Why Selling Your Book Can Take So Long youtu.be/Rxr7nEWE6ug via @YouTube #PubTip

Telling me that you ‘forgive me’ for going to Duke in a query is not the way to my heart or head; just tell me about your book #pubtip

#Pubtip Sharing my B-LIST system for sorting people & orgs that can help w/ book sales & promo. Check all that apply for each name:
-BLURB the book
-BOOST the book
-BULK BUY the book

Authors: create this list 6+ mo before pub & share with publisher.

If you want specific grammar rules applied to your ms that deviate from Chicago MOS (commonly used by book publishers) state it clearly before it goes to copy editing. #pubtip

Write a good Q letter & submit to agents who represent your genre. Do your research first. There really are no other hoops to jump through. It's all about the writing and the story. Half of my clients came to me this way. #pubtip

Straight memoir sits on an extremely competitive shelf esp if you're not a household name or have a huge platform. But making your story the backbone of a bigger story can attract more readers to your book. #pubtip

Reason number a billion not to let rejection in this industry throw you: like most good agents, I have to pass on a HUGE number of projects with commercial potential because I just don't have the room in my brain. It's not even a judgment on the work! #pubtip

What a Cover says About a Book youtu.be/YLCWmS5ACd0 via @YouTube #PubTip

#pubtip: It is in the best interest of your #writing career to take every professional edit you receive and learn and improve from it. Then, no matter what, you will have gained something from it.

Last week, @jmcgowanbks and I pulled a bunch of books off our shelves and talked about What a Cover says About a Book youtu.be/YLCWmS5ACd0 via @YouTube #PubTip

Love this by my brilliant DMLA colleague! What's your vibe?? #writerstip #pubtip #amwriting

"Make it bigger" is a common phrase I use when speaking with my clients. Simply, I'm asking for you to look again at the plot to bring an element (or hook) to the surface that will easily appeal to a much wider audience. #querytip #pubtip #agenting

Perhaps my best #pubtip is to always be working on the next book.

#pubtip Hint, editors and agents cannot make a decision on your query letter if all you tell me are the themes of your story. Remember, there is this little thing called plot.

Random #pubtip: the most common issue I see with otherwise promising fiction MSS is the excessively picked-over first 5%.

Do not procrastinate downstream by obsessively rereading and smoothing these early pages.

Also, you do not need that prologue, and we all know it.

10 Mistakes You're Making When Handling an Offer of Representation youtu.be/fjUuJ9Q3tA8 via @YouTube #QueryTip #PubTip

#Pubtip when submitting a manuscript to an editor or agent, pls include your email in the message and make sure it is accurate. Had one today where the author gave me a partial home address and no email. My submission form doesn't track your email. Bummer.

This also applies to Lord of the Rings and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #pubtip

Getting the exact right book title is a dark art. One approach is unexpected pairings: #pubtip
-Radical Candor
-The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
-Good to Great
-Eats, Shoots & Leaves

Writers, always include your contact info on your title page. #pubtip