re: Is My Independent Publisher’s Contract Normal?
posted 3/27/10Dear Editor…
I submitted my query to a number of agents and an independent publisher and the publisher is interested in my work. I’ve received a contract and there isn’t any mention of an advance, and they’ve asked me how many books I would like to purchase to help with self-promotion. Is this normal?
Sincerely,
Cindy
Click here to read the answer...re: This Story in my Head Won’t Leave Me Alone
posted 3/22/10Dear Editor…
I’m an engineer but I’ve had this story floating around in my head for a few years and it won’t leave me alone. It’s really starting to bother me because I don’t have the foggiest idea about writing styles or even where to begin. I do know I have to get it out of my head. Help! Where do I begin?
Sincerely,
Joe
Click here to read the answer...re: Confusing Rejection Letters from Editors
posted 3/18/10Dear Editor…
I have received a couple of rejection notices from editors that confuse me. They write they like the premise and voice, but say the execution fell short. What do editors mean when they talk about execution? Pace? Plot?
Thanks!
Author in Waiting
re: Which Comes First, the Editor or the Agent?
posted 3/15/10Dear Editor…
I’ve heard that the only way a publishing house will even consider looking at a manuscript is if it’s submitted by a literary agent. Is that true? And if so, how do I go about finding an agent for myself?
Sincerely,
Mary
Click here to read the answer...re: Are Sentence Fragments Worth Fisticuffs?
posted 3/11/10Dear Editor…
An argument is ensuing in my writing group about “realistic” dialog. On one side are the believers in using clipped dialog as they believe that is the way people speak—all the time. I say sometimes people speak in full sentences, so I use both. What’s the right balance? Assuming two native speakers.
Sincerely,
Bill
Click here to read the answer...re: Thinking about Direct Thoughts
posted 3/9/10Dear Editor…
I’m reading more novels, especially YA, where direct thoughts are put in italics. It’s clearer, and obviously editors are accepting/using the style. I’d prefer to use it in my YA novel. Advice?
Sincerely,
Karen
Click here to read the answer...re: What’s So Wrong with UN-Happily Ever After?
posted 3/7/10Dear Editor…
I’m writing my first romance novel. I think my ending is creative and powerful. My critique group agrees . . . but they still want me to rewrite it. I don’t end with the two lovers together. My group says they have to be, that a romance novel MUST have a happy ending. But that’s so predictable. Does it really have to?
Sincerely,
Desperately Seeking an UNhappy Ending
Click here to read the answer...re: The Perils of Swapping Slang
posted 3/5/10Dear Editor…
Often it seems that dialogue can get choppy and sound too contrived. How do you establish a more natural conversation, especially when writing with a teen voice and vocabulary?
Sincerely,
Anna
Click here to read the answer...re: Forty-Six-Year-Old Wants to Sound Sixteen
posted 3/1/10Dear Editor…
I’ve been told that the main character in my teen novel sounds too sophisticated. I’m forty-six years old! How can I sound like a teen?
Sincerely,
Too Old in Idaho
