A Life in the Day

Photo by Papaioannou Kostas on Unsplash I'm a sucker for friendship stories. If a book has a strong, core friendship that lasts throughout the story, it's a good chance you've hooked me as a reader. Some of my favorite stories are adventure stories where a group of friends help each other achieve an impossible feat or where the main character defeats their nemesis with the help of their friends . Photo by Aman Shrivastava on Unsplash But while good friendships make for good stories, we don't encourage male friendships to thrive beyond childhood, and we don't encourage physical affection between them to extend beyond puberty. We tend to sexualize their bonds instead, creating rifts and establishing an environment of toxic masculinity . We tell our boys to be boys, to stop crying, to stop feeling or showing emotion after they reach a certain age (an age arbitrarily chosen by parents or the community they're raised in, by the way). We teach our boys ...

Continuing my birthday-month blog series, this week, we'll go over the negotiating a Deal Sheet. Also known as the Offer Letter, the Deal Sheet is the first step in your negotiation of a publishing contract. It is usually a one-page document attached to an email, or embedded into the email, detailing what the publisher is offering to publish the work. It is generally received after a phone conversation between the agent and the acquisitions editor (or the acquisition editor and the author) where the deal points are discussed. Deal sheets are not a contract but they are generally a viable offer that a publisher has put on paper for the agent to take to the author and/or approve/reject on the author’s behalf. It details general points (deal points) that the publisher is willing to offer the author in exchange for the right to publish the work. It’s important to understand and review these points well before agreeing to them as these are generally the first opportunity you have ...

It’s my birth-month and I think it only fitting that I dedicate it to launching a new blog series. This week we’ll discuss establishing an author platform and tying that your author brand. After all, readers are buying you when they look for your titles, not your publisher, or your editor, or even your adorable, Puertorican literary agent with a penchant for coffee and gifs in everything. Aren’t platforms for nonfiction writers and 70s shoes? An author platform is as vital to the fiction author as it is to the nonfiction author and it encompasses everything from blogs to social media presence, speaking engagements and media contacts. But simply put, platform is the “ability to sell books because of who you are or who you can reach.” – Jane Friedman So what’s a platform and why do you need one? "Platform is the ability to get people to follow and find you for information and guidance." - Chuck Sambuchino,  Create Your Writer Platform It's what you do before ...

You've likely spent a few months revising your manuscript, making sure to remove clutter words , tighten scenes , strengthen plot-lines and create kick-ass characters you're sure readers are going to love (or hate). It is now ready to go out to agents and editors in hopes of publication. But agents receive thousands of queries per month, how do you make yours stand out? First and foremost, remember that your query is a letter and should be addressed as such . You can address the agent with the standard Dear Saritza, or Ms. Saritza (though I prefer the informal Hi Saritza to Ms. or Mrs.) but DO NOT start your query with To Whom It May Concern, Dear Agent or Ladies and Gentlemen. Our names are everywhere, take the time to personalize your query and make the effort to show the agent you've done your research. I recommend reading How To Write A Query Letter by Rachelle Gardner as the first stop in your research. Her blog is a an invaluable resource to aspiring authors, ...

I read a lot of Romance novels. It's my not-so-guilty pleasure and one I'm never ashamed to speak about or seen enjoying but it wasn't always the case. While living at home (with my very religious mother), I had to sneak my romance novels (and any horror or suspense books) into my room or leave them in my band locker to read during lunch or between class periods and band practice so my mother wouldn't throw them away. But many of the Women's Fiction titles I'd bring home, my mother simply glanced at the cover and "paid me no mind." What's interesting is that some of the WF titles I'd read in the late eighties/early nineties while in school were steamier (and sometimes scarier) than some of the romance novels, horror books and suspense titles I'd be shamed for reading at home. In Women's Fiction, as a young woman, I'd find more main characters that looked like me where romance was still very much about the love and pleasure of...

We were discussing "High Concept" or "Commercial Appeal" at the office yesterday and realized this is something that trips up many authors and agents. So here are my very random thoughts on the subject. Source: Creative Commons What is High Concept? First, let me say what it's not: It's not your whole book. Not inherently lowest common denominator plot (like a literary or think piece plot). Not just a movie pitch (Stranger Things: ET meets Aliens and every other 80s movie). Not another term for gimmicky. High Concept has five elements: broad appeal,  ooh factor,  originality,  standout setting, and  illuminates a universal human truth. Source: MemeMaker The premise has broad appeal which I know is kind of vague since appeal is really subjective but the concept should be distinct, easily parsed with a clear premise that is immediately intriguing and taps into a wide range of readers' interest. A great example today was Kami...

While working with one of our agent apprentices, we discussed how and when it's appropriate to offer representation and how do we know if the author is going to be a good fit for both the agent and the agency. It's important to be mindful of our time and resources when we know the quality of the work is there from the author. So, I put together a quick list of questions I ask myself when I find that manuscript I love and want to offer representation. Photo by Ben Terrett When I read a manuscript for representation, I'm not just reading for fun. I'm looking at a lot of different factors and deciding on whether I'm the right fit for this project. So I ask myself: Is the work engaging? Does the author have an established platform? Does the work need a lot of editorial work or just a quick polish? Do I have the time to devote to the editorial needs of this work? Do I have the time to devote to the needs of this author? Off the top of my head, how many edi...