by Anne R. Allen This is the stuff a writer’s dreams are made of. I got an email from an acquisitions editor last night that said: “I started reading Food of Love tonight… And I love it…the characters are so real and the situations so fascinating… Bravo. Wow, even. I’ll get a contract in the mail to you […]
Indie, Big Six, or Small Press Publishing: Why Not Try All Three?
Today’s guest post is from Kim Wright, a versatile author who is taking all three publishing routes: Big Six, small press and indie. She’s blessed with a smart, supportive agent who is encouraging her in all the paths she’s choosing. The paperback edition of her literary novel, Love in Mid Air debuts this month…Anne Hedging Bets: Three Paths […]
Book Reviewers: the Good, the Bad, and Katie the Book-Eating Dog
Today we have a special mid-week guest post from international bestselling writer Jeff Carlson, author of the Plague Year trilogy (Ace) as well as the self-published bestselling Kindle novella “The Frozen Sky,” which is also on Nook and will soon be available on iBooks. Amazon reviews and book bloggers strongly influence any writer’s sales, so writers […]
Literary Agents: An Endangered Species?
by Anne R. Allen Publishing keeps zooming into the future: This week, J.K. Rowling announced she’s self-publishing the Harry Potter ebooks, and as one agent tweeted “why [does] she need a publisher anymore? I predict Pottermore becomes her sole publisher.” On the same day, Publishers Lunch announced yet another agent, Sarah Dickman, is leaving agenting […]
E-Book as Query Part 2: 10 Tips for Spotting Bogus and Predatory Agents.
by Anne R. Allen As I reported last month, the self-published e-book is fast becoming the query of choice for many New York literary agencies. Rather than slog through mountains of slush, agents are closing their offices to queries and shopping for new clients in the Kindle bestseller lists. Why not? That’s where they’ll find unrepresented […]
Writer’s Conferences—Are They Relevant in the Internet Age?
by Anne R. Allen The summer writers’ conference season is upon us, and wordsmiths everywhere are packing up laptops, manuscripts, and literary dreams to head for those idyllic retreats where they can polish their craft, learn the latest publishing trends, and hang with successful authors, agents and publishers—for a hefty fee. At some of […]
What it Really Means When Your Book Gets Rejected
Today’s guest post is from one of my favorite authors, Ruth Harris. She’s a bestselling author–and a former Big Six editor and publishing executive who has gone over to the indie side. She knows what she’s talking about. Her sales numbers are in the millions. Her fiction has been translated into 19 languages, published […]
Is the E-book the New Query?
by Anne R. Allen If you’re like me, you’re getting a little bored with the indie vs. legacy publishing debate. People are talking a lot of crap on both “sides” of what shouldn’t be an either/or argument in the first place. (See sci-fi author Jeff Carlson’s great post on the subject here.) But this week I […]
Want to be a Successful Author? 10 Things English Majors Have to Unlearn
by Anne R. Allen One of my favorite moments in film happens in Star Trek IV, when the Enterprise crew find themselves back the 20th century. Kirk refers to “the complete works of Jacqueline Susann, the novels of Harold Robbins,” and Spock replies, “Ah… The giants!” Funny bit. But the thing is—they were giants. Not great writers, but […]
What if Somebody Steals Your Plot?
by Anne R. Allen I often hear from new writers who are afraid their plots will be stolen if they talk about their books online or in critique groups. But I tell them to rest easy. Writers have a lot to be wary of these days—faux agents, bogus publishers, e-book pirates, content mills, James Frey—but […]
Do You Know How to Spot a Bogus Literary Agency? 8 Red Flags to Watch For
by Anne R. Allen I’m working on a couple of new projects—watch this space for exciting developments—so I’m running a New! Improved! version of an oldie-but-goodie. The original post garnered a visit and an approving nod from agent Janet Reid—the Query Shark herownself. ****** I belong to the generation of women who were told we […]
Have Big Publishers Become a Bunch of Zombies?
by Anne R. Allen I have a confession to make. My high school nickname was “Zombie.” The moniker was intended as an insult, but I loved it. I dressed in black, dyed my hair a dead ash color and wore ghastly white lipstick. I was goth before goth was cool. My senior year, my family […]
CAN YOU WRITE A PUBLISHABLE FIRST NOVEL? 8 DOS AND DON’TS TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES.
by Anne R. Allen Gearing up for NaNoWriMo? Good for you. You’ve always wanted to write a novel and next month you’re going to do it. But remember that most first novels never see print. Editors call them “practice novels.” Like any other profession, writing requires a long learning process. But there are a […]
