How not to get an agent by Linda Glaz

Well, we all know the story of the pitch offered to an agent in the restroom. Hopefully, that’s basic enough I don’t need to repeat it here. No? Okay, let’s just say there are better places to pitch to an agent than during very personal time.

How about? You’re such a good writer you don’t need to follow agency guidelines. The agent wants to see a synopsis and one chapter. But your novel is so amazing, he must want to see at least the first five chapters and the ending, after all, the ending’s where it starts to get really good!

Why wait for a reputable agent? Paying for one is so much quicker and she must know what she’s doing, she’s been doing it for twenty years. A closer inspection might show that she’s been agenting that long because she’s making a boat load of money off writers unwilling to learn their craft and submit properly.

Well, then, I’ll just blanket the industry with queries and hope someone is interested. It doesn’t matter that they don’t work with my genre; it’s so doggone good, they’ll want to try and sell my novel, anyway.

We’re human, aren’t we? And the first inclination is to hurry up and get an agent one way or the other.

Alas, there are no shortcuts. There is only one sure way to get an agent.

Write an amazing story.

How?

Learn your craft!

A man doesn’t do brain surgery because he reads a book about it; he studies for years. Practices, practices, and then practices some more.

The best idea for a novel isn’t enough without a lot of hard work. Write, rewrite, find a strong critique group to belong to, attend conferences, take all the classes you can, and read all those books on writing (brain surgery won’t help here), and then put the principles to practical use.

A really amazing story will put you in the hands of an agent, a good agent.

Don’t expect to take the easy way.

You’ve heard it said, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.”

Lena Nelson Dooley wins award!

ANNOUNCEMENT


Joyce's client Lena Nelson Dooley just won the Will Rogers Medallion for western fiction. Lena is an award winning author that has over 650,000 books in print.

A reviewer said of the book, "Orphaned Madeleine Mercer finds herself being ramrodded into marriage with her father's shady business partner. She heads from Boston to Golden, New Mexico, to answer Philip Smith's ad for a mail order bride. Honor, integrity, forgiveness, faith--issues of many kinds stand between Madeline and the man God has for her.

Dooley creates a new and compelling story with unique twists that set it apart from other mail order bride stories. A stand-out volume in the Love Finds You series."         
- Darlene Franklin


Our congratulations to Lena on receiving this honor. Find out more about her at http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

Platform: Who's Responsibility Is It? by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

On one of my writing loops someone posted a link to a 5-part series blog post on Death of Traditional Publishers? by Author Kris Tuella. While I don't believe traditional publishing is dead, I do believe it is changing and facing some unique challenges and competition that won't go away.

Traditional publishing won't die, but it will have to transform in order to survive. It's a business and true leaders understand that transformations like this happen in every business and industry. Innovative leaders look at this time as a great opportunity. It's a time to try new business models, be creative, and get excited!

Authors need to realize they are a business and it's an exciting time for them as much as anyone else in the industry. So many opportunities are opening up to us that didn't exist before. We now have direct access to our readers regardless of where we live or where they live. The Internet and social media are a new tool that Christian writers can use as a writing ministry.

After reading this series, I thought it was very informative and brought out some perspectives I haven't before considered, so I've posted links at the bottom of this post.

I've always been a staunch advocate of traditional publishers and will continue to be. I love my publishers, Abingdon Press and Barbour Publishing. They've been supportive, helpful, and wonderful to work with. I can't say enough wonderful things about my editors, Ramona Richards and Rebecca Germany. However, I'm also one who believes in computers, online platforms, and author marketing. That said, as an author, I'd be like an ostrich with my head buried in the sand, if I didn't take every advantage of what a traditional publisher can offer me and what I can do in promoting myself, my work, and building my online platform. I view my relationship with them as a partnership.

With the ever-present changing world of publishing, I've got to try and survive--to do my part. It isn't my publisher's job to build my platform. If those days ever existed, they're over. It 's my responsibility to build my platform. And if you're an author, it's also YOUR job.

One thing these articles drive home is the fact that author brands sell books not publisher brands. To borrow from a key point posted by Tuella, no one goes around saying, "I just bought a Random House book." Instead, you'll hear people saying, "I just bought a Karen Kingsbury book."

I've had several individuals on Facebook and at book signings ask me if my books are available on Kindle or the Nook. I'm taking this shift in the publishing market and the growing interest in e-books seriously. I'm already one of "those authors" who sells my books on my website/blog, and my debut novel did better than I anticipated.

After all, I can provide something that no other bookstore can, my own signature and additional goodies and promotional items that some find to be a nice touch. Since I haven't asked for permission to quote this individual, I haven't included a name, but here is a comment I received from a reader who purchased my debut novel, Highland Blessings and posted this comment on The Faith Girls Blog:

"If the readers of this blog don’t win a copy of Highland Blessings, I suggest they order it from Jennifer’s website. I did and the book came with nice personal comments, autographed of course, book marks, a nice personal note on really beautiful Highland Blessings stationery, and a post card. My wife read the note and said, 'Do you know this woman?'"


People notice when you go the extra mile or take a few additional steps to do more than you HAVE to do. They not only, notice, but they remember and appreciate it. They may even promote it to others. 



Below are the promised links to Kris Tuella's blog articles. 

Death of Traditional Publishers?

(Note: These links are to a secular blog)

Part I - A Compilation of Opinions

Part II - How to Save Themselves

Part III - Death, Thy Name is "Smashwords"

Part IV - The Game Changer by Robert W. Walker


Part V - The Game Changer by Robert W. Walker (Continued)

Terry's Client Richard Brown's New Title Releases

Trusting God With the Rest of Your Life, a new book from author Richard Brown is set to release July 4th from Crossover Publications. Publisher Randall Mooney said, "I believe it is a really great book and can help a lot of "mature" folks mature in Christ even more. Of all the great moments in the book I still chuckle at 'Remember Lot's Wife's Husband.' I pray God opens the doors for this work in more ways than we can make happen on our own."




Richard has been a Youth Pastor/Christian Education Director (5 years), a Senior Pastor (19 years), college professor and Dean of the Simpson Graduate School of Ministry (12 years), then moved to Vice President of Spiritual Formation (1 year) which was ultimately joined to his present position as Vice President for Student Development at Simpson University, Redding, California. During those years of pastoring and teaching, he had an up-close look at the faith development (or lack of development) in many lives. This experience gave him plenty of illustrations to use of people who did or did not learn to trust God with the rest of their life.

Congratulations to Terry's client Suzanne Hartmann

Congratulations to Suzanne Hartmann on signing the contract for her "The Race That Lies Before Us" with Oak/Tara Publishers.

A top-secret agent with enhanced strength must use her extraordinary abilities during several high-profile assignments—from the White House to NASCAR tracks—but struggles with trusting God to protect her secrets when unwanted publicity and interest from a NASCAR champion threaten to expose them. As the danger builds, she becomes a terrorist target and realizes the only way she can save her life as she knows it is through death.

This novel will appeal to those who love character-driven suspense stories and readers who enjoy Ted Dekker’s books. The novel will also draw readers from the 75 million NASCAR fans.

Suzanne has a B.A. in Composition and Linguistics, is an editor with Port Yonder Press, and operates the Write at Home Critique Service. Milliken Publishing included four of her short stories in one of their reading workbooks. She is a member of the 2000 member American Christian Fiction Writers, actively involved in several critique groups and on-line writers’ forums, and maintains a blog that goes out to over 1500 contacts.

The novel will be released on a yet to be determined date in 2012