For beginners: ten ways to prepare to get published
By Jill Nagle
Founder and Principal: GetPublished, guerilla guidance for your writing adventure
firstwriter.com – Thursday May 26, 2005
Like any field, excellent writing requires study, practice and mentorship. Very few successful authors ever published their first draft of their first work. Nearly all had to expend considerable effort to improve their craft. Here are some ways to prepare for that moment of publication. These tips also help keep you on your toes after publication for better and better writing results as your career develops.
Bulletproof book proposals: three solutions you can implement right now
By Jill Nagle
Founder and Principal: GetPublished, guerilla guidance for your writing adventure
firstwriter.com – Sunday April 24, 2005
As a nonfiction author, you can breathe a sigh of relief. You don’t have to write your whole book. In fact, you shouldn’t write your whole book. You should write a book proposal, and get paid to write your book. That’s how the mainstream publishing world usually works.
How I got a literary agent - An interview with author David C. Burton
firstwriter.com – Sunday January 30, 2005
David C. Burton recently acquired an agent using firstwriter.com's database of literary agencies. We asked him about his writing, and how he found success.
What's in a name? Giving birth to your characters
By Celise Downs
firstwriter.com – Sunday January 30, 2005
So you've got your plot outlined, a title lined up, and the research is done. You're ready to start writing your novel. But wait. Now comes the fun part: creating names for your characters. One of the best things about being a writer – besides the innate ability to create imaginary worlds – is giving birth to a character and then bestowing a name upon him or her. True, you didn't carry the character in your womb for nine months (especially if you're male). But he or she could've been in your head for nine months – or nine years. So choosing a name for your character seems almost as important as the one you would give your own child.
Presenting your poetry
By J. Paul Dyson
Managing Editor, firstwriter.com
firstwriter.com – Monday December 27, 2004
As an editor of a literary magazine you see all sorts in the submission pile: from annoying little errors like "to" instead of "too" or "your" instead of "you're" (and no, that's not being picky – being able to write is a fairly basic requirement of being a writer), to the classic faux pas of submitting material entirely in capitals (in case you don't know, standard practice in the publishing industry is to reject anything entirely in capitals without even reading it). Recently, however, I've noticed a new aberration creeping into the poetry submissions – and it seems to be coming out of the new "phone text" language…
Getting to know you: 8 questions to ask an interested agent
By Jill Nagle
Founder and Principal: GetPublished, guerilla guidance for your writing adventure
firstwriter.com – Monday December 27, 2004
Getting accepted by an agent is so difficult that – when it finally does happen – it's easy to forget that you need to be as selective about the agent you choose to work with as they are about writers. Having the wrong agent can be as bad or worse than having no agent at all. Getting answers to some or all of the following questions will help you determine whether or not you and your prospective agent are a match:
Seven essential points on literary agents
By Jill Nagle
Founder and Principal: GetPublished, guerilla guidance for your writing adventure
firstwriter.com – Saturday November 27, 2004
As an aspiring author, you may have heard, "if your work is really good, you can get an agent. Getting the work into shape is the hard part. If you get the work into shape, the right agent will follow". Is it really that simple? Well, yes and no.
The seven essential points below prepare you for what to expect when seeking an agent, or literary representative.
The first three steps to finding a literary agent
By Jill Nagle
Founder and Principal: GetPublished, guerilla guidance for your writing adventure
firstwriter.com – Sunday October 24, 2004
An excerpt from How to Find A Literary Agent Who Can Sell Your Book for Top Dollar
www.FindTheRightAgent.com
Promotional tips
By Pamela S. Thibodeaux
firstwriter.com – Saturday September 25, 2004
I never thought I would be in a position to give advice on promoting your work. However, when my book Tempered Hearts was published (December 2000, Writers Exchange E-publishing Co.) I knew my writing career had taken on a whole new range of duties. I had a choice: Sit back and wait for the sales to trickle in or get out there and pound the pavement and make the sales happen.
Simple record-keeping and tax deductions for writers
By Pamela S. Thibodeaux
firstwriter.com – Monday August 23, 2004
So, you want to be a writer. Family encourage and support you. Friends pat you on the back and say: "great, maybe we'll see your name on the NY Times Best Sellers List." People envy your creativity, not realising that writing is hard work. Writing is more than creating the Great American Novel. Writing is a Business and a business requires record-keeping and tax preparation.
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