Thanks for all the feedback on my working title, Madame or Mademoiselle? A Woman’s Solo Journey Through Africa. Here’s the consensus: Readers seemed to like the subtitle, A Woman’s Solo Journey Through Africa. But not everyone was satisfied with the first half of the title, Madame or Mademoiselle? It’s too long, some critics said. It’s […]
To pitch my book to agents and publishers, I need a title. I know what you’re thinking: How can I possibly come up with a title when I haven’t written the book? It ain’t easy. But since I’ve already outlined the book for my book proposal and developed a theme, it’s feasible to build upon […]
As part of my book proposal, I need a catchy two-line selling handle that summarizes the theme and plot of my book. The handle is a bit like the book-jacket blurb, the paragraph readers skim while browsing in the bookstore, one that convinces them to purchase a book. I’ve already shared with you the first […]
So I’d like an agent to represent me. How to go about finding one? For starters, I can weed out everyone who’s not interested in the genre of my book. I need an agent who represents authors of travel memoirs, adventure stories or narrative nonfiction. The best way — in my newbie opinion — for […]
Until I began learning about the publishing process, I thought only movie stars had agents. Turns out wannabe authors do, too. But why, you ask, would a writer want to hire an agent? Literary agents serve as intermediaries between author hopefuls and publishers, helping writers polish their proposal, shop it around to publishers and negotiate […]
Two-and-a-half months. That’s how long it took me to write a book proposal. And it doesn’t even include sample chapters. What proposal could possibly take you 2.5 months, you ask? The kind that’s required for a nonfiction book, one with a working title, promotion plan and detailed outline for each chapter. (For all you novelists […]
I’ve just barely begun to explain my progress on this new blog, but I’ve got to interrupt regularly scheduled blog posts to bring you… Queryday. First, what’s a query? It’s a one-page letter to a literary agent, asking that s/he represent you and your project. If an agent likes your query, she’ll ask to see […]
More than three months have passed since I returned home from Africa, determined to write a travel memoir. As I hole myself up in my home office and coffee-shop hop with my laptop, friends and family ask, “How’s the book coming?” I know what they’re really thinking: What has she been doing all this time? […]
Three months into writing my first book, a dozen envelopes addressed to literary agents are stacked next to my desk, stamped and ready to go. But I haven’t mailed them. Why? It’s complicated. I’m rewriting sample chapters. My professional Web site isn’t ready. And the better I get to know my own book, the more […]