You started blogging to build a platform and land a traditional publishing deal. But you’ve got a problem. You’ve been blogging for while—a year or more—and you still don’t have a lot of readers. You’ve been sharing posts on social media sites, blogging often and in a focused manner, but your efforts just haven’t paid […]
Become a Hybrid Blog-to-Book Author
You don’t have to blog your book with only the goal of traditional publishing in mind. Nor do you need to feel you only can self-publish your book. Instead, decide to become a hybrid author and enjoy the benefits of both traditional and indie publishing. It is possible to be both traditionally and self published. […]
How My Blog Saved Me From the Publishers’ Slush Pile
For years—as in a lot of years—I tried to land a traditional book publishing deal. No luck. Not that I didn’t get great feedback on my ideas, writing, book titles, and book proposals. I did. Every bit of positive feedback, however, came with that dreaded word: “But.” It was followed by six more words: “But…you […]
8 Reasons to Traditionally Publish Your Book
The majority of authors I meet want to pursue traditional publishing. I find this interesting given the constant talk about the rise in number of independently published books and the benefit to authors of indie publishing. When I ask a roomful of aspiring authors at a writers’ conference how many plan to pursue traditional publishing, […]
6 Things You Can Do to Make Your Book Proposal Stand Out
When an agent or acquisitions editor from a publishing house responds affirmatively to your query letter, you better be ready to go to the next stage of the publishing process. You need to have a book proposal written, edited and ready for submission upon request. I’ve written extensively about how to write a book proposal, […]
6 Tips for Submitting Query Letters Successfully
You’ve almost completed your blogged book, but no agents or publishers have come calling yet. You still would like to see if you can land a traditional publishing deal, especially since your blog has shown tremendous growth. In the months since you began blogging your book you’ve developed a strong platform consisting of a large […]
Don’t Kill Your Dream of a Traditional Publishing Deal by Self-publishing First
The stories of successful indie authors, in particular ebook authors, attracting agents and publishers has spawned a common belief that self-publishing represents a viable path to a traditional publishing contract. In fact, if becoming a traditionally published author is your goal, self-publishing your book first may be a huge mistake. It’s true that quite a […]
7 Things to Understand Before Traditionally Publishing Your Book
During the month of May 2013, this blog focused primarily on how to traditionally publish your blogged book. Before moving on to look carefully at self-publishing, I’d like to recap what we covered. Here are 7 aspects of publishing you must understand if you want to land a deal with a traditional publisher and have […]
Write a Query Letter that Compels Agents and Editor to Read More
If you decide to pursue representation by a literary agent or a contract with a publisher on your own, you will need two documents: a query letter and a book proposal. Both agents and acquisitions editors need to see a query letter prior to requesting a manuscript or a proposal. If written well, this letter […]
7 Reasons You Likely Need an Agent to Traditionally Publish a Book
If you have decided to try traditional publishing, you will likely need a literary agent. As mentioned in my last post, this is especially true if you want to approach a mid-sized to large publishing house. Even if you opt to approach a small independent publisher, though, in the end, you may wish you had […]