The busy life of a writer and author leaves little time for learning. Still, continuous improvement and professional development is critical in any professional endeavor. It’s important that authors interact with their fans, friends, fellows, and industry professionals. But it’s not always easy. Conferences, signings, and other events take a toll. Time away from family, […]
Tag Archives | Publishing
Advice From Pros: Erin Henn from Booksmart Literary Scouting
Booksmart Literary Scouting is a literary scouting agency founded in 2022 and led by Erin Hennicke, drawing on her 25+ years of industry experience and combining her love of great writing and film/TV. Hennicke began her career in the Subsidiary Rights Department at Viking Penguin, overseeing domestic/foreign/audio/& film/TV rights, before segueing into the film industry […]
Goals, Goals, and More Goals. Taking The New Year by Storm
I’ve always been driven by goals. Not so much that I am consumed by them and ignore life. But goals are a healing tonic for me in more ways than one. When I’m accountable to myself, and to others, I produce. I see a goal as a target to shoot for and a worthy adversary […]
Awesome Professional Associations for Authors and Writers
Have you ever joined a professional association hoping to gain the secret sauce for success? I have. In my lifetime, and over decades of professional pursuits, I’ve been a member of more associations than I can count. Sometimes, the industry licensure or employer require certain memberships and so you pay the fee, read the literature, […]
My Beta Reading Deadline
As an author and a critique partner, beta reading is always top of mind. This month, I have a looming deadline to get my WIP ready for beta readers to dig into. I also have two books to beta read and review for another author. While I would like to say the holiday season slows […]
Happy Holidays and Thank You for Being You!
You know those newsletters that arrive in your email box this time of year from your favorite authors wishing you a happy holiday season? Well, this isn’t one of those. Nor is it an opportunity for me to tell you about my travels overseas to exotic locations that inspired my books (confession, I already wrote […]
Writer’s Corner: 5 Ways to Make the Most of The Publishing Industry’s Holiday Break
If you’re a writer, author, literary agent, publisher, or publicist, you get this title. It’s that time of year when all doors close to submissions and interactions with those in the industry. If you plan to reach out to editors and agents this month, odds are you’ll soon get an auto-reply that they are closed […]
Advice From Pros: Kim Childress with Childress Ink
Kim Childress is the founding publisher of Childress Ink, a publishing resource, publicity, and product development company centered around books. Thirty years in publishing, Kim is an award-winning editor, author, speaker, and reviewer, including book editor for Girls’ Life magazine since its 1994 debut, and previous middle grade acquisitions editor for HarperCollins Christian Publishing (Zondervan). […]
Writer’s Corner: How to Weave Exposition into Your Book Like A Pro
This is a tough topic. Why? Maybe you’re like me and coming to the fiction writing world through a side door, instead of crossing over the threshold like a pro. Yup, I admit, I wrote a lot of books before I knew the fundamentals and yes, probably what the heck I was doing. So, as […]
Writer’s Corner: 5 Elements of an Eye-Catching Query Letter
Advice is everywhere. You can search for great samples, read agent and editor’s interviews, or swing by Writer’s Digest for the instruction on eye-catching queries. I recommend doing all three in your pursuit of crafting something compelling. But before you do, keep these five elements in mind: Share Details: It’s amazing how many query letters […]