Blogger: Mary Keeley
Several comments on my blog post last week, “How To Prepare for An Agent Interview,” referenced a fear of botching your meeting with an agent or editor. So this week I have four tips for recovering after …
Finding an agent
4 Easy Steps to a Great Synopsis
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Creating a synopsis for your novel is one of the hardest pieces of writing there is. It is also one of the most important elements of your proposal. But if you follow these steps, you can master …
Agent Referrals
Blogger: Wendy Lawton
I am often asked by writers, What is the agent referral? How do I get one? Will it get me past the query? The answer to the last question is yes. Now let’s tackle the first two.…
Identify Your Book’s Unique Angle: One Approach
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Last Sunday a church friend and I found ourselves in a conversation about the recent presidential election and potential ramifications thereof. They’re hard to avoid lately unless you’re a mole. The service was about to begin and …
How Good Are You at Negotiating?
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Do you realize how often you negotiate in any given day? It happens at the dinner table when children don’t want to eat their vegetables. When your teen wants to borrow the family car. When you and …
A Strategy for Success in 2017
Blogger: Mary Keeley
I look forward to the new year, don’t you? With last year’s successes and rejections behind you, beginning anew on a clean slate is invigorating and breeds HOPE, especially when you launch with a good strategy. Today …
Test Your Patience
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Writers are continually advised to be patient during the journey to representation. And once you have an agent, the need for it begins again during the knuckle-biting process of waiting for your first—or next—contract offer. Patience is …
Productive Communication
Blogger: Mary Keeley
You reach a milestone when your manuscript is finally “perfect,” and you are now ready to pitch it to agents. Then it dawns on you. “Whoa, I’m actually going to have to TALK to these people.” Yes …
Pitch Appointment Angst
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Pitch appointments can be stomach-churning, nerve-wracking moments of angst and brain freeze, which seem to last forever in too little time. It’s understandable when you view them as do-or-die verdicts on your career as a writer. Let’s …
Making Changes
Blogger: Rachel Kent
Sometimes authors are faced with the decision to keep a query letter or project as is or to revise. Most authors feel pretty confident about the direction of a project when the project is sent out. It …