I promised to write about agents, so here I go.Let's start with the four ways for getting an agent that I personally know work:*1. Pitch an agent at a writers' conference--meet the agent face-to-face and tell him/her about your book. SleuthFest is a great writers' conference for this. So's Crime Bake. Why? They offer face time with agents. You will need to craft your pitch so you can say it in your sleep. Try it on several friends and watch their … [Read more...] about Why You Need an Agent–and Query Letters that Worked–Part I
The Magic of Friendship
"Promise me you'll always remember: you're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."-Christopher Robin to Winnie the PoohMy friends have been the most magical portion of my life. I met Shirley Damsgaard and Angie Fox before I had a contract for the book that became Paper, Scissors, Death. Even though I had been published ten times in non-fiction, I still felt like a pretender. But neither woman thought of me … [Read more...] about The Magic of Friendship
About Literary Agents.
Rick Frishman posted this interesting take on literary agents.Literary agents have emerged as the publishers' gatekeepers. They are middlemen (and women), go-betweens and facilitators. Approximately 80 percent of the books that publishing houses release were brought to them by agents. Most publishing houses give agented submissions more attention because editors have a high level of confidence in agented submissions. They know that it's not in an … [Read more...] about About Literary Agents.
Busy, Busy Fall
Tonight, of course, is the fundraising virtual booksigning for the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue Group. I've been told books are selling briskly. To be involved, drop by my chatroom. Just go to my website, http://www.joannaslan.com/ and click the chatroom button in the lower right hand corner. I hope to have some of my author friends show up as guests. The chat begins at 6:30 p.m. CSTBoy, did I ever have fun last night. I was part of the … [Read more...] about Busy, Busy Fall
JUST for ME Contest Winners, and a Review of the Past Wild Week!
JUST FOR ME Contest WinnersAs I promised, here are the names of the Just for Me Contest Winners:Christy K. from Louisville KYandLynn H. from Lawrenceville GAI'll be contacting them via email and sending out their gifts.Meanwhile, keep checking this blog and reading it carefully as I think I will mention other ezine readers' names--and if YOU respond, I'll send YOU some sort of fun gift! My gift cupboard is overflowing. I love picking up trinkets … [Read more...] about JUST for ME Contest Winners, and a Review of the Past Wild Week!
Building a Platform
"I've been frantically researching what it means to build an author's platform, what appears to be the key factor in breaking into the market these days...I'm starting to think publicly about my writing instead of privately."That's from an email I recently received.What is a platform?It's the audience an author can bring to his or her work.Now, some folks might argue with me about that definition--in fact, one woman did at Love Is Murder last … [Read more...] about Building a Platform
