What My Publisher and Publicist Did, What I Did, and What We Did Together The two most meaningful things my publisher gave me were their faith in my book and a beautiful, inviting cover. (Your title and cover are your two best tickets to success.) They also gave me a small advance, a small PR […]
And Then You Do This . . . . Yes, it’s a full-time job—or more. Here are some things I did as soon as I could: Have cards made: This meant finding a good but affordable designer and printer and then doing the writing and proposing the design plan myself. Later, I had oversized postcards […]
What to Do from Day One or, Better Yet, Before Day One One big mistake (but then I couldn’t have done it differently) was what should have been done a year or two before I signed with a publisher: Create a platform. It’s possible that this is the most important thing you can do to […]
It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times I still remember the sheer joy I felt when my agent found a publisher for my book, Recipes for a Sacred Life: True Stories and a Few Miracles. The time that followed that milestone was, um, more emotionally mixed. Looking back over the […]
When I started working as an editor, I came to despise the word “nauseous,” not because of what the word evokes but because I felt nauseated by its misuse. The word “nausea” is a derivative of the Greek word for ship, “naus.” With its “–ea” suffix, it was a name for seasickness, but now “nausea” extends to anything that makes one feel bilious. […]
Writers might not be aware of the possible levels at which editors can work on a manuscript. As you can see from the list below, the levels of edit vary. Be aware that associated costs vary as well. Before you start working with an editor, try to evaluate the level of edit you need or desire. This […]