The Top Four Reasons Literary Agents Don’t Respond to Your Query
When we first became literary agents through Transatlantic Agency after years on the publishing side of the business, we diligently responded to every query we received from writers.
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Your Book Proposal: How to Write a Competitive Title Analysis
When our clients are drafting book proposals, many of them tell us that the section that confounds them the most is the market competition section. After all, who enjoys staring their competition in the face?
Surprise: Millennials Are Devoted to Print Books
Last week a university professor asked us, “Will print books still exist in ten years?” It was a provocative question intended to spark discussion. But when we stated emphatically that yes, of course they will, he wasn’t convinced.
Enhancing Your Author Website: Tips for Adding Fresh, Effective Content
We recently gave our Page Two website a refresh and an update. It took months of planning and writing, and it required the expertise of some of our close collaborators.
Libel Insurance for Authors
We’ve had a few clients recently inquire about buying libel insurance to protect themselves in the event of a lawsuit when their books are published. We didn’t immediately know where to send them.
Ebook Conversion and Design: Best Practices and Innovations
The world of ebook conversion is mysterious to most of us. It’s difficult to imagine what goes into designing a file that’s versatile enough for display on many different devices. The standard ebook file format is called ePub, and it’s designed to be responsive and to automatically adjust to the screen size of any e-reader, computer, smartphone or tablet.
Four Reasons Not to Publish Exclusively with Amazon
Inevitably at some point, our self-publishing clients ask whether they should distribute their ebook exclusively through Kindle, or whether they should take a different approach. In most cases, we advise selling to a variety of ebook retailers.
3 Things to Expect from Your Substantive Editor
Your substantive editor is the person who will review your manuscript to ensure the content and structure are clear. As we’ve explained in a previous post, substantive editing involves looking at big-picture things such as narrative and character development, pacing, consistency of voice, and chapter organization.
Two of the Best Writing Guides for Non-Fiction Authors
Many of our clients are not professional writers. They are entrepreneurs and leaders in the fields of technology, parenting, politics, business, sports, and science. They’re used to writing reports and other longish documents, but writing a non-fiction book for a general audience requires a different skill set.
What a Literary Agent Really Does
When we became literary agents, an inquisitive child we know asked if we’d have to start wearing hats. It took us a while to realize why he was asking that question. In many of the cartoons he’d watched, agents have a specific role: they are secret agents — mysterious people wearing fedoras and trench coats, whose briefcases contain intelligence that can crack open big cases and change the world.
Self-Publishing versus Traditional Publishing: Eight Questions to Help You Choose
These days there’s an endless barrage of articles about why traditional publishers are horrible (they’re not.), and why self-publishing is a bad idea (it’s not).
How to Market Your Self-Published Book
So you’re publishing your book and you’re wondering how to make it stand out from the other 600,000 new books published in North America over the last year. You’re not alone. One of the biggest issues publishers and self-publishers are grappling with these days is how to make readers aware that their books exist.
