This week my agent Rachelle Gardner answered a question that pops up again and again: If you self-publish, will that ruin your chances of ever getting published traditionally? Yet while we all hem and haw over whether to shoot for traditional publishing or use our platform to self-publish — and which is better for our […]
I was out to dinner recently with two journalists-turned-MFA-students, asking what they’ve learned so far in the classroom. And it occurred to me that even though I didn’t earn a degree, writing my first book has been an education. It has hit me only in the last couple of years, after realizing just how far […]
It’s been nearly a year since I agreed to work with a literary agent for my travel memoir. My lovely agent has guided me through revisions, helping me strengthen my theme and story arc. She has, no doubt, helped me make my book better, all with the intention of eventually selling it to a publisher. […]
I’m super excited about revising my manuscript again, and incorporating suggestions from my agent. But unlike my first 86 revisions, this time it’s not the changes that are daunting. This time, it’s finding the time to make those changes. Between my full-time journalism job and my part-time social media business, I no longer have entire […]
For every newbie author, there are firsts on the road to publication. There are the Big Firsts, like landing your first book deal and seeing your published book on a store shelf for the first time. But there are also lots of Little Firsts, firsts we each need to experience before hitting the big ones. […]
When your literary agent tweets something like this, then tells you she was referring to your book, it pretty much makes your day.
Writing this book is a learning process, even more than I expected. There are quite a few major things I wish I had understood before I began, and I’m sure more will arise as I continue through the editing and publishing process. As I prepare to begin my writing residency at Hambidge next week, as […]
I whine a lot about how writing news on deadline stifled my creativity. But as I transition from newspaper reporter to author, I’m realizing that journalism taught me a handful of lessons that apply to writing a book, reminders that can benefit even non-journos. Do readers care? If my manuscript came across my reporter’s desk […]
If you’ve been reading this blog regularly, you know what I’ve been working on for the last four months: outlining my book, writing a book proposal and query letter, choosing agents to approach, applying to writers’ colonies, learning about blog book tours, and then some. I’ve also, believe it or not, written some of the […]