Tamela Hancock Murray

Happy Valentine’s Day!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 14, 2013

open book with red heart inside
Today is St. Valentine’s Day.

How appropriate for a literary agent who loves and represents lots of Christian romance novels!

Valentine’s Day is a favorite in our house. As a newlywed, I bought a heart-shaped cake on our first Valentine’s Day together to celebrate. Later, I bought a heart-shaped cake pan so I can bake a cake myself. That first year I also cut my husband’s sandwich for his lunch into the shape of a heart. But he telephoned from work and said that my efforts made the sandwich too small! After all these years, I still like to treat him to an extra-special dinner and tie a balloon to his chair, though.

Whether or not you write romance novels, my wish for you is that you will experience the joys of all types of love in your life — romantic, familial, and friendship. Each day I praise the Lord for the people He has placed in my life, a divine demonstration of His perfect love.

Your turn:

What are your favorite traditions for this day?
Have any of your characters celebrated Valentine’s Day in your books?

Ch-ch-ch-Changes

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 31, 2013

by Tamela Hancock Murray

Taking Your Questions

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 24, 2013

In my ongoing quest to address the needs of our blog readers, I am answering more questions authors have posed in the comments section of past blogs.

What publishers do you generally work with, and with which ones do you have the closest working relationship, or usually contact first? Which ones do you avoid? And why?

What I think you really want to know is, "If I sign with you, where will I …

Category: Agents, Book Business, Get Published, Marketing, TamelaTag: Agents, publishers

Questions About Editors, Countries, and Awards

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 17, 2013

This blog is a continuation of my question-and-answer session in response to queries posted on a recent post.

1) Would you be able to get access to briefs from editors on what they are looking for and suggest to the author if there are any mutually interesting topics or genres?

Yes. Between the three of us, our agency has 81 years in publishing experience. During this time, we have forged …

Category: Agents, Awards, Conferences, Get Published, TamelaTag: Agents, Awards, Editors

Answers from the Mountaintop

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 10, 2013

(Or, from my desk in Virginia, where I am fueled by bold, rich coffee)

Before Christmas, when I posted about having a serious talk with your agent, a couple of you asked more questions. I really appreciate you! Over the next few weeks, I'll provide my perspective on various questions. I want my posts to be a source of good, helpful information, so feel free to make more queries in the …

Category: Agents, Book Business, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Get Published

Past, Present, and Future

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 3, 2013

The year 2012 proved to be another wonderful year in which God blessed our family.

We welcomed a new son-in-law into our family. Joel and Jill are happy in Daegu, South Korea. Of course, we wish they lived near us, but we still keep in close touch. Attending their July wedding meant we were privileged to visit South Korea, a memorable adventure made more special by Joel's gracious …

Category: Personal, TamelaTag: 2012, Personal

Love Came Down at Christmas

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon December 20, 2012

This year I am being blessed with a stress-free Christmas. Why? Because I am spending the day with a few key people in my life who love me. Just before the Lord takes me home, these are the type of people I'll want surrounding me at my bedside.

I am responsible for the dinner, but with these people, if the steaks burn, we're fine. We'll order Chinese. Or dig something out of the freezer.

We …

Category: Christian, Faith, Personal, TamelaTag: Christian, Christmas, Faith

Serious Talk with Your Potential Agent

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon December 13, 2012

What are some of the things you should ask when an agent has called to offer you representation? Here goes, in no particular order:

1) Would you go over your contract terms with me? Even though you will be reading the agency contract before signing, this is your chance to learn the main points you can expect to see. Ask questions now. After you review the contract, don't be afraid to ask for …

Category: Agents, Book Business, Contracts, Get Published, TamelaTag: Agents, Book Business, Get Published

Why Is My Royalty Check So Small?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon December 6, 2012

This is it! You’ve had a book published, and your advance money is long gone. But your publisher has promised a royalty check and you know exactly when that check is supposed to arrive. You run to the mail box every day for two weeks until finally, Voilá! The check is here! You rip open the envelope to see a grand total of: $28.52? What???!!! How can this be? So much for the big screen TV. …

Category: Book Business, Contracts, Money, TamelaTag: Book Business, Money, royalties