My wife and I are getting ready to move, so recently I went through all my stuff. We’ve taken a sh*t-ton of stuff to Goodwill. Lots of the jettisoned crap wouldn’t even be worthy of a kiss-off, “Namaste” blessing from Marie Kondo. But I’m not tossing my stack of agent and editor rejections. Why? I…
Tag: publishing
I did it my way (and you should do it yours)
Decades ago, a slick-covered magazine catering to the libidinous interests of some folks published a short story of mine—my first published work—for which I received 75 dollars. That publisher, as well as a couple more, said yes to additional short story submissions and, certainly proud of those achievements, I cut out the cover pages for…
Choice Overload
Is your email inbox swollen with “helpful” newsletters and videos? You know the ones, presented by the “Successful Writers” who have found “The Secret” to become (fill-in-the-blank) best-selling authors and astound millions with their novels. Each helpful newsletter or video encourages you to launch a new marketing project (often closely associated with the service the…
Reformation
No, not that one. But they’re related. Part of my semi-regular practice as a professional is a periodic marketing scan. I try to remember to do it at least once a year, but I sometimes forget. I tend to discount changes that challenge my assumptions, until I get clubbed upside the head with a clue-by-four….
My Top Ten, Revisited
I recently came across a workshop presentation I gave many, many years ago on the “Top Ten Things to Do to Sell Your First Novel.” It was interesting to see what I thought were the keys to publishing success back then: 1) Finish your book. This seems obvious, but I still encounter writers who get…