It’s written. It’s been workshopped. It’s had beta readers, including by some folks who will give you unvarnished feedback. You’ve let it breathe and you’ve come back to it and, wow, you don’t hate it! In fact, your manuscript is in really good shape. It’s time to go find an agent. Because if you’re going…
I have always been in a fight with my potential. I work at a tangled set of crossroads. “Commercial success!” insisted peers and mentors. “Big L Literature!” they preached from academia. Meanwhile the ghosts who haunt us from the books that build writer mythos model invention. Over it all the, by all accounts, timid tenor of of Charles Baudelaire, sneering at any hint of pandering.
The other day, I was sitting at my desk, confusing myself. Let me back up a little. I’m on a deadline for my latest novel, Ending, releasing in the fall, and because of the time crunch I could feel coming on, I decided to have a little fun— the last little bit of relaxedness I…
Are you thinking about writing a memoir and feeling spooked about the challenge of selling it? Autofiction might be the middle ground you’re looking for.
Okay, you are committed to finding a literary agent and seeking a traditional publisher. That’s the track you’re on. You’ve been working on your novel. You’ve taken it to critique groups and you’ve taken their feedback, made changes. Before you draw up a list of agents and start querying, there’s one more step that I…