For the Love of Bringing Books to Life: Write, Publish, and Be Known
Pitch Your Book to Life Contest
Everybody loves a contest. For writers and authors, winning a contest can help get the attention of the right agent or acquisitions editor, or add cache to your book proposal. And, yes, there are the prizes and the great fun of winning. Authors also find that taking that step of declaring their book to the world helps them take ownership and gain momentum. Sometimes, you can get feedback on your idea which helps make your book even more compelling. If any of those benefits resonate with you, enter the Pitch Your Book to Life Contest and see what opens up[...]
Pitchapalooza: Nora Hall’s Book Pitch Experience
Bring Your Book to Life Program graduate Nora Hall, recently returned from a Pitchapalooza at the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, VT. She e-mailed me, excited to share what she’d learned about pitching your book in this competitive book publishing environment and to share the great feedback she received about her book. Lisa: Describe Pitchapalooza. Nora: Just what it sounds like––a fun, fascinating, inspiring opportunity to pitch your book. Upon purchasing The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published by Sterry and Eckstut, you’re entered into a random drawing for one minute to pitch in front of the group––and one minute only.[...]
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[...]
Need Research for Your Book? Hire an Intern
Research can be one of the most time consuming parts of book writing–and can put the kibosh on the whole idea. How freeing would it be to find someone else to do that research for you? Here are a few things you need to know when hiring an intern: 1. Often, universities have an online form to fill out and students can read about your project. Check out some local colleges (although they don’t need to be local to do research, it may be helpful to simplify your parameters). 2. Some colleges even have “for credit” internships where you may[...]
Book Proposal: Resources Needed Section
Authors often ask me about the “Resources Needed to Complete the Book” section of the book proposal. My thinking has always been that there’s no reason to include it. An author’s advance will reflect the publisher’s estimate of how many books they think they can sell and how much competition there is from other publishing companies. After going on instinct for the past few years, I decided to ask an agent and make sure I was on track; maybe I was wrong. I asked New York literary agent Rita Rosenkranz for her take on the issue. Rita said, “I discourage[...]
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