by Mary Sue Seymour The Seymour Agency I love to participate in writing conferences where I enjoy presenting workshops, meeting with writers about their books, and speaking on panels. My current blog consists of questions asked of me while sitting on panels at recent conferences along with my responses. How did you become an agent? I grew up one of …
A Calling or an Offering
by Terry Burns Some will not agree with me on this, and that is surely okay, but I know a lot of Christian writers think all Christian writers have been called by God to write. I don’t believe that, any more than I believe everyone who has thought about preaching has been called by God to the ministry, or called …
Making a Living as a Writer
by Chip MacGregor MacGregor Literary Inc. www.chipmacgregor.com I’m often asked by writers how they can make a living with their work – and I usually explain to them that, when you look at writers who are making a living at the craft, you find they come in two basic types: TYPE 1 is the writer who writes all sorts of …
Five Conference Tips from a Veteran Attendee
by Vickie McDonough After waiting all year for the ACFW conference to roll around again, it’s hard to believe that it is now only weeks away. The highlight of my year is attending the ACFW conference each September. I know I will learn more about the writing craft, but I also get to see the friends I’ve made over the …
Subsidiary Rights
by Natasha Kern Natasha Kern Literary Agency I’ve been thinking recently about subsidiary rights because I’m going to Anaheim for the RWA conference. Attending RWA includes meeting with clients, editors and new writers and arranging a private lunch for my clients to meet with Amazon execs to discuss ebooks. I’ll also be meeting with film folks. With several films optioned, …
Be Your Agent’s Dream Client
by Greg Johnson WordServe Literary Group One thing authors wonder about is how to “behave” once they have a working relationship with a literary agent. Especially if it’s your first agent, you want to be the kind of author an agent wants to keep as a client. Agents understand that—and we want to be the kind of agent you want …
The Secret to Effective Hooks: Write Like a Journalist
by Sandra Bishop MacGregor Literary More than any other element of a pitch, a solid hook offers more opportunity for you to grab – and possibly keep — an agent or editor’s attention. Yes, hooks are hard to nail, but not impossible. Try drawing from a couple simple techniques you learned in high school journalism: Start with the Five W’s …
The Right Conference?
by Tamela Hancock Murray Steve Laube Agency As you pursue a writing career, one big question is how much time and money to devote to writers conferences. Conferences have many benefits, including the chance to meet face to face with editors and fellowship with writers. Some writers have plenty of time and money and love to attend conferences because the …
Pitching in those Agent/Editor Appointments
by Rachelle Gardner Books & Such Literary Agency One thing I’ve noticed lately in fiction pitches – verbal pitches or queries – is that some writers want to tell all about the theme or the emotional journey of the story, but they have a hard time conveying the actual story. Every novel has a theme. There’s a character arc, in …
Everyday Heroes… in Writing and Life
by Michelle Grajkowski 3 Seas Literary Agency As the Memorial Day weekend filled with warm air and sunshine beckon me from my window, I can’t help but to look outside and to thank God for the blessings that He has given us. My husband and I have a happy home, beautiful children and wonderful careers, both of which help people …