At the risk of making everybody’s eyes glaze over, today I’d like to talk a bit about one of those hands-on, practical issues that’s key to any book’s life cycle but totally unsexy: Galleys. No, this has nothing to do with seafaring or food. The truth is, there’s a lot about writing and publishing that’s
When approached by self-published authors for help with book promotion, I used to ask a single question: “Do you have blurbs from at least two established authors?” If the answer was no, I’d suggest they gather some before we speak. Blurbs are an essential piece of the vetting process and vetting is crucial to gaining
“What can I do to get my book onto a bestseller list?” If I had a dime for each time an author has asked me this question, I wouldn’t need to be a bestseller myself to be rich. Until recently though, my answer has always been a disappointing, “I have no idea.” Or, “There’s nothing
Yes, Valentine’s Day has come and gone in 2016, but the tips and sentiments from the following post originally published on Writer Unboxed in February ring true for any holiday season: Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, which for couples everywhere means ramped up romance complete with gifts of roses, chocolate, jewelry —
Your manuscript is finished and the agent submissions checklist is all set: Target list: check. Killer elevator pitch: check. Brief bio including previous literary accomplishments: check. SASE ready to go to those agents who still request one: check. Or perhaps you’ve decided to self-publish and everything’s ready, including a cover designed around a gorgeous image
“Dear publicist, My book just released and I’d like to promote it. How can you help?” “Hi! My novel came out last fall and sales have been close to zero. Can we talk about what your firm can do to promote it?” Ouch! These emails break my heart. I typically get about two like this