Sara Megibow

In my 12 years experience, it's much much much more common for an author to badly want the publisher to offer on the option material than it is for author to want to sever with publisher. #pubtip

Note - a well-worded option clause means we show the next same-genre book to your publisher. It doesn't, by default, mean we have to sell that book to that publisher. #pubtip

#PubTip = published authors, please have a clearly marked and correctly updated Events Page on your website. Check out @RoanhorseBex as a great example: rebeccaroanhorse.com/events/

#pubtip = profit strategy is vastly different for debut authors vs. published authors. #agenting

#PubTip = be smarter about buy links on your author website!

"booksellers at the forum expressed frustration with authors and publishers who insist on featuring Amazon links first, even when they are trying to promote events at independent bookstores" = shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?iss…

Example of strong opening in a manuscript:
"well, that couldn't have gone much worse."

Example of weak opening:
"Francoise, don't come out of hiding because, as you probably remember, your mother is waiting to punish you for stealing the crown jewels."

#pubtip #queries

Queries for memoir, self help, literary fiction, cozy mystery all receive automatic rejections as I don’t rep books in any of these genres. To be fair, only 1-2 out of 100 per day are making this mistake anymore. #queries #pubtip

#pubtip = YES! Having someone read your query letter before sending is a great idea! (how's the grammar? is the story clear? is it compelling?)

NO! Having someone else write your query letter is not a good idea.

When reviewing submissions for middle grade novels, the #1 thing I consider is voice. We want authentic voice! This sounds subjective but it's not. Read successful, recent middle grade novels to help learn about voice. #pubtip

If you are a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), include that information in your query letter please. #queries #romance #pubtip @romancewriters

When reading submissions, I don't pass on a manuscript for a few typos. I do pass on a manuscript when there is significant data dump. #pubtip

The wonderful @anewlookonbooks asked me, "What does your average day look like?"

Here's my answer = anewlookonbooks.com/2017/11/14/int…

#interview #agenting #pubtip

"What are some upcoming trends" and other juicy questions with me and @KirkusReviews here = kirkusreviews.com/features/sara-… #pubtip #agenting

#pubtip = authors, there is one piece of publicity you can always control: Keep Your Author Website Updated!

Something to note in your writing = not everyone uses BC and AD to mark years. As a Jew, I use BCE and CE (not all Jews do though) #pubtip

In a query for a romance novel, I prefer to learn a bit about each protagonist (usually two but can be 3+ in poly romance) #queries #pubtip

#pubtip = it takes weeks/months for a contract to get from publisher to agent then more weeks/months to negotiate it. #patience #publishing

So publicists, bookstores, libraries, Hollywood agents, audio and translation co-agents know how to get a hold of you = helpful! #pubtip :)

#pubtip = clearly list your agent on your website! (please, pleeeeeeeeze). @dallmon does it correctly here: donallmon.com/contacts.html

What's your PERSONALITY? Biggest pro to indie/hybrid is the control but own-your-own-business isn't the right strategy for all. #pubtip 5/5