A few months ago I had a phone call. It went like this: “Michaelbrent! Hey, it’s John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt.*” “Hey, JJJS,” said I. ‘Cause that’s how I roll, baby. “What’s up?” “Not much,” he said. “Hey, I know we haven’t talked in about five years, but thanks for sending me an update every so…
Category Archives: Get Published
Commitment – The Only Way to Get Your Book DONE!
Millions of people want to write a book. However, less than 10 percent of them actually accomplish that goal. The reason, I’m willing to bet, is that the other 90 percent of aspiring authors are not truly committed to the project, and so they never get it done. Are you committed to writing your book?…
Agents, Editors and Conferences
My experience as a volunteer for a recent MWA Writer’s Conference was rewarding and educational. LITERARY AGENTS They are the nicest people. Yeah writers you heard me, they rock. They work extremely hard, put in tons of overtime, and still have to be personable all of the time. Most of them that I’ve met personally…
Writing a Proposal for Your Non-Fiction Book
When I started writing Marines in the Garden of Eden, my goal was to have it published by a traditional publishing house and stocked in every major bookstore in the United States. I signed a publishing contract with Berkley Publishing Group, part of the Putnam/Penguin global publishing giant. Marines in the Garden of Eden appeared…
Becoming a Bestselling Author is Hard Work!
Ready to write your first book? More power to you. Ready to live in luxury from the royalties? Time for a reality check. I won’t waste space with a lot of statistics on how hard it really is to make money writing. That approach is not only boring and negative, it’s futile. Everyone who conceives…
Why Can’t I Get My Novel Published?
There are abundant bear traps along the way that even writers who are old hands at accepting the vagaries of the publishing industry are having difficulty navigating in the current literary marketplace. Here are several issues–some old, some new–to consider. Pitching a Book to the Wrong Agent or Publisher is Problem #1 Genre specificity plagues…
Get Published by a Small Press
Small presses are not “less than” presses. Almost every major publishing company today began as a small press. In fact, the Association of American Publishers reports that over 73 percent of its membership qualifies as small or independent press. However, understand that some small presses have not been in business very long, others have not…
Be Prepared to Publish Your Book
The wise first-time author seeks information about writing, publishing and marketing. Publishing reference books can provide a wealth of information. The style manual for the book industry tends to be The Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago Press), and using it as a reference can help you learn such basic information as the parts…
Seven Mistakes That Will Get Your Novel Rejected
As a writing coach and book editor, I’ve seen too many novelists, with the very first line they write, destroy their chances of ever getting published. A good novel will grab the reader’s attention with its first words, create characters the reader wants to know, create a situation the character must resolve, create suspense, create…
Get Ready to Get Your Book Published
It really thrills me to see so many people interested in writing books — people from every slice of the American pie. Your numbers are impressive, but it is your passion that motivates me to encourage you. Your work, whether academic, literary, genre fiction, self-help or the most basic how-to, is valuable, and you should…
Get the answers you need to turn your non-fiction book into multiple information products. Click here to learn more.
-
