We’re all a little afraid to put ourselves out there. Rejection HURTS! But being creative — and getting your creative work out into the public eye — requires that you risk rejection somewhere down the line. Even if you go it alone and put your work out directly to consumers, you can still face rejection by consumers. There is no […]
Hi all. It’s Jes! Every time a pitch party happens on Twitter, whether I’m participating or not, I scroll through the feed. I love reading and learning from the amazing pitches! I also see writers making rookie pitch party mistakes. Since my Pitch Party schedule is the most popular page on this website, I thought it would be a good […]
As writers, it’s easy to become distracted and stressed by all the what if’s and maybe’s of publishing. What if readers don’t like it? Maybe I’ll self-publish. What if I can’t find an agent? Maybe I’ll submit directly to a publisher. What if my story doesn’t fit a specific genre? Maybe I’ll save up and hire an editor. What if […]
I’ve been helping quite a few authors and businesses redesign their websites lately, so I thought it was worth posting a little guide. Today, I’m going to focus on just one aspect of your site: the look and feel. The visual elements of your website are the most important because they are what make the first impression. The images, the […]
No matter what type of book you’re querying, it’s a TON of work to put together a query package. There are a lot of factors to consider when trying to find the right agent for your manuscript, but when it comes to picture books, there’s even more to consider. I’ve been deep in the query trenches for several of my […]
If you’re a writer, #TwitterLit is the place to be! You can connect with authors, readers, agents, editors, and publishers, get all kinds of writing, editing, and querying advice, participate in Twitter pitch parties, win books, critiques, and mentorships, and so much more. If you’re not on Twitter already, we recommend you start now. If you can’t for whatever reason, […]
A polished manuscript uses strong, direct language, and vivid imagery, to convey its message. When editing, it’s easy to ignore common words like THE, A, or ON because they just blend into the background. But here’s one common word you should never ignore: OF. OF has many valid uses. For example, it can convey relationships between people, entities, and objects: […]
Here are some open calls for submission that might interest our writers. As always, please be vigilant and research as needed to verify the authenticity of each outlet and its request for submissions. You’ll notice that a lot of these outlets announced their calls for submission on Twitter. If you’re not already on Twitter, we encourage you to join and […]
