A behind the scenes look at the fireworks display you recently watched!
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Prayers for the Nation
As we celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the United States this week, it is my privilege to offer prayers that are timeless yet needed today more than ever. These can apply to any country. I hope you will be blessed by these prayers from The 1928 edition of The Book of Common Prayer. A Prayer for Congress. MOST gracious God, we humbly beseech thee, as for the people of these United …
Bestselling Books of 2003
Another in a twice-yearly offering looking back at a certain year and its bestselling books. There’s no better way to get an idea where we are now than looking back to see from whence we came. Fifteen years ago this week: New York Times Bestseller List, July 6, 2003 Fiction THE DA VINCI CODE, by Dan Brown. (Doubleday) Mega-selling book which became a blockbuster film in 2006 starring Tom Hanks …
Best Advice for New Authors – For Working with Their Publisher
The idea to write this post came from a conversation this past week with a client who turned their manuscript in to the publisher a week early. The editor was thrilled! Thus began a short exchange on what every writer should endeavor to do in their career. This may seem simple but is important to reiterate. Do your best work. Always. No shortcuts. No “mailing it in.” No “sending …
Counting Cash – Fun Fridays – June 29, 2018
A video of authors counting the entirety of their annual income in cash. Just kidding! Actually a video showing 70 people from 70 different countries showing how they count money. Who knew?
Is It Okay for Me to Resubmit?
When approaching agents and editors, sometimes even veteran authors are unsure if there is some unwritten rule they may unwittingly violate. I assure you, all of us in the industry appreciate your thoughtfulness. But we don’t want fear to cause you to miss an opportunity! Over the past few conferences, one statement I heard often is: “I was already turned down by someone else at your agency. I …
In Praise of Memorable Sentences
In her book, The Writing Life, Annie Dillard tells the story of a well-known writer who was collared by a university student, who asked, “Do you think I could be a writer?” “Well,” the writer said, “I don’t know…. Do you like sentences?” Dillard continues: The writer could see the student’s amazement. Sentences? Do I like sentences? I am twenty years old and do I like sentences? If he had liked …
Test Your Writing Out Loud
Once you write something, try reading it out loud. It might change the way you write. I worked with audiobooks for a number of years and few things were more interesting than how something sounded when read aloud by the audiobook performer, whether it was the author or a professional voice talent. There were times, when an author read their own material for the recording, they actually stopped …
A Request for a Full Manuscript! Now What?
Katie sent the following question: What should an author do if they receive a full manuscript request from an editor as a result of a contest, but the editor works for a small publisher and the author wants to explore other options first (e.g. getting an agent, finding a bigger house, etc.)? I would like to avoid a breach in etiquette here, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s …