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The Unhelpful Rejection Letter
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 …
News You Can Use – Mar. 6, 2012
Your Average Facebook Post Only Reaches 12% of Your Friends - Exposing yet another challenge to the world of marketing, either through traditional means or through social media.
New French Law Seizes Digital Rights - "Any book published in France--which would include translated foreign-language books--that went out of print in France--not necessarily elsewhere--before 2001, can be scanned into …
Fun Fridays – March 3, 2012
A cute remake of a famous commercial:
The original commercial in case you haven't seen it for a while:
Editorial Feedback – Not Just Static
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 …
Writers’ Conference Spotlight: Mount Hermon
One of the best-loved conferences is the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. This year the conference will be held from March 30th to April 3rd. I first went to this conference in the late 90s, and have returned every year since. I love the heart of this conference, which is all about uplifting and encouraging, and about honoring the One who has called us to this amazing task. So, as …
News You Can Use – Feb. 28, 2012
Why Authors Need Agents - Four professionals weigh in on the discussion.
How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Writing - Read this when you have the time.
Questions an Agent Might Ask You - Be prepared if an agent calls you with these questions. It might happen today.
E-b00ks: The Giant Disruption - another breathless evaluation and ominous prediction about publishers. From the UK.
Why …
Fun Fridays – Feb. 24, 2012
The Joke of the Year Award goes to Tim Vine in London at the Lafta Awards banquet. Award is given to the year's best one-liner jokes or puns. Below is the winner and then five more from Tim Vine. Can you top these?
Conjunctivitis.com – that’s a site for sore eyes
Crime in multi-storey car parks. That is wrong on so many different levels.
Eric Bristow asked me why I put superglue on one of …
Why Do I Have to Jump Through Your Hoops?
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 …
A Gathering of Twitches
This blog is from one twitch to another. Let me explain…
My husband loves that I’m a writer. He loves my creativity and passion. And he loves how happy I am when I’m writing. He knows when I’m writing because I get “twitchy.” Translation: Distracted. Otherwise occupied. Caught up in scenes and conversations no one but I—and that multitude in my mind--can see or hear. He knows that when the …