Just this week I was copied on an email from one of my clients, Jill Eileen Smith, to her publicity manager at her publishing house. They were talking about a stellar review she received on her newest book, The Ark and the Dove. Jill thanked her for sharing the review and wrote this: “Honestly, I rarely read reviews—protecting my heart from hurt or pride.” That was something I had not considered. I knew bad reviews could ruin a writer’s day, but had never consider the reverse. Let’s look at the alternatives. To Read Reviews Reading reviews of our books can be beneficial if our skin is thick ..read more

Is a book club (or more than one) a part of your life? If not, you’re missing out on being part of the resurgence in book clubs. As writers, we embrace the idea of others coming together to discuss books they’ve read, especially if one of those books is ours! But the best news about this resurgence is that younger generations are finding the joys of book clubs. Recently I read two articles that explain why that’s the case and some new shapes their book clubs are taking. Why book clubs have become a draw An article in Dazed, a British publication, reports: In years gone by, the phrase “book c ..read more

Twenty five years ago I signed my first official publishing contract. I knew very little about publishing and even less about what to expect personally. I was in my early forties, a ministry leader in a large mega-church when contacted by a publisher who was interested in a Bible Study that I wrote for our local women. The acquisitions editor told me it wasn’t feasible to publish me (only my own church knew my name) so instead of one book, they offered me a three book deal. Crazy! Three books would give me name recognition, a section in catalogs and fill an end-cap at the local Christian stor ..read more

I came across an article in The Huffington Post about classic books and their original titles. Most of them are SO different from the true title of the work. Here is a brief list, but be sure to check out the article for more books: Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice was originally titled First Impressions. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was originally Trimalchio in West Egg. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell was first titled Mules in Horses’ Harness and also Tomorrow Is Another Day; Not in Our Stars; Tote the Weary Load; or Bugles Sang True. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird w ..read more

 The universe is made of stories, not of atoms. Muriel Rukeyser  One of a writer’s great fears is running out of words or fresh stories to tell. Our creative souls relish the adventure of unexpected twists and discoveries and translate our human experience into a literary form we can offer on a silver platter for others to consume and enjoy. Today, I’m sharing a crazy-simple tool that will almost guarantee that you never have to worry about bankrupting your story bank again. This tool can inspire your writing world, whether you’re a novelist or a nonfiction writer.  A few mon ..read more

 The universe is made of stories, not of atoms. Muriel Rukeyser  One of a writer’s great fears is running out of words or fresh stories to tell. Our creative souls relish the adventure of unexpected twists and discoveries and translate our human experience into a literary form we can offer on a silver platter for others to consume and enjoy. Today, I’m sharing a crazy-simple tool that will almost guarantee that you never have to worry about bankrupting your story bank again. This tool can inspire your writing world, whether you’re a novelist or a nonfiction writer.  A few mon ..read more

Wanna see a writer stand frozen with that deer-in-the-headlights look? Just ask them this question: “So. . . what’s your novel about?” Here’s a list of the WRONG things to answer: An issue— “My novel is about global warming.” WRONG. A nonfiction book may be about global warming but a novel is a story about people. Agents and editors cringe when an issue is the first thing that comes to a writer’s mind. It makes us expect a diatribe disguised as a novel. The theme— “My novel is about forgiveness.” WRONG. I’d hate to guess the percentage of books that share the theme of forgiveness, but that ..read more

This blog spot is usually reserved for instruction or encouragement, and it is today as well. We’re sharing some great Books & Such author news to help encourage you to keep pressing on. Some of these authors waited a long time for a moment like this, slogging through days/weeks/years when they wondered if they should give up the dream of writing stories. Others have known relatively quick recognition. In either case, hard work, intentionality, waiting, perseverance, and resilience were and are necessary tools of their craft, as they are yours. Among the Top 20 Romance Authors for 2024 fro ..read more

I hope you all enjoyed Super Bowl Sunday! I don’t really watch football, but I know a lot of people were excited about the game! As literary agents, one of the ways we can serve our clients is to pass along the surprise publishing opportunities that come our way. A lot of times, editors from publishing houses will send along notes about what they are looking for to agents they enjoy working with and we are able to match a client with the editor’s need. This happens for fiction and nonfiction writing. Here are some examples: 1) An editor came to one of our agents and asked if a big-name author ..read more

A writer might ask, “Why aren’t they smiling? My speaking audience, my critique partners, my agent, my editor, my best friend–and half the humor was about her! Why is no one smiling except me?” Writing humor into a talk or a book proposal/manuscript is not the same task as making sure the theme is clear or the grammar compliant. Writing humor is like playing with gelatinous slime–either hours of fun or an annoying mess impossible to remove from soft fabric.            Double trouble–GLITTER slime! Many authors–especially those starting out or veterans switching g ..read more