help finding an agent Archives -

Publish Your Novel to Success: 5 Must-Take-Action Steps!

February 7th, 2017Sarah Lovett0 Comments

You’ve written one draft, two drafts, you love your novel, your retired 5th-grade teacher loves your novel, so you must be ready to publish, right!? Whoa back, wait up, hold on a sec, Pardner. Before you even think about sending your book out into the big (sometimes bad) world to publish, you must make sure you’re both ready! That means getting a professional copy edit, finding qualified beta readers, deciding between traditional and indie publishing options, and researching accordingly a) overall market b) agents or c) indie publishers. Of course, while you’ve been writing your book, you’ve been building your …

Advice on Writing a Bestseller–Beware Info-Dump

October 28th, 2009Sarah Lovett0 Comments

When I work with writers, often the hardest news I have to deliver about their manuscript is “Cut, cut, cut, cut the info-dump.” That’s the term some people in the biz use to describe the excessive use of backstory/exposition. You know it when you see it–paragraphs or pages of information delivered passively to the reader. Information served up on a paper plate. Information that dulls the reader out of the dynamic narrative now. When I say it’s difficult to tell writers they have to cut backstory that’s because they’ve usually spent hours, days, weeks getting those sections just right. They …

KEEP THE ELEPHANT IN YOUR LAP

May 15th, 2009Sarah Lovett0 Comments

I turned thirty in a dinghy on the River Ganga, while a full moon and the fires from the corpses in the burning ghats illuminated the shores of the holy city of Varanasi. That trip to India years ago changed my life. I glimpsed my own mortality, dodged snake charmers and lepers, paid homage to living goddesses and glassy-eyed sadhus. I also met Ganesha, the elephant riding the mouse. Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati and one of the most revered and popular Hindu deities, is also known as the Lord of Success, the god of wealth, wisdom and …

The End of Plague and Pestilence

May 12th, 2009Sarah Lovett0 Comments

I am pleased to announce victory over pinkeye and various other woes in my household! (See previous post.) Because I’m in contact with many writers and quite a number of them are in the process of sharing their stories with select readers, agents, and editors, I am going to use the next few blog posts to focus on surviving and thriving through submission and beyond. Have you ever thought about the fact that it’s called submission? Only in publishing…

THE WORD ON WORD COUNT

April 17th, 2009Sarah Lovett0 Comments

If you’re about to query agents about your debut novel and the word count tops 150k, land here first: The Swivet. Agent Colleen Lindsay lays out the basics by category. Bottomline–less is more. The average word count for a novel? Between 80k and 100k, with YA running between 50k and 80k.

THE CASE OF THE DREADED SYNOPSIS

April 15th, 2009Sarah Lovett0 Comments

When it comes time to find the right agent for you and your novel, you will need to compose a query letter and a synopsis. Your job is to make both of these documents tight, professional, and effective. To spare yourself needless pain and embarrassing blunders, seek help without shame. Agent Query has clear guidelines to help you come up with a dynamite query. Fiction Writer’s Connection offers excellent tips to help you draft and polish your synopsis. The good news: once you tackle your synopsis, the query will seem like a piece of cake!

PLATFORM ANYONE?

April 11th, 2009Sarah Lovett0 Comments

I was having tea on Canyon Road with literary agent Irene Webb and she mentioned a trip to New York to visit with editors. What are they looking for? I asked. Her answer boiled down to two points: 1) A writer with a unique voice; 2) A writer with a strong a platform. Voice? We know it when we hear it, when we read it on the page. It’s a sort of author’s thumbprint, and it lends the story its unique flavor, energy and tone. More about voice in a future post. Platforms? Does the word bring to mind discos, …

THE BUSINESS OF WRITING -How not to ship your power out with the manuscript.

April 3rd, 2009Sarah Lovett0 Comments

Over the next weeks I’ll be focusing on the business of writing–building your platform, choosing authentic career strategies, finding the right agent, evaluating your publishing options from traditional to POD to e-books to Kindle. And most importantly, how to hold onto your power and your sanity over the course of your creative lifetime. I’m not going to try to organize these “biz” posts in any particular order. Instead, I’m posting links to sites I already know are useful. And I’ll be on an active hunt to discover new (to me and perhaps to you) resources. If you’re serious about the …

BREAKING INTO THE BUSINESS

October 28th, 2008Sarah Lovett0 Comments

Literary agent Don Maass–author of WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL–has gained a reputation in his field as a writers’ advocate. I heard him speak at the Surrey Writers’ Conference this past weekend. He delivered a realistic and energizing message. Yes, it is a tough business. And, yes, you can find an agent and a publisher–if you write a great book, and if you are professional, make smart choices, and do your homework. Sound daunting? Take a deep breath and shake off the “daunts”. Why? Because you will write a terrific book and you will do your homework. Begin by visiting Don’s …