November/December 2013 Issue
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Author Archives: Chuck Sambuchino
My Writing Life: Book Release Party Features Lots of Red, White & Blue; Gnome Book Spotted in Idaho Store
One of the most exciting things about having a new book released is sharing the exciting moment with family and friends. This past weekend, I got to do that with a low-key-yet-very-nice book release party for RED DOG / BLUE DOG that I hosted at my house. (For my last book, I organized something bigger, so this time I went simple.) Needless to say, my dog, Graham, was a huge hit at the event and was plum tuckered by the time everything ended. Read more
11th Free “Dear Lucky Agent” Contest (Middle Grade Fiction)
Welcome to the 11th (free!) “Dear Lucky Agent” Contest on the GLA blog. This is a recurring online contest with agent judges and super-cool prizes. Here’s the deal: With every contest, the details are essentially the same, but the niche itself changes—meaning each contest is focused around a specific category or two. So if you’re writing middle grade fiction novel, this 11th contest is for you! (The contest is live through Aug. 27, 2012.) Read more
How to Write Your First Novel: 6 Pieces of Advice
6. Take the time to celebrate the milestones in your writing process. When you finish a chapter, take yourself and significant other out for dinner. When you finish the first draft, uncork a bottle of Champagne. (Not prosecco, real Champagne.) I timed the completion of the first draft to coincide with my birthday. I made a great ceremony of typing the words “The end” just before my birthday dinner. I also took the time to make a sententious speech to my children about the value of setting goals and working hard. I’m sure the latter went in one ear and out the other, but it sure made me feel good. Read more
5 Things Bruce Lee Taught Me About the Art of Writing
3. “I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times.”
We are all tempted at some point to dabble in multiple genres. Whilst this may keep your writing fresh, it will not do you any favors when it comes to getting published. There are subtle differences between genres that one has to master first. Focus on refining the elements of one genre that you are happy to stick to for the long term, and consider diversifying only after you have established yourself.
GIVEAWAY: J.C. is excited to give away a free copy of her novel to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; winners can live anywhere in the world. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (UPDATE: Cindylorene won.) Read more
Literary Agent Interview: Elizabeth Kracht of Kimberley Cameron & Associates
“Agent Advice” (more than 150 interviews so far!) is a series of quick interviews with literary and script agents who talk with Guide to Literary Agents about their thoughts on writing, publishing, and just about anything else.
This installment features Elizabeth Kracht of Kimberley Cameron & Associates. Elizabeth’s career in publishing took root in Puerto Rico where she completed her BA in English and worked as a copyeditor for an English-language newspaper. She joined Kimberley Cameron & Associates in the fall of 2010. She thrives on working closely with authors and researching the potential market for new books. Read more
7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Megan Bostic
This is a recurring column I’m calling “7 Things I’ve Learned So Far,” where writers at any stage of their career can talk about seven things they’ve learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning. This installment is from young adult writer Megan Bostic.
GIVEAWAY: Megan is excited to give away a free copy of her novel to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (UPDATE: SJ Mitchell won.) Read more
My new book, RED DOG / BLUE DOG, comes out today! (Comment to enter the giveaway contest)
Oh my gosh the big day is finally here! My new humor book, RED DOG / BLUE DOG: WHEN POOCHES GET POLITICAL, comes out today, July 31. So exciting! There’s some basic info about the book below, but I’ll just skip to the giveaway info:
GIVEAWAY CONTEST:
– In celebration of release day, I will be picking three (3) commenters on this post to win a free copy of ANY of my books that they choose. Winners can pick from the following: 2012 Guide to Literary Agents, 2012 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market, Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript, Create Your Writer Platform, Red Dog / Blue Dog, and How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack. (If you tweet or share news of my book release and this contest through social media such as Facebook, you get 2 entries into the contest instead of one. Thank you for spreading the word!) Good luck! Comment within 2 weeks to enter. (UPDATE: Renee Carter Hall, PoesChild, and sddblake won.) Read more
Use the Right Words: Upgrade Your Superlatives For Fame and (Better) Fortune
Writers often live or die by how engagingly they convey the extreme merits of something: a character’s beauty or strength, an impassioned cause, a life-altering event. But equally crucial is how convincingly writers can extol—okay, “hype”— their own work in queries and marketing.
Some editors rightly warn against over-hyping in a proposal; but a touch of deft hype may be just what wins the day, with benefits far outweighing the risks. The greater danger is to acclaim your work with feeble, tread-worn superlatives such as nerve-tingling or heartwarming, which is like a billboard saying NO DISTINCTIVE VOICE HERE. Read more
6 Good Reasons to Check Out Writer’s Digest Tutorials
1. Top instructional videos on the craft of writing
2. Step-by-step instructions on self-publishing, building a platform, and more
3. Genre specific tutorials
4. Watch the videos in the comfort of your home as often as you like
5. Preview any tutorial before you buy
6. At least one new tutorial is added weekly—with over 60 top-notch tutorials ready to view today! Read more
New Literary Agent Alert: Emily Gref of Lowenstein Associates
Reminder: Newer agents are golden opportunities for new writers because they’re likely building their client list; however, always make sure your work is as perfect as it can be before submitting, and only query agencies that are a great fit for your work. Otherwise, you’re just wasting time and postage.
She is seeking: Her interests are wide and varied. In young adult and middle grade she is looking for all genres, but has a weak spot for fairy tale, folklore, and mythology retellings. Emily is also interested in fantasy and science fiction, as well as literary and commercial women’s fiction.
In nonfiction, she is looking for strong narratives and books by recognized experts with a wide-reaching platform. Books that lend themselves well to digital platforms are especially of interest. Nonfiction projects she’d like to take on include narratives about linguistics, anthropology and history. She is also open to biographies and memoirs with a strong voice and unique hook. Read more
5 Ways to Publicize & Promote Your Book
1. Start tweeting now! Or Tumblring, or whatever, and discover what feels genuine to you. My publisher is very active across multiple social media platforms and encouraged me to get involved well in advance of my book release, to explore what I was comfortable with and start making connections. I happen to like Twitter and would never vlog except under duress, but you may be more telegenic than me.
GIVEAWAY: Barry is excited to give away a free copy of his novel to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (UPDATE: pavic30 won.) Read more
Literary Agent Interview: Evan Gregory of The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency
This installment features Evan Gregory of The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency. Evan began at the agency in 2008 as an Assistant. He currently manages subsidiary rights for the agency in addition to his duties as an agent and general office manager. You can find him on Twitter or over at his blog.
He is seeking: In literary fiction, Evan is looking for horror, mystery, thrillers, science-fiction, fantasy, and women’s literature. He also accepts children’s books including picture books, early readers, and middle grade as well as young adult. In narrative nonfiction, his interests vary and he’s looking for a wide range of subjects including arts, cinema, photography, biography, business, cooking, health, history, nature, family, politics, science, sports, and travel. Read more
Successful Queries: Agent Sara Megibow and “The Siren”
This series is called “Successful Queries” and I’m posting actual query letters that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting the actual query letter, we will also get to hear thoughts from the agent as to why the letter worked.
The 58th installment in this series is with agent Sara Megibow (Nelson Literary) for Tiffany Reisz’s contemporary erotic romance, THE SIREN (Harequin Mira, out in paperback July 2012). Purchase the book here. You can find Tiffany Reisz online at her website, and on Twitter. Read more
7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Mike Mullin
This is a recurring column I’m calling “7 Things I’ve Learned So Far,” where writers at any stage of their career can talk about seven things they’ve learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning. This installment is from YA writer Mike Mullin, author of the ASHFALL series.
GIVEAWAY: Mike is excited to give away a free copy of his novel to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (UPDATE: LovesKangol won.) Read more
How I Got My Agent: Gina Damico
“How I Got My Agent” is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings.
Author Gina Damico writes young adult fiction, and her first novel, CROAK, was released in March 2012 from Graphia. She received a degree in theater and sociology from Boston College, where she was active with the Committee for Creative Enactments, a collegiate murder mystery improv comedy troupe that may or may not have sparked an interest in wildly improbable bloodshed. Read more
Literary Agent Interview: Jita Fumich of Folio Literary Management
This installment features Jita Fumich of Folio Literary Management. Jita first began working with Folio in 2006. She holds a B.A. from New York University and has taken classes at NYU’s Center for Publishing. As an agent, Jita seeks to work with her authors on all aspects of their career—understanding that being an author today involves more than just writing a great book. In addition to traditional agenting, Jita is the Digital Liaison at Folio. In this capacity, she assists all Folio authors seeking to self-publish both backlist and original titles in electronic format.
She is seeking: Urban fantasy, lighter traditional fantasy, edgy paranormal romance, edgy contemporary romance, historical romance, romantic suspense, women’s fiction, commercial fiction, YA of all sorts, and select narrative nonfiction. Read more
WD’s New Premium Collection: How to Write Mysteries & Thrillers
Whether you’re just starting to create your story’s characters or ready to sell your manuscript to an agent or editor, you’ll find everything you need to devise, plot, and create a thrilling mystery or thriller that will leave your readers glued to the pages of your book. Right now, we have only a few bundles remaining of our July 2012 premium collection, which is sold at 68% off. Check out the Writing Mysteries and Thrillers That Sell Premium Collection today. Save more than $200 when you buy the bundle. Read more
The More You Write For Yourself, The Better Your Book Will Be
There is an old saying. What comes from the heart reaches the heart.
I have always found this to be true. But I would add to it my own less elegant postscript. It helps to know who you’re talking to.
GIVEAWAY: John is excited to give away a free copy of his novel to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (UPDATE: bikerkat won.) Read more
How I Got My Agent: Colette Martin
“How I Got My Agent” is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings. If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we’ll talk specifics.
Colette Martin is the author of LEARNING TO BAKE ALLERGEN-FREE (June 2012). Read more
The NE-SCBWI Conference: Talking With Agents Stephen Fraser, Jennifer Laughran and Vickie Motter
The NE-SCBWI Conference, organized by the New England chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, took place in April 2012 and offered an agent-author panel featuring the following literary agents:
1. Stephen Fraser (Jennifer De Chiara Literary), joined by his client Christine Brodien-Jones
2. Jennifer Laughran (Andrea Brown Literary), joined by her client Kate Messner
3. Vickie Motter (Andrea Hurst Literary), joined by her client Kris Asselin Read more
5 Tips For Avoiding Distractions and Getting More Writing Done
Writers have always had to be disciplined, but the internet has made matters a million times worse. In addition to the temptations that everyone else faces, we are being actively encouraged to be online 24/7: to network, promote our books and so on. Ashley Ream wrote a great guest post recently about how to write a novel when you’re busy, but how do you focus on the writing itself when there are so many distractions right at your fingertips? Read more
New Literary Agent Alert: Jennie Goloboy of Red Sofa Literary
Reminder: Newer agents are golden opportunities for new writers because they’re likely building their client list; however, always make sure your work is as perfect as it can be before submitting, and only query agencies that are a great fit for your work. Otherwise, you’re just wasting time and postage.
She is seeking: History–must have a commercial (non-academic) focus; early American history is preferred, but will consider all projects. Biography–no personal memoirs. Genre Fiction–science fiction/fantasy or paranormal, especially with a literary flair. young adult and middle grade fiction, especially science fiction/fantasy. Read more
Dog Author Interview: Julie Klam (YOU HAD ME AT WOOF, and LOVE AT FIRST BARK)
Julie Klam is the author of several books, including the New York Times Bestseller You Had Me At Woof: How Dogs Taught Me The Secrets of Happiness (Riverhead Books), Love At First Bark: Dogs and the People They Saved (Riverhead Books), and the forthcoming [fall 2012] Friendkeeping: The Field Guide to the People You Love, Hate, and Can’t Live Without (Riverhead Books).
GIVEAWAY: Julie is excited to give away a free copy of her book to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (Update: Debbie won.) Read more
7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Leah Bobet
This is a recurring column I’m calling “7 Things I’ve Learned So Far,” where writers at any stage of their career can talk about seven things they’ve learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning. This installment is from writer Leah Bobet, author of ABOVE.
GIVEAWAY: Leah is excited to give away a free copy of her novel to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (Update: Zephyrsaerie won.) Read more
Don’t Get Rejected Before Agents Even Read a Word
People who work in book publishing always have a ridiculous amount of reading to get through. I once worked on what is pejoratively termed the “slush pile” in the HarperCollins fiction department, where I would often be the first reader. As such, I would get to decide if the story was worth further consideration by those higher up the chain. There were so many submissions I don’t think I was ever on top of it…
GIVEAWAY: Sara is excited to give away 2 free copies of her novel to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (Update: xlonelytearsx won.) Read more