Tag: editors
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Answered: Your Most Burning Questions About Editors
For every brilliant manuscript that grows into a best-selling novel, untold thousands of others get dumped into the recycle bin. What’s the crucial difference between them? Ask Jamie. Over the years, James Persichetti has seen more unpublished manuscripts cross his desk than most people could read in a lifetime. He started out at the incomparable…
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8 Secrets to Pitching Your Novel Like a Pro
When it comes to publishing a novel, the actual writing is only half the battle. In order to get the attention of a publisher, you have to know how to “sell” your book. I think we can all agree that most writers are not natural-born sales professionals. So it’s easy to understand why the idea…
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What an Editor Really Does — and Why You Need One
I first met Anita when she worked with my literary agent, Kristin Nelson. Anita is a freelance editor who helps writers bring out the very best in their novels. She was kind enough to share her editing insights, including why you should never let a rejection letter get you down, and why joining a critique…
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When in Doubt, Check Preditors & Editors
Preditors & Editors Have you been approached by a literary agent who wants to charge you a reading fee, has pointed you to a private “commercializing” service or seems just a little bit TOO slick to be a good catch? It seems like the moment you decide you’re going to write a book, the sharks…
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Aspiring Writers, Take Notes!
You can write a novel that seems absolutely perfect to you: the dialogue is tight, the characters are richly layered and the plot crackles with energy. But you’ll still get notes, I guarantee it. And that’s a good thing. Notes, by the way, are the comments you get from decision-makers (mostly literary agents and editors)…
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Nail Your Genre in 3 Easy Steps
Last week, I talked about how you can write a novel in any genre, as long as you know exactly what that genre is. And believe me, you desperately need to define your book’s genre. As promised, here’s a nuts and bolts plan that shows you how to do it, in three outrageously simple steps:…
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Want to Get Published? Know Your Genre!
You can write a novel in any genre you want, as long as you know what it is. To me, a “genre” is anything that comes with a certain set of expectations. If you tell me your story is a hard-boiled mystery, then I’ll know what to expect. If you tell me it’s a time-travel…
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Literary Agents, Editors and You, at the Brenda Novak Diabetes Fundraiser
This is a great charity event! I’ve been wanting to donate to this for years. (True story: back when I worked at a book distributor, there were two pallets of Nora Roberts and Iris Johansen paperbacks I was almost able to donate, but then there was an unfortunate incident involving a blizzard, an aging forklift…
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What Kind of Writer Are You? Find Out!
Writers generally fall into three camps: hobbyists, aspiring professionals and working pros. The difference is not so much about your writing skills or experience as it is about your goals. A hobby writer just wants to have fun with writing. You know what I mean: get together with friends, talk about inspiration, maybe write a…
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Why Editors Are Just Not That Into You
Whenever I hear a writer complain that editors just aren’t “getting” her latest story, I suspect what they’re actually not getting out of it is emotion. As human beings, we like to sit around the campfire, literally or metaphorically, and tell each other stories. Stories enlighten us, inspire us, gift us with a new perspective. …
LAURENCE MACNAUGHTON 