Blogger: Rachel Kent
One of my favorite things to do is to call a debut client to tell him or her that we received an offer. It’s such a delight to share in the moment when that author’s dreams become …
Nonfiction
Touch Your Readers’ Deepest Needs
Last week my husband brought home a movie he thought I would enjoy. Gene Shalit called the movie “unforgettable.” We settled in to enjoy this “passionate and heartwarming story,” but not even the impressive cast could overcome the disappointment we …
Getting through a Creative Dry Spell
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Our greatest desire for this blog is to provide fresh information and perspective on the life and business of writing. It’s no small task to do this consistently. Occasionally, okay speaking for myself, more often than you …
The Perfect Title
Blogger: Mary Keeley
An editor contacted me this week to inquire about a client’s proposal. The editorial team is interested in the author’s nonfiction book but asked if she’d be willing to tweak her approach slightly and give it a …
Do Writing Contests Help Your Career?
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Recently, one of my clients emailed that two of her stories had placed near the top in a writing contest and would be included in an upcoming anthology. An editor’s note soon followed confirming that all three …
Your Hook: the On/Off Button in Your Proposal
3 Tips to Enhance Your Marketing Efforts
Blogger: Mary Keeley
With so much competition for readers and still only 24 hours in a day, writers have to find ways to maximize their efforts to increase their name recognition and their book’s discoverability. I’m going to give you …
What Your Proposal Says about You
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Writers communicate volumes of information between the lines and paragraphs, in what is there and in what is missing in their proposals. Today, I’ll let you in on some of the first things agents and editors notice.…
3 Tips for Your Marketing Campaign
Blogger: Mary Keeley
Several authors have commented recently that they wish they could just write and leave the marketing and promotion of their book to the publisher. It’s with gentle understanding that I repeat the reality: those days are gone. …
Benefits for Your Readers
With the exception of novelists who learn about their characters and the storyline as they unfold in draft stage, most writers have a well-developed concept for their book before you sit down to write. At this stage you’re at least …