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
Writing for control
Sometimes when I read Poets & Writers magazine, I come across an article that is so good that I must tear it out for safe keeping. I put it in a folder labeled “writing stuff.” In the latest issue, I tore out “Quieting the Mind” by Sarah Herrington. And then I promptly followed her on Twitter. In — Read More
On “following your passion” (or not)
This post may sound contradictory to my last “push through rejection and keep writing” post, but I don’t see it that way. It could be a footnote to that post, or a part 2. If part 1 was “keep going,” part 2 is, “but don’t quit your day job.” When I was in my early twenties, I — Read More
On rejection
If someone told me they wanted to be a writer, I would say, “Ok, I hope you’re good with rejection.” It’s funny how writers are some of the most sensitive people and publishing is such a harsh, brutally blunt industry. Some fun facts: Robert M. Pirsig received 121 rejections of his book Zen and the Art — Read More