Are you a new writer with a killer book? Having a tough time nailing an agent? You'll be interested in this. Mark Gottlieb is a leading literary agent at Trident Media who's found great success selling first-time author manuscripts. We're talking six-figure plus deals. He also champions … [Read more...]
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The Book Deal
What 4 top agents desire in a memoir
Sometimes it seems like everyone's writing a memoir. You too? So how can you break out of the pack and and persuade an agent to take a look? Here are four accomplished literary agents, and they’re all selling memoirs. Scroll down to see some of the books they represent. These agents are the … [Read more...]
Can writing a book make you a star? Yes it can!
Just ask my author Lenore Skenazy, whose debut book Free-Range Kids – How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry) led to her own reality TV show, among many other surprises. If you would like your children to learn then they can watch videos on Youtube such as the boo … [Read more...]
Lessons from a great book jacket designer
The bright yellow cover of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is instantly recognizable. The Wall Street Journal called the jacket, designed by Peter Mendelsund, one of the most iconic in contemporary fiction in the U.S. Mendelsund, Associate Art Director at Knopf, now has his … [Read more...]
Ever wonder what a developmental editor could do for your book?
More and more writers are hiring their own developmental editors, whether they plan to self-publish their book or hope to land a literary agent and go for a book deal with a traditional publisher. To give you an idea what a professional developmental editor could do for your book, here’s a … [Read more...]
Ask the editor: Breaking the “write what you know” rule
Q: I have a terrific story to tell, but it didn't actually happen to me. Is it possible to write with authenticity about something you haven't experienced firsthand? A: Many great books are written by authors who seem to have nothing in common with their character's experiences. Different gender, … [Read more...]
Have you ever written something you later regretted?
I sure have. It was 1964 and I was on assignment for The Nation magazine to write a review of the Beatles at Carnegie Hall, their first live appearance in the United States. No Soul in Beatlesville There I was, standing on a shaky balcony seat trying to see the stage over a mob of hysterical, … [Read more...]
Prequels build buzz!
Have you heard what some savvy authors are doing to build excitement and attract readers to their upcoming books? They're writing prequels: tantalizing teasers in short story form that preview the key characters and settings of an upcoming novel. Some prequels predate or provide backstories … [Read more...]
Too much vertical space in your manuscript?
In filmmaking, vertical space is shorthand for script pages with lots of white and not a lot of words. For scriptwriters it's the rule. A script has dialogue, brief notes for action on the screen and not much else. It makes for quick reading and ensures a kind of textual scarcity that directors … [Read more...]
An interview with yours truly about self-publishing
A while ago I sat for an interview with Brian Felsen, CEO of BookBaby, a service provider for self-publishing authors. He asked a lot of good questions for authors about working with an editor, getting published, and effective book promotion. Here’s the video, in which we talk about how the … [Read more...]