For the Love of Bringing Books to Life: Write, Publish, and Be Known
Book Proposal Tip: How to Choose Sample Chapters for a Book Proposal
If you’re interested in being published by a traditional publisher, you probably know you need a book proposal to interest literary agents and publishers in your book. That includes enclosing 1-2 sample chapters. How do you choose and how many? Many agents are happy with one chapter to start but they often request the second (or more) before you actually sign the deal. You may want to give them two to start with. On the other hand, if you’re in a hurry, one will usually suffice–you can always e-mail the agent and ask their preference. But how to choose with[...]
Literary Agent Regina Brooks on How to Publish a Memoir: 3 Must Haves
Can you get a publisher for a memoir? Yes. Yes. Yes. Memoirs sell. There’s nothing quite like a bestselling memoir and publishers are still looking for them. Competition is fierce, though. When my friend and colleague Literary Agent Regina Brooks told me she just signed a contract with St. Martin’s Press for her new book, How to Write, Sell and Market Your Memoir, I asked if she’d share a few insights pre-publication. She generously agreed. So here are the 3 things Regina said every memoir needs: 1. A Strong Hook: What’s the book about? Can you couple two disparate subjects[...]
How to Choose a Literary Agent: 9 Questions to Ask an Agent
In my last post, I shared the story of a client who just got a call from a top literary agent who wanted to represent him and his book. Now, he needed to know how to choose a literary agent. Seven other agents had recently requested to see his book proposal. These are the questions I suggested he ask the literary agents: 1. Why are You Passionate about this Book? Notice what words and tone the agent uses. Are they conveying passion? Compare the different agents. The ones who sound most passionate will also be most passionate with publishers. Their[...]
The Publishing Process: An Interview with Successfully Published Author Jeffrey Hull
Shortly before my second son was born, I worked with Executive Coach Jeffrey Hull on his book concept, helped him think through whether to self-publish or traditionally publish and provided feedback on his writing. When my second son came along, immersed in mommying, I referred Jeff to a colleague, Lisa Sussman, to help him with his book proposal. Before he sent out the proposal, I weighed in with additional feedback and ideas. It was exciting to get his book Shift: Let Go of Fear and Get Your Life in Gear in the mail a few weeks ago. I thought of[...]
How To Make Sure Your Book Proposal Gets Read…And Fast.
This weekend an agent told me she wants to represent an author of mine and she hasn’t been this excited about a book since she represented two authors whose books became top sellers. In our conversation, I happened to ask about another proposal a different client had sent in and she hadn’t seen it. Whoops. Turns out I forgot to tell the author to put “Requested material” and my name on the envelope. 1. Send a query first. Only send the proposal once the agent or publisher requests it. Otherwise, it goes straight to the slush pile or sometimes even[...]
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