything to a Novice Author

There may one day be a time when paper books are iconic remnants of a tree-cutting past. But that time is still far away. Trade publishers will use their professional editors to make your book better. They will hire graphic designers to make your book more attractive and appealing. And they will handle e-book sales … Continue reading Platform Means Everything to a Novice Author →

Interview with Author Nancy Christie

It’s so easy to sit in judgment or say that we would never make the choices that others have made that led them down that path of destruction but we don’t really know that for certain, do we? So rather than be afflicted with that most dangerous of all viruses—superiority—we should instead be compassionate. It’s that whole “there but for the grace of God…"

Author Platform: Reaching Readers and Gaining a Competitive Advantage

"The author is the brand. Your job as the author is to build awareness of your brand, and to build, earn and deserve positive desire for your brand. Awareness plus desire create demand for your product. This is why platform will become more important than ever in 2014. "

8 Unexpected Lessons From Working with a Literary Agent by Brian Klems

With self-publishing becoming more widely accepted and Amazon waging wars with publishers, more and more I get the sense from aspiring authors that they don’t think landing an agent means as much as it used to. ____________________________________________________________________________ Writers' Digest Guest post by Bethany Neal, who writes young-adult novels with a little dark side and a … Continue reading 8 Unexpected Lessons From Working with a Literary Agent by Brian Klems →

Agent Queries and Publisher Proposals – Why You Should Use Links, Not Attachments

Contacting an agent or a publisher is not simple or free of risk. As your author platform constitutes everything positive about you as an author, the way you deliver that platform is absolutely critical. In essence, you have a few sentences to sell yourself.

89 Book Marketing Ideas That Will Change Your Life by Caitlin Muir

Almost all authors love to write. Some even enjoy editing. A few like graphic design and web page creation. But, let's face it, almost all of us hate marketing and promotion. Sadly, all authors must contribute to marketing today, including trade-published authors. So, here is a link to a wonderful post by Caitlin Muir, called, … Continue reading 89 Book Marketing Ideas That Will Change Your Life by Caitlin Muir →

THE ROAD TO BEING PUBLISHED

Virtually all of you reading this want to have a best-selling book with a major global publisher on your resume. I’m also guessing that most, if not all of you, consider your writing talent appropriate for this level of success. Of course, accomplishing this is another story altogether. So this article is about how to … Continue reading THE ROAD TO BEING PUBLISHED →

Everything You Need to Know to Create a Bestselling Book by Ryan Holiday

"... almost all the information out there about book marketing is either misleading, ineffective, wrong, or worse, counterproductive. It’s a tough gig and this lack of accurate information forces people to take wild guesses at what works. But we’ve got a lot on the line with our points–our life’s work in some cases–and we want them to succeed.

Proposal Power: What Publishers Desire in a Proposal

"As resume writing is a path to a successful career, the publishing proposal is a gateway for being published, especially for fiction. Publishing proposal writing is a science and an art form. It must contain, at a minimum, one section each on: the author, a concise synopsis, a market analysis, a competitive analysis, promotional and marketing concepts, a chapter outline; and sample chapters. Explain how you are creating an author platform that will be increasingly valuable to that particular small publisher. If the publisher has some interest in your book, they will be more willing to finance its publication. And if the publisher believes that more of those high quality books in the same genre are on the way, they will be more likely to donate several thousand dollars to print your first book."

The Best Way to Publish Fiction

I have been trade-published and self-published several times. I now have a talented literary agent. Although I have self-published three books, I feel more comfortable publishing fiction with a traditional publisher, especially a large, distinguished publisher. I realize that this is not an author decision. Publishers require talent and a marketable book. If you have … Continue reading The Best Way to Publish Fiction →

Being Published

There are several keys to being published. First is the quality of your writing. The second key requirement for being published is having a book that is marketable. Third, you must create a terrific book-publishing proposal. Fourth, you must know the difference between traditional (trade) publishers and POD, vanity and other forms of self-publishing. Beware of scam-artists. Fifth, be prepared to contact hundreds of smaller trade publishers that focus on your particular genre. Fifth, create a killer e-mail cover page that will demand the attention of the publisher or agent. Sixth, be ready to create web site proposals for publishers that won't open attachments. Seventh, never accept the first offer, unless it's the best offer.