Beating Writer’s Block
Many writers never have a problem with writer’s block, and so we sometimes say, “There’s no such thing.” But that’s not quite right. The truth is, there are various reasons why people feel “blocked,” which makes it hard sometimes to figure out why a writer is having problems. Here are the most common reasons for […]
10 Career Killers
Most writers kill their own writing careers. Several people asked me to write about some of the ways they do this. So I’m going to take a moment and just mention a few career killers. Some writers focus on appealing to the wrong crowd. Very often new writers will try to gain the approval of […]
Crossing the Finish Line
You may not know it, but you’re a racehorse. If you look at writers from a publisher’s point of view, that’s exactly what you are. You’re someone who writes glorious novels, and if you want to make a name for yourself, you’ll do it frequently—once a year or more. If you want to have publishers […]
Writing Made Easy
Read until the end for updates on upcoming writing courses and a special preview of my Serpent Catch series Book 1. *** I often say that “Writing is easy, but writing beautifully is hard.” At least for me, I can sit down and put words on paper quickly and enjoy myself, but when I’m really […]
Playing Nice with Fandom
Many new writers, when they get their first book out, hope to go to writing conventions and be treated like a superstar. I’ve seen writers make questionable demands and engage in outrageous behavior, so I’d like to issue a fair warning. First, anyone who wants to be a writer should help put on a writing […]
Writing the Impossible
When I fell in love with the idea of writing, it was after reading my favorite novel of all time. I thought, “I want to write stories like that,” not realizing how big my dream really was. You see, when I meet new authors, I almost always find that they hope to write great works, […]
Measuring Impact
This morning, I read an article which claimed that “Avengers: End Game” has now become the all-time best-selling movie. In fact, here is a quote from the Fox news article: “Disney also officially surpassed another all-time record with ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ The Marvel film added $1.5 million globally, giving it enough to surpass “Avatar” to become […]
Building Better Relationships
When you create a relationship with an agent, editor, or publisher, very often you’re going into a long-term relationship. Some authors even compare it to a marriage. Your agent and publisher will want you to maintain fidelity with them—and unless the relationship is in trouble, you probably should. Think of it this way. They’re your […]
11 Things You Want When Choosing a Publisher
Most authors don’t think about “choosing” a publisher. Most authors send out manuscripts, sometimes rather blindly, in the hopes that a good publisher will choose them.
But think about this. Before a publisher can respond to your manuscript, you have to initiate the contact. You’ll never get a good publishing deal without first choosing to send the manuscript out in the first place.
For most authors, the publisher might just be a name that they see on a list. The author doesn’t necessarily know if the publisher is a good one, a great one, or a terrible publisher—and publishers do run the gamut from fantastic to mediocre and down into terrible and hellish.
Bad Agents
I mentioned last time that even an Indie writer might find himself in need of a good agent. A great agent can be a tremendous help to a writer, but unfortunately not all agents are great. Here are some ways that I’ve seen them be bad: The pretender. Some people like to pretend to be […]