How to Get a Book Published
This is perhaps the most obvious question for a writer to ask a publishing insider: How do I get my book published? Funny thing is, people normally don’t ask it that boldly. More often I get questions like: How do find an agent? Is there some way for me to submit my proposal to you? What […]
3 Questions Publishers Will Ask about Your Next Book Project
For aspiring writers the “pub board meeting,” where book contracts are won and lost, is mysterious and even unnerving. “What goes on in there?” writers wonder. “What’s the conversation like?” For over ten years I’ve been attending publishing board meetings in an acquisitions role for a large book publisher. I’ve learned to anticipate the most […]
22 Clever Ways to Find Time to Write
When writing is your dream job but not your day job, fitting it in the margins of life can be tough. Following are 22 ways to find more writing time: 1. When driving, speak into a voice recorder app. Transcribe it later when you have time. Or you could try a speech-to-text app.
The Best Way to Find Time to Do Your Art
The survey’s gone out, the results are in, and here’s one finding you can take to the bank: The number 1 reason by far that creatives give for not doing their art is “lack of time.” What’s the solution to that? Do we really need 22 clever ways to find time? Maybe, but I think what […]
How to Come Up with a Great Book Concept
Let me start with three reasons working on a book with a lousy concept is a bad idea: Beautiful, compelling writing is terribly important to publishers, but if your beautiful writing is in the service of a concept that no one will buy, publishers will have a hard time getting excited. A far-reaching platform is […]
Why the Right Motivation Matters for Your Book Proposal
Over the next several posts I want to provide a more or less step-by-step process for creating a compelling book proposal. I will do my best to make the process as practical and simple as I can. If you have a book proposal in process, or if you have been thinking about trying to get […]
What Happens When We Write Down Our Dreams
About a year ago I read a book that had a massive impact on the way I do life. It’s called The Accidental Creative (AL) by Todd Henry, and if you’re a friend who sees me regularly, you’re sick of hearing me talk about it. Among the practices Todd commends in the book is that of weekly, […]
When the Best Thing to Do Is Reject Humility
First, consider your context. Fast food chains promote vigorously, as do soda companies, porn vendors, alcohol labels, and your local casino or lotto. And you’re perplexed about promoting something that might actually help someone? Then consider the amount of work you’ve invested in this thing. Hours, right? Hours upon hours. If you’re going to spend […]
How to Start a Sustainable Blog
A few days back a colleague asked me how I started my blog. That’s funny because it feels like my blog is all of three days old. I’m a baby in this thing. But then I thought it might be useful to capture what I did while it’s still fresh. I wish I had been […]
A Desperate Plea from Readers: “Help Me See the Big Picture!”
When I was ten or eleven, my mom asked me to deliver a message to my sister. Mom and I were in a hair salon where she was getting her hair done, and my sister was across the street taking a guitar lesson. To this day none of us is sure what happened on my […]