Jul 6, 2020 | On Writing
Publishing is rife with conventional wisdom but some of it is actually useful. Here are some of the best. The first page sells the book, the last page sells the next book. I repeated this recently at a Zoom event and like an old dog full of old tricks I was surprised...
Aug 5, 2019 | On Writing
If you want to catch a fish, you have to think like a fish. If you want to get an agent, you have to think like an agent. That is, think like moi. (Even better, think like Janet Reid.) Move me. Like editors and publishers and readers, I’m looking for wonderful stories...
May 7, 2018 | On Writing
It’s writers conference season—and that means once again I’ll find myself sitting in hotel ballrooms with dozens of my fellow and sister agents listening to debut authors pitch their work. And once again I’ll hear my fellow and sister agents ask that most critical of...
Dec 1, 2017 | On Writing
Are you rich? Are you famous? How much do authors make, really? It’s complicated. Which of course is not what people who are always asking me this want to hear. But as James Michener once said, you can make a killing in this business, but you can’t make a living. Or...
