From the category archives:

Selling Your Book

Thumbnail image for The Writer’s Bookshelf

The Writer’s Bookshelf

If you’re like me, you treasure your writing bookshelf, the volumes that have survived the onset of the Internet and stand loyally by, ready to be perused or referred to. Below are some of the titles I treasure most. Are they on your shelf? If not, they’re worth checking out.
The Chicago Manual of Style: The [...]

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Category Fiction: What’s Hot?

In my Marshall Plan® books I have always recommended writing the genre you love to read. It gives you several advantages. First, the passion you have for reading a particular genre carries over into the writing. Second, you’ll already have a good idea of what’s been done and what hasn’t.
But what if you read several genres? [...]

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How to Turn Off an Agent

A lot has been written about the proper way to approach a literary agent. Equally helpful, I think, are some guidelines on how not to approach an agent. Do any of the following and you’ll be sure to turn an agent right off.
Educate him about publishing. Why do some writers feel compelled to begin their [...]

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Get Your Buzz On

Many writers have a hard time figuring out what’s different about their work and then expressing this in words. Yet being different is vital in today’s fiction writing world.
Buzzuka is a fun, free way to develop and refine your buzz. I enjoyed working my way through the process. Here’s what I came up with:
What if you [...]

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Agent Secrets

In the old days, writers in search of an agent usually began by consulting printed directories—often at public libraries because the directories were so expensive. Not so anymore. Now, thanks to the Internet and some helpful sites, you can conduct an intelligent search on your computer.
Begin with three sites that offer detailed information on literary agents.
Agent [...]

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Putting Myself Out of Business

A Special Report
All we hear nowadays is that publishers won’t look at unagented material anymore; the legendary slush pile is dead.
But it’s not true! Even if you don’t have an agent (and these days it’s harder than ever to get one), if your novel is completed you can start submitting right now. A number of [...]

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Report on the Self-Publishing Book Expo

report on the Self-Publishing Expo

On Saturday, November 7, I attended the first Self-Publishing Book Expo at the Sheraton Hotel in New York City. Accompanying me was Martha Jewett, my coauthor on The Marshall Plan® Novel Writing Software. We gave out free copies of my book The Marshall Plan® for Novel Writing and demonstrated the software it’s based on. And [...]

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