Get Known Before the Book Deal

A Publishing Primer from the Chronicle of Higher Ed

A really helpful article of publishing terminology in the Chronicle of Higher Education today.

Check it out, if you want an entertaining read on a potentially dull topic.

What Does Managing Your Expectations Mean?

This excellent list of tips from Christian Literary Agent, Rachelle Gardner, answers this question thoroughly.

Ask not what your agent, editor, publishing house can do for you. Ask how are you willing to partner with them?

Short, Sweet and Accurate

This article from The Star-Ledger is an accurate response to the question: How do I get a book published?

The problem is where are you going to find the book that helps you find your topic and your following.

Get Known Before the Book Deal is the only book to cover this topic in depth with the end goal of traditional publication in mind.

What Book Editors Want from Full Circle Literary's Blog

This article, though it's not formatted well, has good content that summarizes what agents and editors are looking for in aspiring authors. For more information on Full Circle Literary visit their website.

Psssst. Want to hear about a really cool book?

You do?

Okay.

Then click here.

How to Land a Non-fiction Book Deal Redux

Well, she's done it again. My editor, Jane Friedman, over at Writer's Digest has summed up what everyone who wants to land a nonfiction book deal needs to do.

And all in one short and sweet little pdf file that you can download and read again and again and again, until you really truly believe her (instead of simply doing what you were going to do instead).

Visit her blog, There Are No Rules and you'll find the link where you can download the presentation Crafting a High-powered Nonfiction Book Concept in this post.

Keeping Platform Development Real: The Blog-to-Book Deal

I see articles, like this one from Typepad all over the Web and traditional media. It's another article that will undoubtedly raise the hopes of bloggers everywhere that they too can land a six-figure book deal simply by choosing a topic and blogging about it.

I don't want to be a party-pooper. I really don't. But I feel the need to point out that while these three bloggers were landing book deals using the blog-to-book method, hundreds, if not thousands, of other writers were getting deals in the traditional manner by pitching themselves to agents and editors.

I was so happy to see popular blogger Penelope Trunk keeping the blog-to-book fantasy grounded for her fellow bloggers. You can see from her suggestions in this article, that while the goal of blog-to-book may sound oh-so much easier than going the traditional route, Trunk has no delusions about it. Platform building and marketing, which is how agents and editors typically view blogging, is actually not a substitute for all of the usual skill sets (like writing well and book proposal writing, which is the selling your writing part) that writers have to learn to clinch a book deal.

One of trickiest parts of what I do as a writing-for-publication instructor is help my students assess the value of their platform accomplishments through the eyes of agents and editors. Because yes, platform development through the Internet is very important for writers of every stripe, who wish achieve traditional publication. But their is a straighter, shorter path and that is to be the one who delivers your pitch to the agents and editors themselves, instead of waiting to be discovered.

Platform Superhero: The Newbie's Guide to Publishing with J.A. Konrath

There are heroes among us and I'm committed to pointing them out amidst the backdrop of riff-raff and scammers, who slither in increasing numbers through the ethers.

What's a platform superhero?

A platform superhero is a publishing insider, who willingly shares information with the world in hopes of increasing everyone's chances for publshing success in this crazy industry where pretty much nothing makes any sense.

One such platform hero is J.A. Konrath. For one thing, I love his tagline:

"There's a name for a writer who doesn't give up...published." Now that's good stuff.

For another thing, he keeps his advice real and his feet on the ground even as he succeeds book deal after book deal after book deal. I admire that in a writer.

And finally, we attended the same school for writing, Columbia College, Chicago.

And what do you know, just when I decided to name Joe the very first Platform Superhero, his fifth novel, Fuzzy Navel is due to hit the shelves next week. I hope it becomes a bestseller.

Check out The Newbie's Guide to Publishing. Buy Joe's books. And join me in bestowing upon him the very first Platform Superhero badge (as soon as I get it back from the designer).

Thanks, Joe. Keep up the great work!

Hope to See You at the Willamette Writers Conference, Portland, Oregon August 1-3, 2008

I’ve been re-invited to the 2008 Willamette Writers conference are August 1-3rd at the Portland Airport Sheraton Hotel. You can now register online.

I've been invited to be the Friday luncheon speaker. Here's a schedule of where I'll be when.

I highly recommend this conference and I hope to see you there!

Thursday night, July 31st, Writer's Faire

This is a free event! 5-7 p.m.

Come network with published authors! I'd love to see you at the Writer's Faire!

Friday, August 1st:

Workshop: 10:30-12:00
Your Roadmap to the Non-fiction Book Writing Process
Do you know about book graveyards where editors at publishing houses bury the books that don't ever see the light of publication? As an aspiring non-fiction author, you need to be forewarned about these types of pitfalls. This workshop will serve as the roadmap-in-hand that you'll need to tread the traditional book-publishing road wisely. You'll walk out knowing what to expect from the glimmer of an idea all the way through to your book's publication date. This workshop will grant you the courage to control the things you can and the wisdom to let go of the things you can't, so you can focus on writing the best book possible. Learn about the role of agents and editors, the non-fiction book publishing process, how to make the best choices for your book, and how to form win-win-win relationships with the publishing industry players on your book's team.
Level: All
Format: Presentation, Q & A

Luncheon Speaker: During Lunch 12:15 - 1:30 p.m. Come hungry, leave inspired!

Book Signing: I'll be signing copies of Writer Mama in the afternoon.

Friday & Saturday: Nonfiction Book Proposal Critiques. Request me when you register.

Silent Auction Participation: I'll be auctioning off a free scholarship to my class Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff (Especially for moms) and a copy of Writer Mama!

In November 2008, I'll be touring for my second book with Writer's Digest Books, Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Strengths to Grow an Author Platform coming out in October 2008.

If you would like to invite me to speak at your conference or event, please email me at "writer mama at earthlink dot net."

Or you may wish to check out my upcoming e-class schedule here.

Another Good Platform Article Featuring Fellow WDB Author Sharlene Martin

The Bainbridge Island Review featured an article on agent Sharlene Martin by Lindsay Latimore. This one is definitely worth reading.

Also interesting to note that this is not an article in one of the big Seattle newspaper but look how much exposure you can get for one short article in your local paper thanks to the Internet.

This article rolled in on my daily Google Alerts.

Are you tracking your niche with Google Alerts? It's a good habit to get into, if you haven't yet.

Food for thought.