How long should my book proposal be?” I suspect writers ask this question because they want to know how much work they need to do for a solid chance at a book contract. The good news is often a shorter book proposal is better than a longer one. The bad
By far the best thing I have ever done for myself is create a life plan. A life plan is a simple document that you create as an intentional way of envisioning and committing yourself to a future you desire–in every area of life. I wrote my life plan about seven
This is perhaps the most obvious question for a writer to ask a publishing insider: How do I get my book published? Funny thing is, people normally don’t ask it that boldly. More often I get questions like: How do find an agent? Is there some way for me to submit
Imagine driving around an unknown city for a while when suddenly your phone and all its GPS abilities goes dead. You smack it a few times. You look to the heavens. You yell “C’mon!” Nada. It’s a goner. What would you do next? Many writers find themselves in this situation.
What are the books that have made you . . . you? Recently my friend Bob Evenhouse asked me how I got started blogging, coaching, speaking, etc. I immediately started rattling off the books that influenced me. I owe so much to these books and their authors. I thought others might be
Holidays can be tough. It sounds counter-intuitive perhaps, but it’s true. Sometimes holidays remind us of people or events that used to be here and now for whatever reason are not. Sometimes holidays bring us into close contact with people who are important to but very different from us, and
I’ve been reviewing book proposals for well over a decade, and I’ve noticed that for the most part proposals fall into one of two categories. Either publishers fight each other to publish your book, or they don’t give it much attention at all. That’s an oversimplification, but not as much
Why do we go to movies?” he asked the audience. “Escape!” someone shouted. “An experience!” “Yes,” the speaker said, “we go for those reasons, but we also go for clarity.” I’m here in Chicago for Donald Miller’s Storyline conference as I write this, and I think Don nails it in the
Did you know Halloween is a religious holiday? It is! The term “Halloween” itself is a shortened form of “All Hallow’s Eve.” That word “hallow” is the same one that appears in The Lord’s Prayer: “hallowed be Thy name.” The noun form refers to a holy person or saint. All Hallow’s Eve
I’ve got a platform,” writers sometimes tell me. “I’m on Twitter and Facebook. I’ve got a blog.” But here’s the litmus test for whether you have a platform: If a publisher sent a pallet of books to your garage, how many of them could you move on the strength of your
We write who we are. Or at the very least, we write from who we are. In the same way that beautiful gardens and happy productive children don’t just happen, neither does good writing. All of these are products of an environment. How’s Your Writing Ecosystem? So what if you
Do you have a nonfiction book idea? If you’re reading this, chances are you do. But here’s the thing. This idea you have is not guaranteed to become anything. If you don’t do something with it, in time your idea will fade away. And maybe that’s okay. Maybe it’s not an