As I noted when talking about editing a novel, writers often fall into an endless editing trap. You could go over your manuscript an infinite number of times and still find things to improve—or at least change. A client and I once made two rounds of edits on his book. …
Tag: Publishing
New Manuscript Formatting Guideline
One of the great things about attending writers conferences—or any conference in your given industry—is the ability to meet with experts who know more than you and learn from them. At this year’s Florida Christian Writers Conference, I enrolled in a four-day fiction workshop taught by Ramona Richards of Abingdon …
Digital publishing does not impair sales
Pardon me while I take a break from the Elements of Fiction series to address this article published by the New York Times: “I Was a Digital Best Seller!” The writer, Tony Horwitz, calls his story “a cautionary farce about the new media and technology we’re so often told is …
What to include in a book proposal
For the last several weeks, we’ve focused on getting ready for a conference. So you go to a conference, pitch your book, and the editor says, “That sounds like it has potential. Send me a proposal with your first 50 pages.” And your stomach caves in, because you don’t have …
How to pitch a book
When attending writers conferences, many people get extremely nervous about meeting with editors and agents. I know I certainly have. It’s understandable. The key to remaining calm when you pitch a book is realizing, first, that agents and editors are just regular folks doing their jobs, and second, that you …
Where to find agents
If your goal is to be published by one of the major houses, you’ll need an agent. Writer’s Market lists agents on its website, and also publishes a Guide to Literary Agents. The Association of Authors’ Representatives, the main professional organization for agents, maintains a directory of its members. Check …
‘Publishing 3.0’ — what is is and why it matters
Over at TechCrunch, author James Altucher has written an excellent article about the process of self-publishing his book Choose Yourself. Every entrepreneur should self-publish a book, because self-publishing is the new business card. If you want to stand out in a world of content, you need to underline your expertise.—James …
How to choose a publisher
One good way to find the right publisher for your book is to find similar books in your topic area or genre, and submit your manuscript to the publishers of those books. When using this method, you do need to ensure that a book very similar to yours hasn’t been …
Penguin Random House merger approved
The Big Six is now the Big Five, which somehow just doesn’t have the same ring to it. The deal sailed through the regulatory approval process in all the countries that had a say in it. The New York Times gives this picture of publishing’s new behemoth: The new company …
Q&A: What is an imprint?
Q: Yesterday you mentioned imprints at the Big Six publishers. What is an imprint? A: It’s a brand within a brand. Just like Proctor & Gamble makes Tide detergent for clothes and Cascade detergent for dishes, large publishers—especially the vast publishing conglomerates that make up the Big Six—form different brands …