These are the 2 most common questions I’ve been asked by people in regards to my upcoming book: 1. Do you get to design the cover? 2. Will it be a movie? As for #1, I sincerely hope I don’t design the cover because I can barely draw a stick figure. Furthermore, I have no — Read More
Author: Kim Hooper
Read Harder Challenge 2015
What better way to motivate me (and you?) to read more than a CHALLENGE? I love being able to measure progress according to rules. Type A Nerd alert. Here’s the challenge that Book Riot posed on the eve of 2015. Click the image to learn more about it and get recommendations for each category. Important: — Read More
Publishing Journey: Impatience
There is one word NOBODY will ever use to describe me: Patient. I don’t even aspire to be more patient because it seems like striving for something impossible, like wishing I was shorter (which I do, occasionally, because I’m 5’11” and gangly as all hell). My brain moves really, really fast, and my expectations move at that — Read More
Publishing Journey: The Book Tour
Back in my early twenties, when I first started daydreaming of being a published author, part of my vision was the book tour. After all, as a voracious reader and writer myself, I considered book reading events to be akin to seeing a favorite band perform, up close and personal. When my sister lived in — Read More
24 Things No One Tells You About Book Publishing
I loved this BuzzFeed list (by Curtis Sittenfeld) so much that I had to include it here, along with my thoughts. 1. When it comes to fellow writers, don’t buy into the narcissism of small differences. In all their neurotic, competitive, smart, funny glory, other writers are your friends. <— It’s really true. Writers get — Read More
The pressures of fame (yes, this is a Harper Lee post)
It’s been impossible to ignore all the hype about Harper Lee’s follow-up to To Kill a Mockingbird. Even if you’re not a reader, you’ve heard about it. And, if you are a reader (or a writer), you’re probably foaming at the mouth to get your hands on it. I haven’t said much on the subject — Read More
Publishing Journey: Royalties
In a book contract, the royalties section comes right after the advance section. They go hand in hand. The advance is the money you get in advance of the book being published. Royalties are monies you get after the book is published. The advance is paid “against your earnings,” meaning you don’t start getting royalty payments until — Read More
Workshopping
Writers use “workshop” as a verb. As in, “Your book is coming along. You should workshop it.” I haven’t done a workshop in many years. But for a while there, workshopping was a huge part of my writing life. It basically defined my grad school program–and most grad school programs (which is important to note — Read More
Publishing Journey: The Advance (aka Keeping My Day Job)
Before I got a book deal, the word “advance” was so magical to me. And mysterious, too. What, exactly, is it? And, more importantly, when do I get rich? Ok, so what is it? Well, put simply, it’s a signing bonus. For first-time fiction writers, it’s paid when a publisher reads the full manuscript and wants to — Read More
Publishing Journey: The Contract (aka Why Writers Need Agents)
When my agent told me we made a deal with St. Martin’s Press, I thought the contract would be signed the next day and I’d be on my way. Um, no. Turns out the wheels turn kind of slowly. I got my book deal in early November and I just signed the contract this month. — Read More