Pub Rants

Since I’m on the topic of queries… I’ve noticed an interesting trend lately of writers utilizing spam prevention tools. Now that in itself isn’t bad. Goodness knows, I have two spam filters in place that save me from headache. Even with them, I still get ten or so emails a… MORE

When I attend writers’ conferences, I always want to drive home the message that publishing is first and foremost a business. When you write a novel, that’s art. Selling it and promoting it is sheer business. So, I always tell writers that the devil really is in the details and… MORE

I’m actively looking to add to my client list for science fiction and fantasy. Subsequently, I’ve been reading a lot of sample pages in those genres. I’m noticing something in the first 30 pages I’m reading—what turns me off mainly. Now remember, rules are always made to be broken and… MORE

Last week was certainly an interesting one where queries were concerned. I received a query from a person who had cc’d 60 other agents on the email. Now, that’s the first mistake here. I understand that this business feels depersonalized and the standard rejection letters certainly aren’t a joy, but… MORE

Last week a gentleman called and left a message on my voicemail. He said, “I see that your voicemail says that you do not accept phone queries.” Then he proceeded to query me by phone. What part of my voicemail message did he not understand? I was sorely tempted to… MORE