For those of you in the United States, enjoy your time of celebration!
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Literary Fiction, Who Says?
As a big shot literary agent, I review scads of book pitches every week, for both fiction and nonfiction projects. And frequently included in the mix is a pitch or two for a piece of “literary fiction.” What’s that, you say? I’m glad you asked, and I wish I knew. It’s not that I’m not smart. I can be, especially if the subject is 1970s rock. It’s just that, well, it’s not much of a thing on the …
The Gerbil Wheel of the Writing Life
A writer spends hours, months, and even years in isolation practicing their art. But it can feel like the gerbil in the cage running on its wheel. They go forward a few steps and back a few steps. They might even get turned upside down only to fall, often without anyone to notice. While there is length to the journey, it doesn’t always seem to be going anywhere. Eventually, their craft …
Fun Fridays – June 27, 2025
The story (I mean song) that never ends. Too funny! Enjoy today’s video. And then remember that when you end your novel or your nonfiction book, leave readers wanting more and don’t drag it out endlessly.
First Published Book in America
The publishing industry in the United States is about $30 billion per year, covering all kinds of books and materials. Traditional book publishers account for about 10% of the total number of books published in the US and about 95% of the revenues. Two hundred fifty years ago this week (June 23, 1775, to be precise), a new book was printed and published in America and available for purchase in …
Honoring the Lord with Our Leisure Time
Anyone looking for entertainment can find it everywhere: television, streaming, social media. And, thankfully, books! With so much fun, we all must be discerning when choosing what to consume, and how to spend the portion of our time allotted to leisure. To that end, recently I’ve chosen to spend some of my free time reading classic books I missed for one reason or another. Through this process, …
Infographic: 16 Embarrassing Writing Mistakes to Avoid
Below is a nice visual reminder from Grammarcheck.net about basic writing mistakes that people make. Do you have others to add? Source: www.grammarcheck.net
Fun Fridays – June 20, 2025
Talent can be found using the most common devices in the most unusual ways!
Mastering Subtext in Fiction – Part 3
Words can lie. Actions rarely do—unless someone is a really good actor/actress. But taking that element out, there’s a reason for the saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” I talked a lot about subtext in the last two posts. So, let’s dig a little deeper into the topic one more time. For example, a fictional character may say, “I’m fine.” But the tremble in her hands is in direct …
Newsflash: Most Writers Don’t Make a Lot of Money
A couple years ago the Author’s Guild released a survey revealing that very few writers earn a liveable wage based on their income from writing. In fact, most earn less than the poverty line. Publishers Weekly reported the findings this way: “The survey, which drew responses from 5,699 published authors, found that in 2022, their median gross pretax income from their books was $2,000. When …