E-mail Queries

• THE STUFF E-MAIL QUERIES ARE MADE OF by Mridu Khullar - After sending out a dozen queries of this sort, many writers sit in front of their computers hoping that some editor will respond. When no one does, they wonder why their queries aren't getting enough response, even though they did everything right. But you know what-- there's a better way. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

Literary Agents

• HOW TO SIGN WITH A LITERARY AGENT by Suzanne Falter-Barns - If you're interested in publishing a book and gaining a market presence and income from it, you'll need a literary agent. They are the grease that keeps the oft-rusty wheels of publishing moving. Every day, they eat lunch or talk to editors and acquisition people in publishing houses all over the world, all the while pitching them on the new hot 'properties', as your manuscript will be called. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 2 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• SUBMITTING YOUR MANUSCRIPT: GETTING STARTED by Sophfronia Scott - I am often asked "Do you know of a publisher who would be interested in my book?" There's no easy way to answer this question. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• QUERY LETTERS: TEN WAYS TO HOOK A LITERARY AGENT by Lisa Silverman - During my years as a literary agent for both screenwriters and book authors, I received query letters by the thousands. Even small literary agencies are so overwhelmed by the influx that young, inexperienced interns weed through query letters from prospective authors before the agents even see those few "diamonds in the rough" with a chance at getting published. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• WRITING & PUBLISHING TIPS: HOW TO GET A TOP LITERARY AGENT & SIGN THAT COVETED 6 FIGURE DEAL - First of all, don't write a book -- write a book proposal. Publishers buy ideas not books. To capture a reputable literary agent's attention you'll need to show that you're a media star, or a star in the making. Good writing can be bought but star power can't. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AGENTS--FOR NOW by Sophfronia Scott - The agent issue is such an emotional one for writers. Having one is a huge validation. I was fortunate to sign with an agent while still writing my first novel and it was wonderful being able to work and know that someone was waiting for what I was writing. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

Marketing to Editors

• 10 TIPS ON HOW TO CULTIVATE RELATIONSHIPS WITH EDITORS by Elizabeth Kirwin - If you are an aspiring writer, or you simply want to augment your professional qualifications by publishing material related to your field of expertise, listen up. Here are a few tips that will help ingratiate you in the hearts and minds of editors. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• HOW TO ANNOY AN EDITOR IN 10 EASY STEPS - OR LESS! by Kim-Marie Ward - Editors hope that writers sending in queries are at least aware of the basic protocol required. Sometimes, our hopes are dashed. The following ten guidelines are the ones most likely to increase your chances of never seeing your book in print. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 2 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• HOW TO BE AN EDITOR'S FIRST CHOICE by Mridu Khullar - There are writers who editors like, and those they’d bet their careers on. How can you be that writer who the editor will call on every time she needs an important assignment to be done? Are you a hot favorite or a pass-on-for-another-freelancer who keeps querying but receives no response? Here are the qualities that will endear you to an editor. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• MAKING IT AS A FREELANCE: FIVE TOP TIPS by Sharon Hurley Hall - Making it as a freelance is not easy, especially if you haven't been published before. However, with a bit of persistence you can be successful. Here are a few tips to get you started. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• MARKETING TO EDITORS by Terri Pilcher - How are you marketing your articles? As a writer prospecting potential clients, your query letter is your marketing tool. What does it tell the editor about you? NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• 3 LOW COST WAYS TO MEET AGENTS & EDITORS by Sophfronia Scott - These days it's common knowledge that it's hard to meet an agent or an editor through an unsolicited mailing. They are more likely to pay attention to a submission coming from someone they have met in person. To that end, writers flock to conferences so they can get some face time with real live agents and editors. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• THE ONE BIG SECRET OF MARKETING YOUR WRITING by Angela Booth - There's a big secret to marketing your writing. It's a secret that many writers never learn. They don’t discover it on their own, and professional writers rarely bother to share it. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• HOW TO PITCH A STORY by Elizabeth Kirwin by Angela Booth - Naturally, everyone wants to hit a home run when they go to bat with an editor. Sometimes publicists and writers do have to walk to first base for the story assignment. Here are some helpful tips on how to pitch a story to an editor – and how to at least hit a single, double, or triple – if not a home run on occasion. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

Writing Book Proposals

• BOOK PROPOSALS 101 : WHAT PUBLISHERS WANT by Sophfronia Scott - Lots of writers like to talk about writing books. You hear very few talking about writing book proposals. Maybe that's why it's easy to forget that a strong book proposal is the first step to getting a great deal for your non-fiction book. It's where you make the big pitch and tell the editor everything that's going to make him or her want to buy. NEW! ^pop (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 3 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• WRITING A BOOK'S MARKETING PLAN FOR MAXIMUM PROFIT by Roger C. Parker - A book proposal is a direct-marketing document intended to persuade publishers to edit, print and distribute your book. It’s a sales piece intended to communicate the inevitability of your book’s success. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 2 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• FIVE SECRETS OF WINNING BOOK PROPOSALS by Melissa A Rosati - Let’s take a look at five typical questions that an agent or a publisher will ask in their submission guidelines... NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• TAMING THE BOOK PROPOSAL by Jill Nagle - Every author has the option of self-publishing. However, there are advantages to writing a book proposal instead of a whole book. One advantage is that it usually takes less time than writing a whole book. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• WRITING THE BLOCKBUSTER BOOK PROPOSAL: HOW TO SELL YOUR NON-FICTION BOOK by Britt Gillette - You did it. You crafted the perfect query letter for your non-fiction book, and as a result, an editor at a large publishing house has requested a full book proposal. At this point, you have a 50/50 chance of seeing your work on a bookstore shelf. The difference maker will be a strong book proposal that exhibits knowledge of your audience, what that audience needs and wants, and how that audience can be reached on a cost-effective basis. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN A NONFICTION BOOK PROPOSAL by Dee Power - A great nonfiction book proposal is the key to convincing an acquisition editor you deserve a substantial advance and getting your book published. What should be included in a book proposal? NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• WRITING A BOOK'S MARKETING PLAN FOR MAXIMUM PROFIT by Roger C. Parker - A book proposal is a direct-marketing document intended to persuade publishers to edit, print and distribute your book. It’s a sales piece intended to communicate the inevitability of your book’s success. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• TOP SIX LIES ABOUT BOOK MARKETING by Christopher Kokoski - If you're like me, you have a book and the passion to spend the rest of your life making it a success. But, with all the ways to market your book, the costs and the inevitable sinking feeling of utter helplessness, what can you do? NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

Writing Query Letters

• ARE YOU SURE YOUR QUERY IS READY? by Gary McLaren - One magazine. Hundreds of writers. Thousands of queries. One editor. One desktop ... and a trashcan that appears to be incredibly, almost unimaginably deep. Where exactly will your submission go? NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• BUILDING A ROCK SOLID QUERY LETTER by Sophfronia Scott - Recently I reviewed a client's query letter. It was a hard working query letter, detailing the marketing prospects for the book, her own glowing credentials and the contacts she possessed that would help her publicize the book. But she left out one teeny weeny thing: she didn't say what her book was about! I used to think query letters were relatively easy, but now I realize that a query has to do so many things that it's easy to forget essential elements. NEW! ^pop (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 4 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• CREATIVE QUERY LETTERS by Andrea Di Salvo - Query letters are your first impression on the editor, your customer. That’s why you need to use all your creativity to write an effective query letter. Telling an editor you have an idea isn’t enough. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• FREELANCE WRITERS: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME WITH QUERY LETTERS by Susan Daffron - Virtually everything ever written about freelance writing and getting published says that you need to write query letters. Yet in the Internet Age, the truth of the matter is that query letters are almost always a huge waste of time. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 2 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• QUERY: OPENING THE LOCK ON MAGAZINE PUBLISHING by Scott Lindsay - Every time you pick up your favorite magazine you pour over it, looking through every article. By the time you are finished many of the pages are dog-eared and you’ve discovered that so many of the articles are in line with your own personal interests and writing style. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• QUERY LETTER HOW TO'S by Nola Redd - If you plan on submitting an article for publication, the query letter is your new best friend. Written more frequently than any paying piece, this short letter is your chance to shine to the editor. In this newsletter, we are going to discuss the various parts of the query letter and ways to make them most effective. While I'll caution that, thus far, none of my queries have gotten me published, I can also promise that in my obsessive-compulsive mood, I have put a great deal of research into the subject. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• DON'T FALL INTO THE QUERY LETTER QUANDARY by Shery Ma Belle Arrieta - He wrote the book on how to write killer query letters. In this interview, author John Wood shares his knowledge based on 17 years of working as an editor. More than 30,000 query letters have landed on his desk. Wood lets us in on the things that make or break query letters, and how you, the writer, can get past the editor's desk and be published. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• PERFECT PITCH - Query Letters that Kill by Sue Kendrick - If you are reading this then you are either looking for information on how to write a query letter or your curiosity has been exited by the heading. Either way, the article has grabbed your attention and hopefully what you will read here will live up to your expectations and that in a nutshell is what a good query letter is all about! NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• QUERY LETTERS THAT ROCK by Terri Pilcher - The basics of good letter writing are essential. Get the editor's name correct, use good grammar, and double-check your spelling. Editors WILL throw out good ideas if the writer's work is amateurish. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• SUCCESSFUL SYNOPSIS WRITING TIPS by Christine Harrell - Writers hate the job of writing a synopsis. For you, it might be right up there with death and public speaking in terms of the fear factor. If you're having trouble and are procrastinating about writing your synopsis, you're in very good company. Here are a few tips to make everything a bit easier. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• 10 STEPS TO A MAGAZINE QUERY by Mui Tsun - A query letter is a sales pitch: your goal is to convince the editor that your article idea is of interest to her readers and that you are the best person to write it. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 2 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• WRITING QUERY LETTERS THAT COUNT -- CLOSE THE DEAL WITH YOUR FIRST LETTER! by Mark Barnes - Your query letter can be a deal maker or a deal breaker. So, if your query letter just lies there, you've killed the sale immediately or your story or novel immediately. If you want that story -- your baby -- to be read, reach out of that query letter, grab the publisher, editor or literary agent... NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• WRITING QUERY LETTERS by Marg McAlister - A QUERY LETTER is written to an editor or agent to describe a piece of writing to ask if they'd like to see it. It is sent in lieu of an unsolicited (unasked for) manuscript. (A COVER letter is a letter sent to ACCOMPANY a manuscript.) NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 1 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• WRITING THE KNOCKOUT QUERY LETTER: HOW TO CATCH A BOOK EDITOR'S ATTENTION by Britt Gillette - You've done it. You've achieved a lifelong dream and penned a book certain to be lauded through the ages as a literary masterpiece. Yet one last obstacle stands between you and publishing success – attracting the attention of someone who can get your book into print. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It

• WRITING THE QUERY LETTER by Susan Scharfman - Despite the instant success of Lauren Weisberger’s roman a clef, The Devil Wears Prada, for most debut authors, pitching a novel to agents and editors is the most difficult step to getting published. If you can’t pique the interest of either of those gatekeepers, you’re going to become disheartened perhaps without knowing why. NEW! (Added: 3-Nov-2006 Hits: 0 Rating: 0 Votes: 0) | Detail | Go to page | Rate It