Get Published

Sending Your Submission to an Agent

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 4, 2016

Submitting your work to an agent can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be. A few simple steps will help you gain confidence, regardless of your method.

Unsolicited submission

This is when you are querying several agents and you have no connection other than seeing them on a list. I really don’t recommend the cold call submission, because it’s not likely you’ll find exactly the right agent for yourself just by choosing names from a list.

But if you do, it’s fine to ask for acknowledgement that the agent received your work after waiting until the agent’s posted and estimated response time has expired. That way, at least you know that it wasn’t lost and is still in the review process by the agent.

Submission based on some familiarity

Not every writer can go to a conference, but you can still establish some connection by following the agent’s blog, liking the agent’s business page on Facebook, and following the agent on Twitter and/or other social media. Be a friendly presence by commenting on blog posts and sharing the agent’s posts from Facebook, and retweeting Twitter comments. If you are uncomfortable following the agent on all social media, I recommend being a faithful blog follower and commenting when it makes sense to do so. This way, you will have some name recognition with the agent when you submit. An added benefit is that you’ll get to know the agent, too.

Requested submission after conference meeting

When the agent has asked to see your work, congratulations! Be sure to label your submission as requested and in your cover letter, remind the agent where you met. You can even refer to any special connection you may have made, such as a mutual interest in vintage jewelry.

When you do get the nod

Again, congratulations! I hope the nod is from your first choice agent. Regardless, if you have submitted to more than one agent, let the others know before you sign. No one wants to spend time on a submission, only to find it’s no longer available.

Happy submitting!

Your turn:

Are you in the process of submitting to agents? What has been your experience?

What advice can you share with authors who are submitting to agents?

Don’t Waste Your Time

By Karen Ballon February 3, 2016

Some days…those rare, out-of-the-blue, once-in-awhile days…God speaks an amen that reminds me all this is worth it. This past Saturday was a day like that. I spoke at a writer’s conference and had a delightful time. At the closing sessions I spoke on passion and why we Christian writers do what we do. How the goal can’t be publication, but obedience to the task God has given us. How writing for …

Category: Career, Conferences, Get Published, TheologyTag: Get Published

Hope to See You at a Conference This Year

By Steve Laubeon January 18, 2016

We are often asked which conferences we will attend and where. Below is a list for each of us with a link to each event. We all hope to see you in person some time this year. Someone from the agency will be in nine different states and Canada and in all four time zones at some time this year. Steve Laube: Feb 4-7 – Hershey, PA – Writer to Writer Conference March 18-22 – Mt. …

Category: Conferences, Get PublishedTag: Get Published, writers conferences

The Whole Story and Nothing But the Whole Story

By Dan Balowon November 24, 2015

I certainly believe the U.S. was founded on general godly principles, but the founders were still human beings lacking the all-knowing and all-seeing ability we might want to assign to them. They were not gods. The founders of the United States disagreed with one another on just about everything. While most Americans enjoy a level of freedom not enjoyed by most peoples in the world, the road to …

Category: Get PublishedTag: Get Published, Stories, thanksgiving

Escaping from Reality

By Dan Balowon November 17, 2015

I enjoy history, especially when I can match up certain events which occurred simultaneously in different places, making for an interesting snapshot of the world at a particular moment in time. Two events juxtaposed create a different story than either would individually. Seventy-five years ago this week the classic Disney movie Fantasia debuted in the United States. It was the third Disney movie, …

Category: Get PublishedTag: fiction, Get Published, Non-Fiction

Tell Us All the Gossip!

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 29, 2015

Sometimes writers hear wild, wild gossip about the industry. Sometimes that gossip is true. Sometimes it is not. Sometimes it is halfway true. As your agent, I want to hear it! You might say, “Wait a minute! Aren’t you a Christian agent? Doesn’t the Bible say not to gossip?” Yes. And yes. But I need to hear this gossip. Not because I love to gossip. I don’t. I don’t have time. For one thing, I …

Category: Agents, Communication, Get PublishedTag: Agents, Communication, Get Published, Gossip

What Makes You Special?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 10, 2015

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Authors have many reasons for writing a particular book. Sometimes those reasons feel so natural you don’t stop to think about them. However, in this market, it’s important to distinguish yourself from other authors and submissions. For nonfiction, you want to show you are an authority on your topic, or that an authority is willing to endorse you. Examples: You are a Christian psychologist using …

Category: Book Proposals, Get PublishedTag: book proposals, Get Published, Qualifications

Are You Writing Out of Order?

By Dan Balowon August 18, 2015

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Generally speaking, if you want to write a book, sitting down at a computer, opening a Word document and starting to write it is not the first thing you should do. Certainly, every writer should write and keep writing. In the same vein, every runner should run, every person interested in being a chef should prepare food and so on. But writing a book is not the first thing you should do if you …

Category: Book Proposals, Career, Get Published, Platform, Writing CraftTag: Craft, Get Published, Platform

I’ve Been There and Now I’m Going There – For You

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 13, 2015

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In this era of, “What can an agent do for you?” I thought a blog about the intangible benefits of visibility and relationships would be worth your time. As a literary agent, I am blessed to speak with a great number of talented authors. Many of them are where I once was — mothers with young children at home. They are lucky to have any time to write. Travel to a writers …

Category: Agents, Book Business, Career, Communication, Get PublishedTag: Agents, Get Published, Relationships

Bad Reviews

By Dan Balowon August 11, 2015

This post isn’t about what you think. I am not going to address how to handle the emotional sting of a bad review. Instead, I am going to talk about those closest to you, showing how your friends and family can hinder your writing career. If you cannot stand the thought those you love may be undermining your career, stop reading now and go make yourself a smoothie and relax. For those of you who …

Category: Book Proposals, Book Review, Career, Get PublishedTag: Family and Friends, Get Published, reviews