Hello from the other side! June has been a busy month for me. I had my second book release and wrote my first official edit letter as a Rogue Mentor. I’m also slowly working through feedback letters to some Rogue hopefuls. And now that my mentee has started her revision process, I want to share … Continue reading Five Lessons From the Other Side of the Query Letter
Tag: querying
Recommended Reads for April 15
Hello, dear readers! I'm trying out a new thing on here this week, a link roundup/news post. If it works out, I may step up my posting schedule from one post per week to two. There are so many amazing creative minds in my social media circles working on cool stuff that I find meaningful … Continue reading Recommended Reads for April 15
The 5 Essential Ingredients of an Effective Query Letter
This is not a recipe blog. Or is it? Okay, maybe it is, because today I'm sharing my recipe for cooking up the publishing equivalent of a soufflé: the much-dreaded query letter. Most authors hate writing them, but query letters are a prerequisite for fiction submissions to most agents and editors. A good one will … Continue reading The 5 Essential Ingredients of an Effective Query Letter
Red Flag Warnings: How to Spot a Shady Literary Agent
It’s better to have no agent than a bad agent. Spend any time in author spaces and you will hear this time and time again. For writers stuck in querying hell, it probably grates on the nerves. It seems easy for an author who already has representation to say, but what does it mean? How … Continue reading Red Flag Warnings: How to Spot a Shady Literary Agent
Pitch Wars Is Over. Its Legacy Is Just Beginning.
Pitch Wars is dead. Long live Pitch Wars. Last Tuesday's announcement by Brenda Drake, the founder of the Pitch Wars mentorship program, sent shockwaves through all of my writing groups. https://twitter.com/PitchWars/status/1493595439005945856?s=20&t=NSxsdbjgV_CZ9Us3XFm5sg My 2020 alumni chat, now the penultimate mentee class, gathered in our Discord chat for a virtual group hug, expressing sadness, surprise, and gratitude … Continue reading Pitch Wars Is Over. Its Legacy Is Just Beginning.
Mindful Querying: Seven Precepts For the Trenches
At first glance, mindfulness and the so-called "query trenches" don't seem to go together. The prospect of querying agents doesn't naturally evoke a sense of calm among writers. Instead, it can spark anxiety, dread, imposter syndrome, fatigue, and disappointment. If that's how you feel about querying, you're not alone. With that in mind, I have … Continue reading Mindful Querying: Seven Precepts For the Trenches
How to Design a Novel Aesthetic with Canva
It's not as hard as it looks to create a beautiful image set that hypes you and potential readers up for your book project.