Okay fellow writers, time to go out and build a fanbase from the ground up in order to catch people’s attention and get published! Except, you don’t have anything published yet, so how exactly are you supposed to build a fanbase? Hmmm…. I know what you’re thinking, writing is hard enough without the pressure to build a platform. Unfortunately, the hard truth is that these days, not only are we required to improve our craft […]
Archive | Before the Deal Series
Keeping Secrets in the Publishing Industry
After the… Series, Before the Deal Series, Industry Life, Writing Life
I’m sure everyone who has seen Mean Girls remembers Damian’s famous line about Regina George, the Queen Bee: “That’s why her hair is so big. It’s full of secrets!” Taken out of context, the line could totally work for anyone involved in publishing! Whether you’re a literary agent, an editor, or an author, you will most likely have to keep a secret at one point in time, for one reason or another. I’ve had author friends […]
Trends Never Die
Before the Deal Series, Writing Life
Recently I was part of a Q&A for writers and there were a lot of questions and anxiety around questions about the market and dead trends, and whether or not a book with vampires/talking animals/royalty/[insert your trend or trope of choice here] are doomed from the start. This is the advice I gave then, and I think a wider audience could benefit from it, so I’m sharing it with you: Ignore all that nonsense. Everything […]
Sharing Editors’ Rejections For FOTL
Last year, on October 10, 2017, my lifelong dream came true: FOREST OF A THOUSAND LANTERNS, the book of my heart, was released into the world! As many of you may know, it took me a long time to get here and I’m glad, because all of that time spent improving my craft led to a debut book that I love, feel confident about, and believe represents the best of what I can currently do as […]
An Agent Or Editor Is Interested! What Next?!
Before the Deal Series, Industry Life
It’s a typical morning for you. Maybe you’re in the office, getting ready for a meeting, or at home putting in another load of laundry while the coffee brews. You decide to check your email before getting on with your busy day and you see: Inbox (1) YES! You got a new message since the last time you checked (approximately 2.5 minutes ago). “Stay calm,” you tell yourself. “It’s probably a shipping notice from Amazon, […]