Get Published

As an agent it can take me up to a year to get a book publishing deal for an author. It is a combination of so many elements that come together to make a publisher say YES. To be honest, most of it is luck, contacts, good timing and simply having a good book to show them.  The truth is that this 'being an author' is a long game, and along the journey you have to keep the momentum up, process any rejection letters, implement any feedback, get back to it, and keep going. Rinse

Think of your back cover blurb like a movie trailer. There is a good reason movie trailers are not made by the writer. It’s so hard as writer to think of your book as a product. It feel like an oversell and a bit awkward to hype it so much right? Not true. This tight piece of writing needs to be SO crafted and SO clever. It also needs to make your book seem dramatic and desperately exciting (far more than it really is). Look, no book – or movie – can sustain that level of exc

Okay so you pretty much know my rule - DON'T write until you are clear on your genre. I can't tell you how many novels I get sent and when I open them I can see that the author has not landed their story in a clear and publishable genr e. The publishing environment is too competitive to NOT know you genre, and its key conventions. Readers will know them, and they buy these books regularly. So this is the first step all authors need to take, which is to put a stake in the gro

One of the biggest questions I hear from authors is this. Should I traditionally publish or indie publish? Since 2013 Jane Friedman has been regularly updating her informational chart about the key book publishing paths. She addresses this question in her website Publishing Trends and I have pasted the chart below. She says this: "Should I traditionally publish or indie publish?" This is an increasingly complicated question to answer because: There are now many varieties of

So you have got a book out there into the world. Massive congratulations. But getting a book published is one step, getting it to readers and getting reviews is another step and project all together. We have put together a long list of places you can list your book and submit it for reviews. It covers free and paid reviews. This is a huge step in getting some eyeballs, and hopefully sales, on your words. Here is a huge list of things you can do, and take your time and work

*** This is a revised and updated version of this blog or lesson. I always keep this current as it never gets old! ** Writing your synopsis can be even tougher than writing your entire novel. Or it certainly feels that way. The reason is that it is often done after the fact when you just want the book over and done with. But there’s no escape – to send off your book you HAVE to write one. And you have to nail it. In fact, a good synopsis sells your book. This is what you wi

You may have written (or want to write) a non-fiction book that is based on your professional expertise. Or a memoir (also a non-fiction by the way). Or perhaps it's an illustrated children’s book, a cookbook or a photographic travel book. Enough? Not quite. If you want to get a publisher or agent you are not going to send them your whole book. You need to drill down your entire book into a shorter document that captures its essence. Most books are commissioned by publi