Tests of Character

Writers conferences offer good opportunities.

Some people aren’t quite themselves at writers conferences when they sit down for an appointment with an editor or agent. They’re more nervous and more formal, performing a part to sell their product.

Yes, an elevator speech and a book proposal are important. But they convey only part of the picture.

That’s where encounters throughout the rest of the conference come into … Continue reading

Don’t Get Plastic Surgery

Use a real camera — or a real photographer — for your author head shot.

If an editor or publisher asks you for a photo, it’s natural these days to point your phone at yourself and snap.

But it’s also natural to hate how you look in a selfie, especially your nose.

Rather than blame the camera, some people find fault with their nose. Yet instead of … Continue reading

Why Write a Synopsis

There are good reasons to summarize your novel.

Yes, an agent or an editor really expects you, in your book proposal, to compress your novel, no matter its length, to only three pages.

Impossible? Welcome to the world of professional novelists.

A clients whose middle-grade novel I’d edited asked me to check her proposal before she sent it to an agent. All was going well until … Continue reading