Nonfiction writers, join me for the 8th annual #Nonfiction #Writers Conference online next week. I'll be speaking about #HybridPublishing and taking 1-on-1 appointments: ow.ly/rDju30jIyz4 #amwriting #pubtip

All of this is true! 👇#pubtip

#pubtip Make those opening chapters rock! Of course, this does not mean that you need to throw us into the middle of the story. Just get the story moving! Hook us!!!

#pubtip Remember you don't have to write an over-the-top strange plot just to make the story interesting. Tell a great story with great characters!

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

Who's your main character? What's his goal? What's keeping him from his goal? What's at stake if he doesn't get it? INCLUDE ALL THIS. PALEEEEZE. Even better if you can do so with the same tone as your MS and if you can show your voice. #pubtip 4/4 THANKS!!!!

I want to have an idea if it's in the average WC range or not. Then, I'll watch for where we could expand or tighten the story. If you don't include your WC, I wonder if you think you have to hide it. 🧐 It's also nice to know your title, even if it might change. #pubtip 3/?

I want to know the genre and category. If I don't represent it, there's no sense reading the query. Sorry, but no matter how amazing it is, if I don't rep it, I don't rep it. Period. What's your word count? If it's too high or too low, it's not an auto R. #pubtip 2/?

I get it. Writing queries is hard, but you still need to tell me about your story. And I don't mean saying it's different, special, or the next Harry Potter. Telling me NOTHING about your MS and just adding your pages to the email doesn't do anything for either of us. #pubtip 1/?

I love knowing that you have many novel ideas...but I always think wisest to query one only. And choose your strongest! #pubtip #amquerying

Having trouble getting to "The End"? If you write 1K words a day, you could have a series romance first draft written in 2 months. 4 months for 500 words a day. Consistent word counts add up no matter how small. #pubtip

👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽 be thankful, keep writing, make smart, financially savvy decisions along the way, find the joy in what you do, build and maintain strong relationships, and you'll find that success is more than just the sum of your sales figures. #pubtip

"Revise and revise and then polish until that bastard gleams. Then find an agent who suits your work. It's like dating, you want to pick the person who is a right fit for you and your work." -Lauren Beukes #pubtip

Truth.❤️#pubtip

Writers, please don't write Qs in character. #pubtip

Keep writing. Never give up. Believe in yourself. #amquerying #amwriting #writerslife #agentlife #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/

So here is my helpful #pubtip for the day: Sometimes, the person answering your call, whose judgment you're dismissive towards, is actually an agent covering the phones while someone else is at lunch.

Submission tips:

*Always try to address it to a particular person.
*Do your research on guidelines.
*Always include synopsis with manuscript submission.
*Hit submit and then focus on the next book.
*Resist the urge to reread submission. You'll inevitably find typos.

#pubtip