Category: writing advice
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Where are the Gatekeepers?
Once upon a time, though not so very long ago, writers who wanted to become published authors had to pass through several gates to meet their goal. First, they had to attract the attention of a decent literary agent to represent their work. If the agent liked the manuscript and…
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Looking for Inexpensive Ways to Promote Your Book?
I haven’t been marketing my books very actively lately, so it’s always fun to get a notice I’ve sold copies (!), which tells me my past efforts must still be paying off. I can’t trace where readers are learning about my books, but here are a couple of places I’ve…
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Books as… decoration?!?
Do you get as distracted as I do by all those bookshelves behind the talking heads on TV? It’s hard for me to keep up with Judy Woodruff and the PBS Newshour when they broadcast out of the studio, presumably in the anchor and reporters’ homes. I’m more curious about…
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What Killed the Big Bookstores?
Some say the e-book revolution did brick-and-mortar stores in, but I recently read a fascinating interview that points in another direction: to the bookstore companies themselves. Notice I wrote “bookstore companies” rather than “booksellers” or “bookstores.” “Bookstore companies” is something that — as far as I know — I made…
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New Book for Fellow Writers!
New Book for Fellow Writers! Years ago I devoted two full years of my life to obtaining an MFA degree in Creative Writing — a combination of workshops and standard classes. Two years of reading and writing (and teaching, to help pay my way). I went into some serious debt…