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The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Archives for Tamela Hancock Murray » Page 57

Tamela Hancock Murray

My Hat Collection

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 15, 2012
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As an agent, I wear many hats and I love them all!

Miner’s Hat:
Worn while picking through slush pile submissions.

Tiara:
Worn in celebration of gem discovery in the form of your marketable manuscript.

Gold Crown:
In celebration of signing you to be a new client.

Baseball Cap:
Worn as I strike through weasel words in your manuscript.

Sun Bonnet:
Adorned during our picnic, where I dispense tea when you need sympathy.

Saucy Red Beret with diamond ribbon broach:
My sales hat. This means I am energetically pitching your wonderful manuscript! The diamonds mean I am already successful, and you will also be successful since you’re with me!

Fedora:
Serious meeting hat for contract negotiations, and is always accompanied by a business suit. In black.

Bankers Visor:
For those times when the we analyze your royalty statements and collect the publisher’s payments.

Hermes Scarf:
For tooling around town in our rented convertible, on our way to meet with editors, to keep hair from getting mussed. Accompanied by Tiffany sunglasses.

Royal Ascot Hat:
Wide-brimmed and adorned with an embarrassment of blooms, this is what we wear to celebrate your success!

Your Turn:
What type of hats do you wear when you are writing?

By the way, Steve Laube wanted to share what hats he wears. They are pictured below. One to wear and one for backup while the third is being washed.

 

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Category: Agency, Humor, TamelaTag: Agents, Humor, Tamela

The Unhelpful Rejection Letter

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 8, 2012
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Have you ever received an unhelpful rejection letter that says, "Sorry, but this just isn't a fit for us."? I have. And I've also written more of these rejections than I'd like to admit. In fact, after I write this post, I may just have to send out twenty more.

Some authors write back to say, "Can't you tell me what I can do better? What suggestions do you have?" I'm sure I frustrate writers …

Read moreThe Unhelpful Rejection Letter
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, Rejection, TamelaTag: Get Published, Query Letters, Rejection, Tamela

Editorial Feedback – Not Just Static

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 1, 2012
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As Steve Laube pointed out the other day in his post "The Stages of Editorial Grief" receiving a tough edit can make a writer feel off-kilter, angry, unworthy, and summon other negative emotions. Of course it's okay to experience negative emotions. You can't control how you feel, though you can control how you manage your feelings. As he wisely points out, the key is to overcome emotions and get …

Read moreEditorial Feedback – Not Just Static
Category: Craft, Editing, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Editors, Writing Craft

Why Do I Have to Jump Through Your Hoops?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 23, 2012
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Recently, my assistant had a conversation with an author who did not send a complete proposal. The author was referred to our guidelines and gently reminded that we needed more material in order to make an evaluation. But instead of saying "thank you" for the guidance, the author declared they did not have to jump through any hoops, and took the opportunity to aggressively express their complaints …

Read moreWhy Do I Have to Jump Through Your Hoops?
Category: Agency, Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Book Business, Editors, Get Published, Pitching, Proposals, Tamela

Charmed, I’m Sure

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 16, 2012
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Dear Editor:
You really should meet this author! He knows all the best places to dine. I couldn't believe the fabulous meal we were served at a hole-in-the-wall place I'd never heard of until I made his acquaintance. He has also been quite generous and charming to my family. My husband and my kids have nothing but great things to say about this wonderful author!
In our meetings both in person …

Read moreCharmed, I’m Sure
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Get Published, Pitching, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Editors, Pitching, Proposals, Rejection, Tamela, Writing Craft

Modern Speech

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 9, 2012
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A couple weeks ago we discussed local flavor in expressions. It got me to thinking that I grew up in an era where no one thought anything of saying, "He should be shot," or "My father is going to kill me," for minor infractions. One of my friends noted that if a teenager said that today about her father, someone would call Social Services. After the Columbine tragedy that left so many dead or …

Read moreModern Speech
Category: Craft, Language, Tamela, Trends, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Grammar, inclusive language, Writing Craft

Fresh Formulas

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 2, 2012
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Some have a hard time appreciating the talent involved in writing genre fiction. By genre fiction, I mean novels that fall into a defined category such as contemporary romance, historical romance, romantic suspense, or cozy mystery. Many of these novels are published by mass market publishers (like Harlequin) and fit in lines they have formed for the sole purpose of selling the genre.

These are …

Read moreFresh Formulas
Category: Agency, Branding, Craft, Creativity, Genre, Get Published, Romance, Tamela, Trends, Writing CraftTag: Book Business, Craft, Genre, Ideas, Proposals, Romance, Tamela, Writing Craft

What Does That Mean?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 26, 2012
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Some time ago, I was writing a story and used a variation of the sentence, "He wished he could be fly on the wall when they had that conversation." This puzzled my critique partner, who didn't know it meant. She had never heard the expression "fly on the wall" before and didn't know it meant the character could be an unobtrusive observer. I decided to change the sentence for fear others wouldn't …

Read moreWhat Does That Mean?
Category: Craft, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Humor, Southern Expressions, Tamela, Writing Craft

Your Brand is Not a Limitation

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 19, 2012
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It is All About Expectations What if you bought a recording from a music group expecting their usual collection of ballads, only to hear guitar anthems? Or what if you picked up a book with a pink cover that promised a love story but ended up reading a novel where hapless and nameless victims suffered gunshot wounds on every page? You’d be disappointed, right? I would be. You don’t …

Read moreYour Brand is Not a Limitation
Category: Book Business, Book Business, Branding, Career, Get Published, TamelaTag: Book Business, Branding, Marketing, Tamela, Writing Craft

How Many Critiques Spoil the Broth?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 12, 2012
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Today I'll give my opinion on a question sent to our blog:
When an author is trying to find the right Genre to write in for a particular subject, is it profitable to listen to only one critique? 
Discover

The author who posed this question is in the discovery phase. Writers who read lots of books and have developed a love for many types of stories often have trouble deciding what to write. …

Read moreHow Many Critiques Spoil the Broth?
Category: Craft, Get Published, Tamela, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Get Published, Rejection, Tamela, Writing Craft
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