For the Love of Bringing Books to Life:       Write, Publish and Be Known








Writing a Book? Don’t be Shy…

In book writing class last night, Sarah mentioned that she wasn’t able to write during the hours she planned this weekend because her husband, her main supporter, was out of town. Instead of writing, she drove her daughter to 5 soccer scrimmages.
During the call, Sarah realized that she could have reclaimed her time by asking [...]

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Writing in the Zone…Again

Last week in book writing class, management coach and HR consultant Carrie Beers shared how she found herself amidst intense turmoil at a time when she needed tranquility to foster her creative process. While having her home re-done, she’d temporarily “stored” boxes and piles everywhere, particularly in her office which seemed an uninviting place for [...]

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Book Writing: Insights on Voice, Humor and Flow

Truth is, half the reason I started this post is to share the beautiful photo Carrie Beers took from book writing class last week. Can you imagine a more inspiring setting for book writing?
The other, more important half, is to share some of the insights that come up in class–and the great ideas that people [...]

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The Process of Getting a Literary Agent

People ask me about the process of getting a literary agent. You probably know you need to submit a query (or meet an agent who says, “Yes, I want to see your proposal”), then submit your book proposal (a significant document often 50-80 pages), then wait.
But what’s it like from the inside? I asked Dr. [...]

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Writing a Book vs. Marketing a Book

I’ve been “talking” by e-mail to Dr. Ellen Weber Libby, whom I met a few years ago at the Harvard Medical School CME publishing course.
Elly and I immediately connected and I became first her book proposal coach and then her book writing coach for The Favorite Child, which was published last month by Prometheus Books [...]

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Book Covers: How to Design a Book Cover that Sells

Your book cover can make or break book sales. I recently recommended a book to a student in my book writing class and she said later, “I never would have bought that book without your recommendation. There were so many visually appealing books and this book had neither title or cover to entice me. ”
I [...]

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Literary Agents: A Bad Rap?

I found a response to one of my youtube videos this morning that got me on a roll. After writing a short dissertation in reply, Youtube informed me I only had 500 words to respond. Blog time.
The controversial video is a tongue in cheek joke (and a tad silly).  The comment was this:
“Remember, many agents [...]

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Writing Inspiration: Trusting Your Muse

I’ve committed this week to walking every day. In the northeast US that’s a pretty big commitment in February–especially for someone who traces her ancestors back to the dessert.
What could be better inspiration for a writer than walking in nature, though? And my walk, ultimately, brought me powerful metaphors for the writing path.
I walked a [...]

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How to Choose a Literary Agent: Red Flags

A couple of questions came up about literary agents today and I realized it would be a good topic to share with you. It’s easy to get taken advantage of it you don’t know what to look for or even aren’t quite clear on a literary agent’s role.
A student from my most recent Bring Your [...]

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Perseverence: An Author’s Best Friend

It’s always a thrill when my clients’ books come out and I get that brown cardboard package from Amazon. When Deb Scott finally announced that her book was here, though, I found it especially fulfilling.
Deb had some huge setbacks in her process…making her a great example for the role or perseverance in the life of [...]

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