What is your goal for writing today? Is it reasonable? Is it too little? Too much? #pubtip Have a goal EVERY day before you write.

#querytip Being selective & purposeful in the agents you query will go a lot farther than throwing your story at any and every agent you can.

i.e. querying an agent with a genre they specifically say they don’t want is a sure way to get an auto rejection.

Thinking about your author platform can be terrifying.
#amquerying #pubtip
katemckean.substack.com

Setting a realistic deadline that is further out is better than setting an overambitious deadline that will be hard to meet. Everyone works at different speeds. Set deadlines that are right for your life and the time you have to write.

#pubtip

I haven't emptied my query inbox in awhile.

No wonder I'm running out of space...

That's about 10 month's worth. #querystats

Read a lot. But especially pay attention to recent debut novels in your genre. That is where you want to be. #pubtip (And don't be a jealous hater. Successful debuts mean more money for pubs to buy stuff.)

Loves, please be aware that forwarding your query repeatedly every weak w no text isn't a good way to follow up. It makes the inbox more unwieldy and doesn't reflect well on communication skills. If/when you follow up, please say new words about why. #querytip #subtip

An author asked me how to not come off creepy in their query letter, which sparked the idea for this post: Personalizing The Query: How Much Is Too Much? #querytip marycmoore.com/index.php/2019…

I finished my #WFWA pitch day reading. Look forward to reading some great material!

For anyone interested: There were about 90 pitches and I requested material from 15. #querystats

Do You Know The Difference Between Literary, Upmarket and Commercial Fiction?

Knowing how to categorize your work is one of the most important skills a writer needs to know–especially while querying. Here’s an infographic to help. bit.ly/1WLrOpD #writetip #querytip

In this newsletter, you can read a real query, in full, that I picked out of the slush pile and then went on to sell the book. For subscribers. #amquerying #querytip

I spent 5 years blogging about publishing, #writetip & #querytip advice.

Today, I rounded up some of my best posts: carlywatters.com/2019/02/21/bes…

Enjoy!

#PubTip

Author gets a 2-book deal.
Book #1 is delivered and Book #2 is due, say, in a year.

During that year, author may also write any of these things as long as it doesn't "Interfere With Timely Delivery Of Book #2"
- IP work
- short stories
- other series
- next book
- ETC.

Random #querytip: Voice doesn’t always mean the dialogue or the thoughts/italics that come from your main character. Most of the time, it’s actually your sentence structures and your word choices. So, how can you best convey your style, and your character, through words?

#amquerying #querytip #amediting #amwriting #amreading #askagent

It's almost time! Join us at 7:30 to discuss WHICH PUBLISHING PATH IS BEST FOR YOU! #amwriting #amquerying #querytip Don't forget to ask any questions and use the #Publishable tag. youtube.com/watch?v=E1jAvu…

If your prologue is the length of your sample pages, perhaps rethink its need to be a prologue and not Chapter 1. Or pepper the backstory throughout the work instead. #querytip

I do not personalize rejections on query letters, only on requested material. So asking me to change my form letter to "prove" I've read your query won't be happening. Please don't do this, it's strange. #querytip

#READERS: The best gift to an author is to post a positive review. Take the time, it will mean so much to them! #pubtip

If you're a querying writer who has been previously published, it'd be really helpful to also include the title/genre/and pub date of your previous works. Merely saying "I've been published before," doesn't give agents a clear enough picture. #pubtip #querytip