The key to getting a book contract is looking way beyond the book contract to when your book hits shelves. The key to getting a book contract is pairing a great idea with a significant platform and compelling writing. The key to getting a book contract is, in a word, hustle. Every publisher loves to […]
In the world of nonfiction publishing, the book proposal is king. Writers, agents, and editors may have conversations before the book proposal. But all the real action takes place when the proposal hits publishers’ inboxes. If you’re a nonfiction writer who wants traditional publishing houses to take you seriously, a strong proposal is the place to invest […]
I’ve just returned home from the ReWrite writers conference in Austin. It was a great time of listening to and connecting with numerous talented and passionate writers. I thoroughly enjoyed it. But I can’t help thinking about the fact that a lot of the people who attended are going to experience some level of rejection […]
Chasing a dream can be tough. It takes perseverance–sometimes more perseverance than we’ve ever had to muster in the past. Chasing a dream stretches us in ways we’ve never been stretched. I tend to think we actually become different people when we pursue a goal to which we feel deeply called. Watch this video to […]
We were all excited. An author we had just published was going to be on Oprah, and the subject of our author’s book would be front and center during the interview. We shipped thousands of books to make sure our accounts had plenty of inventory. The day came, and Oprah set her up beautifully. The author did a […]
The more I work with successful people and observe how they become successful, I’m convinced: success is not the result of some magic key. It doesn’t happen to people who are smarter or prettier or more talented than everybody else, or at least that’s not how it happens most of the time. It’s much simpler […]
I recently received this question from an aspiring writer: “I have a contact in book acquisitions who is willing to look over a proposal. I have ideas and draft work for like 4 books. How do I decide what to send him?” Friend and author Michelle DeRusha and I are in the middle of a training […]
Imagine you could pick up the phone when you needed writing or publishing advice and talk to two professionals with over 35 years of combined experience. These two have racked up a host of publishing/writing credits and have helped hundreds of other people get published and make progress toward their writing and publishing dreams. Do […]
I would have slammed into her if I hadn’t been looking. Luckily, at that particular moment anyway, I was, and so stopped within a few feet of her flashing hazards. The silver 1990s Corolla was bunching up the morning commute, and clearly the car was going nowhere. On another morning, a more hectic morning, no […]
A group of friends got together to ask some questions. They ended up changing the world. In 1727 Benjamin Franklin started a group of about twelve souls whose purpose was individual and community improvement. The “Junto,” as Franklin called it, met on Friday nights and went through a list of questions including: What new story have you […]
