How to Celebrate Book Lovers Day
Happy Book Lovers Day! How are you celebrating? I just started reading Sarah Blake’s The Guest Book, which I bought at Wakefield Books, the wonderful independent bookstore one town away from mine. I include the Amazon link but do encourage you to get a copy at a local bookstore if you can! The Washington Post said, “The Guest Book is monumental in a way that few novels dare attempt.” And, judging by the first couple of chapters, I would have to agree. Sarah’s writing is exquisite and the story both epic and timely. Being a slow reader, I can tell… Read more
How to Engage Modern Readers Through Voice, Style and Tone
Voice, Style, Tone: these tools of the writer can help you engage the modern reader. Ignore recent changes in reading preferences and reader’s needs at your peril! Less Time; Less Bandwidth Modern readers are strapped for time. Authors of the 19th and 20th centuries had the luxury of readers who often liked to work hard to understand a work. Working the brain served as entertainment. Nowadays, outside of academics, readers want you to make it easy for them. They have less time to read. They often multitask and don’t focus in the same way. And they’re used to being entertained…. Read more
Facing Fear, The Bird’s Eye View and New Material for Writing
Where was this new material coming from? I thought I’d finished my first draft. Yet, by making—and keeping—a morning commitment, I often find myself discovering new material. Some of it may not go in the book. Maybe it’s a blog post. Or a guest article. Or even material for a new book! Yet, some of it is sure to make it into the book. Yup. I Skipped Writing. I skipped writing a couple days ago because I was sure I had no new material to write about. Then I found myself telling my friend Paula about my experiences at Fields… Read more
The Secret to Making Progress on Book Writing Every Day
Every day I make some progress on my book writing. Some days I surprise myself with new material for what felt like a fairly complete book. Most days I do some typing or editing of the book or proposal. My friend Paula is typing up my handwritten edits when our schedules mesh. No progress is too small when it comes to book writing! Recently I reconnected with Cathryn who took Eric Maisel’s Deep Writing class with me (more about that in my post Here’s How to Finish Writing a Book). Cathryn and I decided to ask each other the 5… Read more
Happy Independence Day: Here’s to Freedom!
In honor of Independence Day, here are a few inspiring quotes about freedom and independence from Goodnet. What’s your favorite quote on the subject? Happy 4th! Enjoy the festivities. “My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.” – Adlai Stevenson (31st Governor of Illinois and United Nations ambassador 1961- 1965) “Freedom cannot be bestowed — it must be achieved.” – Elbert Hubbard (American writer, publisher and artist) “The great revolution in the history of man, past, present and future, is the revolution of those determined to be free.” – John F. Kennedy… Read more
Advice from Literary Agents and Publishers (Acquisitions Editors)
Having just returned from Harvard Medical School’s CME publishing course, I’m sharing the sage advice from literary agents and publishers, which they shared during a panel on publishing. Regina Brooks (Serendipity Literary Agency): Some publishers are moving away from traditional publicity and are embracing content marketing instead. This increases the requirement for authors to create additional material beyond the book content to stimulate and promote their brand. Don Fehr (Trident Media Group): There are many more platforms to get noticed: traditional publishing, self publishing and blogs. Lisa Akoury-Ross: Be open to multiple ways to get your message out there. With… Read more
Working on Book Proposal this Summer 2019
I’m excited to be working on a book this summer (and my book proposal for it) and can’t wait to share my inspiration with you when the time comes. So, am I disappearing? No, but if you are interested in working on a book or proposal with me this fall, now is the time to let me know. I’ll be offering my Fast Track Your Book Proposal program in October and now is a great time to start working on your book concept, book structure and platform building (growing your reach) in preparation for developing a standout, compelling proposal. If… Read more
Working with a Literary Agent
“What’s it like working with a literary agent?” ‘What’s the role of a literary agent?’ “What can I expect from a literary agent?’ ‘What’s expected of me?’ “Are there any mistakes I should avoid?” If you wonder about the answers to these questions, today’s post is for you! One of my clients recently signed with one of my favorite New York literary agents. My client’s questions reminded me how daunting the process can seem, and how helpful it is to know what to expect. The whole process of submitting your book proposal and waiting to hear back can feel stressful,… Read more
Do You Really Know Your Audience?
While speaking with a client about her audience, I had a sense that the audience for her book was different from the audience for the high-end program she was developing. So, we went to the source, her muse, and asked her muse (during a guided visualization) to show her the audience for the program. The author had thought of her audience as a cross between herself and the people in another program—people who were overweight. In contrast, her muse showed her people who looked more fit, a woman and a man. The man held a briefcase. Both looked professional and… Read more
Here’s How to Finish Writing a Book
How to Finish Writing a Book: My Breakthrough A few weeks ago, I attended a “deep writing” retreat with creativity coach Eric Maisel at Kripalu yoga center in the Berkshires, in order to finish writing a book. I came to class with less than a third of my first draft. In 5 days I completed: Most of the first draft, with just a few details to add (which require research) A chunk of the bare bones of my book proposal Ideas for book promotion A rough query letter What gets in the way? How can you overcome that in order… Read more
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