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...]
The blog for writers
The Book Deal
How to find a hungry agent
Here’s a literary agent who’s very specific about the kind of book she'd like to see in her inbox: “I love books with some kind of psychological element, like if the MC has a mental illness or if they can't trust their mind.” Working on anything like that? Or something close? Want to know more … [Read more...]
Timing your book’s launch date for maximum impact
Strategic timing of your book’s publication date can give it a jet-propelled boost and have a major impact on its long-term success. Commercial publishers and booksellers have known this forever. Christmas and beyond Retailers rack up between 25-35 percent of their annual revenues during … [Read more...]
The bears and bulls of publishing: An insider steps up
EBook buyers read more books. They’re the future! We’re in the midst of a fantastic transition. Words from another outsider advocating the overthrow of legacy publishing? Nope. Not this time. Instead, these bullish sentiments come from a consummate insider, John Glusman, editor-in-chief of W.W. … [Read more...]
What writers can learn from Barry Eisler
It’s inspiring when a successful author goes out of his way to help others in the craft of writing. Barry Eisler is one of those good guys. Though he’d probably rather be known as one baaad dude. He’s a one-time CIA operative, a judo black belt and an intellectual property attorney, who's also a … [Read more...]
Why writers need agents: 4 pros weigh in
Literary agents are still the gatekeepers for authors seeking traditional book deals. That's the bottom line, despite all the big changes in publishing, says Candice Fuhrman, an agent with many New York Times bestselling authors in her corner. “As long as publishers are buying books and paying … [Read more...]
Hot young agent’s old-school methods
How do literary agents who blog, tweet and carouse online find the time to do the real work of agenting: reading, hobnobbing with editors, reading some more and making great book deals for their clients? That’s what Chris Parris-Lamb, a rising star at the Gernert Company in NYC wonders, and it’s … [Read more...]
The last laugh: If self-published authors owned the midlist
Mega publishers like Simon and Schuster and Random House could someday cede the midlist to a vast army of self-published authors. In that scenario, they'd focus instead just on blockbuster books by brand-name authors and celebrities. All the rest -- the literary fiction, the cookbooks, the … [Read more...]